Gardenscapes but with more decor options and, unfortunately, less real estate!

If you have played Gardencapes before, Homescapes may feel overly familiar. I mean, who could miss Austin’s Mario-like physiognomy? 

However, rather than just continuing with “business as usual” and having him run errands around the house, you’ll be the one tasked with helping him, though, as always, as the same omnipresent behind-the-screen God-like figure sitting on the throne with a scepter in hand. Sorry for the over-the-top romanticization of an invisible playable character. Moving on!

This leads to some awkward scenes that make a bit less sense here than they did in the last game. Case in point, after the incredibly neat handcrafted cinematics showing a homesick Austin boarding an airplane back to his childhood house, he introduces you to his parents. Let’s just say I didn’t feel immersed in these scenes for one obvious reason. 

Call me crazy, but I love seeing my playable character on the screen! While I do relish the appeal of first-person games, this is one game where the appearance of a character model pretending to be me is essentially mandatory. Alas, Playrix (the developer) decided that Austin’s parents would wave at the camera instead. That kinda puts me off; not gonna lie!

Call me nitpicky, but it’s one of those areas that I believe this game could definitely improve. Admittedly, Homescapes is just one of the many games that do this, so what do I know?

On another note, the graphics here have not changed one iota from the previous installment. The art style is enticing as always, though mobile games at this point shouldn’t offer much worse than this, to be frank. I’m not one who’s always after graphical fidelity or aesthetically pleasing visuals, albeit I’m not convinced this game (of Gardenscapes, for that matter) would have been the same without theirs.

Sound-wise, this game has all the proverbial (and aptly-called) “bells and whistles” of the previous title. The sound effects are not annoyingly Landstalker-level repetitive, and the soundtrack is pleasant enough. 

The music preserves its orchestral leanings and pizzicato galore (not the name of a pizza recipe, by the way) in keeping with the predominantly greeny visuals. It isn’t anything out of the ordinary, but I can still appreciate it in all its conventional beauty, and it’s a perfect accompaniment for games like these that require a certain degree of mental prowess.

you get to meet some new characters this time around. Apart from your omniscient and omnipresent self, as well as Austin, you’ll meet his parents (I’ve said that before, but it bears repeating,) Katherine (Austin’s potential lover and best female friend), Patrick (Austin’s cousin), Uncle Lao (his father’s friend), and Scotty (one of the neighbors), among a plethora (and I mean plethora) of others. 

And who can forget about the furries? Starting with the “nameless” cat (whom you can name as you see fit), you also meet Austin’s parrot (comically named Captain Flint) and the neighbor’s dog, Toby. These animals appear not to add too much to the overall gameplay or story, but they undoubtedly grace the game with yet another dose of lightheartedness. It’s not like it needs that dose, but it still benefits from it. “Dose” that make any sense? (Horrible pun, I know! I’ll stop!)

Lastly, I should probably talk about the gameplay, though I must admit there’s nothing particularly contrasting here. You still need to solve the same old match-3 puzzles to earn coins with which you can advance the story. 

I did witness a slight spike in difficulty while playing late-game match-3 levels. Upon reaching level 300+, the game turns into an almost unbeatable nightmare. 

In addition, while you are granted a surplus of decoration options here, you don’t get to unlock as many household areas as you could in this game’s predecessor. I sort of resented that, but it’s not an absolute dealbreaker, all things considered.

Now, I must stress that this game has an ending, but, at the same time, it doesn’t. What I mean by that is that once you beat the last “level,” you usually must wait for an update to participate in tournaments and events and continue accruing prizes and points. It’s a fantastic way to keep people entertained after finishing the story, but I still think they need to make it a bit more balanced difficulty-wise and tone down power-up dependency.

On the whole, Homescapes holds up quite nicely as a sequel to Gardenscapes. It shines in its story and character elements, as well as the music and aesthetics. The gameplay is not bad, though it could be better in specific aspects. Regardless of all that, if you enjoyed Gardenscapes, I’m positive you will like Homescapes too!

Now, be a “good sport,” and let me know what you think about this marvelous game in the comments below!