I had heard about Plantasia a while ago but just recently got around to playing it. Over the past week and a half I have been addicted to this game and can be found playing it any spare moment I can.
Plantasia has several features but the main game involves following the story of Holly. Holly is a fairy who has to complete her training before she can get her real magic. Her last task is to grant a wish. The wish is made by Jack who wants the gardens of his estate repaired and this is where the game begins. Your task is to help Holly restore the gardens by growing plants, harvesting them for points called mana, and managing pests and weeds. A garden is complete when you have enough mana to restore the damaged statues. You also use your mana to purchase more seeds, improve your tools or buy abilities. Each level has a certain number of statues that need to be repaired to move on to the next. If you’re looking for more of a challenge, then you can try to earn an Expert rating by purchasing an additional statue. After completing the story mode, I found myself going back and trying to achieve an Expert rating on many of the chapters.
Along with Holly’s story, the game features a Garden Challenge mode where you use mana to buy time. When you can’t afford to buy more time, your game ends. As an added feature, you can also set the game as your screensaver.
What I like about Plantasia is the management of multiple tasks and flexibility of choosing what you want to buy. There are 50 levels of game play when you follow Holly’s story or you can play the Garden Challenge, which both provide great variety. The game challenges you by gradually getting more difficult. However, I found the second to last level (Chapter 5-8) seemed to be much harder than any of the others, which became a bit frustrating. The only other negative aspect of the game was the romantic part of Holly’s story. It was a bit cheesy but did provide me with a few laughs. Other than that, Plantasia is a solid game that will keep you playing, even after completing the story mode.
Graphics: Colorful and creative with a large variety of plants.
Sound: The music fits the mood of the game perfectly and the sound effects are great.
Overall: This game has plenty of levels and interest to keep you playing and is a great way to spend an afternoon.
Rating: 3 / 5
Reviewed by: Casual Mom
Review date: Oct 27, 2006
Learn more about Plantasia on our Plantasia page
