There’s no doubt that with the hustle and stresses of the modern world, it can be vital that people find ways to reach an inner sense of calm. When it comes to games there are all sorts of people, ranging from those that can find that calm when in the zone with loads of action, to others that thirst for simpler things like predictable repetitive tasks that have longer-term rewards. It seems that with The Garden Path the developers are working to try to extend the Zen calm side of the equation even further from the chaotic opposite end, toning down even the quests and objectives of even a typical cozy game and leaving you with something even more chill.

I’ll admit that, in theory, there’s some promise to this, and there’s likely an audience for it as well. The concept is roughly if people like games that are calming, let’s figure out how to double down on that even further. The results, though certainly free of what you’d normally think of as general direction and standing objectives, are probably going to be a bit divisive though… especially since a key piece of the puzzle for a less stressful experience is the implementation of game systems that limit how much you’re able to accomplish each day. In part, the idea behind that is that without the ability to blow through too much in a single sitting, it can be a regular piece of calm to return to for a while each day. It’s a good theory, and other games like even Animal Crossing have implemented versions of this before, but to this extent, and married to a more slender number of overall things to do, it makes for an underwhelming return on your investment of time overall.

In the end, this is absolutely a love/hate proposition, and there’s really no way around it. I have no doubt that there are people who’d like to up the cozy game ante even further, and who’ll enjoy a lot of walking around, cataloging, collecting, and periodically running into people to talk to. If that sounds soothing to you, absolutely check it out. If, however, you’re anywhere else on the spectrum, and even if you like cozy games but would like a little more variety and overall structure, this will likely be a miss.