The Switch may be upon us, but we at Real Otaku Gamer still have one last game to review for the Wii U. In this case, Plantera, a gardening game that has a unique flair to it. But is that a good thing? Or does the game fall flat?
Well, I can say that Plantera isn’t really what I expected, but then again I wasn’t sure what to expect. There are simplistic controls and a minimalist setup, but it works well for the game. You are thrust right into the garden and put to work, and this can be a big of a struggle for a few minutes as you figure things out. Once you do figure everything out though, it all becomes simple and rote, and that isn’t a bad thing in this case.
The game is very basic in that you planet and tend to the garden, you obtain what you need, and you fight off pests. Yet in doing so, the game gives you a relaxing feeling. I do not know how else to describe it but as therapeutic in some ways. You wont have any tense moments, you wont have a big adventure, you are just tending to a garden and helping keep it safe.
On Wii U, you can play this entirely on the GamePad, as the TV screen only shows the garden and cannot be used to interact with the game . You need the touch screen to interact and on the GamePad, you see the garden as well as the shops where you buy things. Regarding buying things, there are a few categories. These include vegetable patches, bushes, trees, animals and specials, with the first 3 for crop growing and the animals for other products to obtain. Specials help improve your garden and make it more efficient and you can even expand the garden.
Plantera has very simple music but it just works so well with the game, in that it is calming and brings a sense of peace to the player. If nothing else, this is a great game to relax and distress with.
Would I recommend it? This one solely depends on your tastes. For me, I enjoyed it as it helped me relax.