Indie games are often stereotyped as being quirky, short, fun, and weird for the sake of weird. That’s not always fair – but those words pretty accurately sum up Blueberry Garden.
Eric Svedang has put together an absolutely stunning piece of interactive art in Blueberry Garden. The quirky visual patterns combine with soothing piano music and a surprisingly complex ecological simulation to provide a great experience for the user. You play a small birdman with a hat in a garden filled with (appropriately) blueberries, but to say much more than that would give away the plot. Like Knytt (another Swedish game), the game is a great way to relax.
This is not to say that Blueberry Garden is perfect. There are a couple of things I really don’t like about the game. You can’t save your progress. There isn’t enough feedback – I thought I died when I first touched a piece of cheese, but that turned out not to be the case. It’s not even entirely clear at first what the game is about (you will lose at least once before you win). Even so, it is worth the five dollar price tag on Steam. The hollistic experience of Blueberry Garden is completely worth the flaws, and Svedang’s creation is a fine example of great game design.
