Gardening Mama
Encyclopedia
Gardening Mama is a gardening
simulation-styled minigame
compilation video game for the Nintendo DS
and iOS. It is a spin-off from the Cooking Mama
series.
The gameplay is similar to that of Cooking Mama, with players using the stylus to plant bulbs, dig trenches and water plants. Players can also make items such as jack-o-lanterns and jams from their fruits and vegetables, and players can trade their produce with others.
After completing a stage, the player's performance is evaluated with a numerical score out of 100, and awarded either a bronze, silver, or gold medal. After completing a full plant cycle the player's overall performance is evaluated, and given an averaged score out of 100 and a corresponding medal.
There are many different mini-games available, for example: planting seeds/saplings; watering plants; cutting off or removing weak/dead parts of plants; shooing away pests and rodents; harvesting produce; and making rainbows using a watering hose.
Players also have a "practice" option.
There are two bonus sections: "Decorate the Garden!" and "Make it Fancy!"
In "Decorate the Garden", players can add decorative items they have unlocked to their garden, such as small flower pots and garden gnomes. The "Spruce Up Your Screen" menu can also be opened from here to change the appearance of various gardening tools and background items.
In "Make it Fancy", players can use unlocked clothing items to customize Mama's appearance. Various accessories, like glasses and earrings, can be added; Mama's clothing can also be changed.
Special fertilizers can also be unlocked via the bonus saplings, which allow growing unique plants that can be grown in an area called "Special Garden"
, except for a new character named Jacob.
assign a 62.13% of positive reviews. Main complains were about the controls. 1UP.com
called the controls "frustrating" and IGN
said "the controls are too simple to be engaging and the lack of tutorial in many challenges renders them unplayable", but GameSpot
mainly complained about the lack of action in the game, saying that "the action is quite shallow".
Main praise for the game was different by each reviewer. GameSpot praised variety of plants and fruits. IGN praised the graphics, by saying "Adorable 2D images. Simple, but it works." and 1UP praised the minigames and the fun.
Gardening
Gardening is the practice of growing and cultivating plants. Ornamental plants are normally grown for their flowers, foliage, or overall appearance; useful plants are grown for consumption , for their dyes, or for medicinal or cosmetic use...
simulation-styled minigame
Minigame
A minigame is a short video game often contained within another video game. A minigame is always smaller or more simplistic than the game in which it is contained. Minigames are sometimes also offered separately for free to promote the main game...
compilation video game for the Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
and iOS. It is a spin-off from the Cooking Mama
Cooking Mama
is a cookery simulation-styled minigame compilation video game for the Nintendo DS and iOS developed by Office Create and published by Taito, Majesco Entertainment, and 505 Games. It was awarded IGN's "Best Of E3" award for 2006 and was joined by a sequel for the DS, Cooking Mama 2: Dinner with...
series.
The gameplay is similar to that of Cooking Mama, with players using the stylus to plant bulbs, dig trenches and water plants. Players can also make items such as jack-o-lanterns and jams from their fruits and vegetables, and players can trade their produce with others.
"Let's Get Growing!"
"Let's Get Growing" is the main game mode where the player grows a variety of plants in a garden, ranging between flowers, fruits, and vegetable. Players initially start with only a few flowers, but are able to unlock more plants and garden areas after finishing complete flower cycles (from planting the seed to when the flower blooms). Like previous Mama games, for a plant to grow the player needs to complete a series of mini games; however instead of playing each stage consecutively, only one stage can be played at time. The next stage becomes available once the player completes another stage for a different plant, or the next time the player turns on their handheld device.After completing a stage, the player's performance is evaluated with a numerical score out of 100, and awarded either a bronze, silver, or gold medal. After completing a full plant cycle the player's overall performance is evaluated, and given an averaged score out of 100 and a corresponding medal.
There are many different mini-games available, for example: planting seeds/saplings; watering plants; cutting off or removing weak/dead parts of plants; shooing away pests and rodents; harvesting produce; and making rainbows using a watering hose.
Players also have a "practice" option.
Multiplayer
In the "Let's Play Together" mode, Gardening Mama supports wireless multiplayer, along with "Download Play". During such a contest, players compete in individual minigames. Players can also exchange produce they have grown with the "Cute Treasure Chest" function.Bonus sections
If a player completes a stage under a certain time they receive a "bonus sapling". For every three bonuses earned players receive an unlockable item, such as accessories for Mama, decorative gardening items, or extra items that can be used in the game.There are two bonus sections: "Decorate the Garden!" and "Make it Fancy!"
In "Decorate the Garden", players can add decorative items they have unlocked to their garden, such as small flower pots and garden gnomes. The "Spruce Up Your Screen" menu can also be opened from here to change the appearance of various gardening tools and background items.
In "Make it Fancy", players can use unlocked clothing items to customize Mama's appearance. Various accessories, like glasses and earrings, can be added; Mama's clothing can also be changed.
Special fertilizers can also be unlocked via the bonus saplings, which allow growing unique plants that can be grown in an area called "Special Garden"
Friends
Most of the friends you can garden with are from Cooking Mama 2: Dinner with FriendsCooking Mama 2: Dinner with Friends
Cooking Mama 2: Dinner with Friends, released as in Japan, is the sequel to the Nintendo DS video game Cooking Mama and its Wii successor, Cooking Mama: Cook Off. The game has twice as many minigames as the original, all new recipes, and a new multiplayer "Cook Off" mode...
, except for a new character named Jacob.
- Mama
- Papa
- Chika
- Ayaka
- Takuya
- Jacob
- David
- Grandma
- Grandpa
Reception
Gardening Mama received a mixed reception, Game RankingsGame Rankings
GameRankings is a website that collects review scores from both offline and online sources to give an average rating. It indexes over 315,000 articles relating to more than 14,500 games.GameRankings is owned by CBS Interactive...
assign a 62.13% of positive reviews. Main complains were about the controls. 1UP.com
1UP.com
1UP.com is a video game website owned by IGN Entertainment, a division of News Corporation. Previously, the site was owned by Ziff Davis before being sold to UGO Entertainment in 2009....
called the controls "frustrating" and IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
said "the controls are too simple to be engaging and the lack of tutorial in many challenges renders them unplayable", but GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
mainly complained about the lack of action in the game, saying that "the action is quite shallow".
Main praise for the game was different by each reviewer. GameSpot praised variety of plants and fruits. IGN praised the graphics, by saying "Adorable 2D images. Simple, but it works." and 1UP praised the minigames and the fun.