Gardens of Time
One thing I have to note at first is that the loading times are very slow. This is because the illustrations and graphics that are used in this game are of a very high quality. The artwork is amazing as it features illustrations from all around the world. Just be sure to be patient sometimes as the loading times can be long and frequent.
The game starts off with a gentleman introducing you to the “Time Society”. This game has a time machine located in the middle of the screen and you will visit various locations from different time zones. The premise of the game is simple as you will have to visit these places and find objects that have been “lost in time” so to speak.
The first place you will visit is Ancient Egypt. The tutorial is easy because you only have to find six objects on the screen. The objects you have to find are listed below and it’s your task to find them by clicking on them using your mouse. It sounds easy enough, although sometimes objects are hidden as they may be very small or camouflaged into the scenery.
To make the game more of a challenge, you are unable to click multiple times in hopes of finding the object you want. The game will penalize you for this and will pause the game for a few seconds before you can resume playing. This is not what you want because in order to earn lots of stars for a specific scene/level, you need to find the objects quickly. There is no time limit to finding all of the objects per se, but it’s advisable to locate them quickly if you want to advance to the next level quicker.
If you truly get stuck, there’s a magnifying glass located at the bottom right hand corner of the screen that you can use to locate an item you might be struggling to find. If you want to earn a higher score, it’s advisable not to use the magnifying glass at all. However, it can be very helpful at times when objects are truly invisible. I used it sometimes when I did not even know what object they wanted me to find in the first place!
There is also an RTS element to this game where you can decorate your garden where your time machine is located. You can add various things to the garden such as plants, trees and statues to make the place more attractive. Making your garden more attractive is important because this allows you to earn more reputation points. The more reputations points that you earn, the more levels and locations you will get to visit.
There is also a place in the game called “Lulu’s Garden” that you can visit too. This is where you can participate in many games and also visit your friends’ gardens too. The mini game that is here is a 60 time limit where you have to find as many objects as possible. You can also challenge your friends to see if they can beat your high score in a certain level in the game. Having friends in Gardens of Time is important too because you can help them out with their own garden and vice versa.
The only thing that I truly disliked about Gardens of Time is its repetitive level structure. Sometimes you are required to play through the same level multiples times in order to earn enough stars so you can visit the next level/location. I remember I had to play through the same Egyptian level more than four times just to earn enough reputation points to get to the next level. It gets boring and repetitive looking at the same picture more than once just so that you can get to the next level...
The overall production value in Gardens of Time is commendable. There is a nice soundtrack that is played throughout the entire game plus various different sound effects are included to let you know when you have found an object. The game wouldn’t have had the same type of effect if it didn’t feature any audio whatsoever like most free to play video games...
All in all, Gardens of Time is a really fun game and a refreshing change from the many RTS and MMORPG games that are often seen with free to play titles. Despite its repetitive nature, I had a lot of fun playing this game as it tested my observational skills. Not to mention the high quality graphics and audio added to the overall quality that this game possesses. If you’re a gamer looking to play something a little different, Gardens of Time is one game that you should be playing right now. The game is available to play via Facebook, iPhone, Android or through any web browser.
