Underplayed Gems

The Machine's Garden (2020)

The Machine's Garden cover
Developer
Jon Miller, Michael Mato
Publisher
Too Much Tomato
Platforms
Windows
Genres
Indie
Rating
4.7 of 5, 19 player ratings
Typical playtime
about 1.8 hours
Where to get it
Steam
The 3D catalog: game boxes on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalog in 3D

The same catalog has a room you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real games from it when you tell them what you feel like playing. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this game is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

A short, atmospheric puzzle game with a poignant yet lighthearted narrative and handcrafted hexagonal challenges.

atmosphericpuzzlenarrative drivenlightheartedthoughtfulchallengingshortstylized

What players say

Players enjoy the tactile, hex-grid puzzle design and the way the game prevents frustration by letting you back up easily. The story is described as separate from the puzzles and not a main draw, and some note the game is short with bugged achievements.

Screenshots

The Machine's Garden screenshot 1The Machine's Garden screenshot 2The Machine's Garden screenshot 3

More games like this

This page is from Underplayed Gems, a catalog of older and overlooked games. Not quite it? You can browse by platform and genre, or take this one into the 3D catalog and ask the Catbot for something closer.