Synonyms

Casual game; Mobile game; Puzzle game

Definitions

Casual game::

A game that is designed to be played occasionally for a relatively short period of time without losing points or competitive advantages.

Puzzle game::

A game that requires solving puzzles in order to advance in the game.

Mobile game::

A game that runs on mobile phones.

Introduction

Gardenscapes: New Acres and Homescapes are puzzle matching mobile games created by Playrix. Gardenscapes came out in 2016, and Homescapes was released a year later in 2017. They became extremely popular with over 1 billion downloads (Chapple 2020). Being casual games, they both require very little skill and are easily accessible on smartphones as well as Facebook.

Gameplay

The main story in Gardenscapes and Homescapes follows Austin the butler as he is renovating either his family garden in Gardenscapes or his family mansion in Homescapes. The player names themselves and picks an icon to represent themselves in the game. By completing various side challenges, they can unlock new icons to represent their new achievements. The player also receives new icons by completing renovations in specific areas. These icons can be customized to best fit each player. By solving puzzles, players earn stars that can be used to clean and renovate the property as well as to unlock new areas. Each puzzle board has a goal that can be completed by matching three collected pieces or removing bubbles/bushes.

Figure 1 shows a puzzle board which is the main form of gameplay in both Gardenscapes and Homescapes. This specific puzzle board has cookies which can be broken by making matches next to them. The side panel shows that there are 15 moves, meaning that a player must collect the required items in 15 moves or less. It also shows what is required for this puzzle board: donuts and boosters. For example, the player must make the donuts drop to the bottom of the board. Players can use boosters bought before the board starts to assist them in puzzle solving.

Gardenscapes and Homescapes, Casual Mobile Games, Fig. 1
figure 735figure 735

A puzzle board in Homescapes

Full size image

Although the specific mechanics and objectives of Gardenscapes may vary across different versions, here is the basic gameplay loop in Gardenscapes:

  1. 1.

    Match three or more same objects to clear them and earn points.

  2. 2.

    Complete tasks assigned by the characters to progress in the game and earn points.

  3. 3.

    Use points to buy and place items in the garden to decorate it.

  4. 4.

    Discover hidden secrets and interact with characters to expand the garden further.

  5. 5.

    Repeat the process to complete the game and restore the garden to its former glory.

Similarly, Homescapes offers varying mechanics and objectives in different versions, but here is the gameplay loop in Homescapes:

  1. 1.

    Match three or more same objects to clear them and earn points.

  2. 2.

    Complete tasks assigned by the characters to progress in the game and earn points.

  3. 3.

    Use points to buy and place items in the house to decorate it.

  4. 4.

    Discover hidden secrets and interact with characters to expand the house.

  5. 5.

    Repeat the process to complete the game and renovate the house to your desired design.

Since the puzzle games are mostly luck based, there is very little skill required to win the games; it is out of the player’s control where the extra pieces fall. Players have to think on the fly and adapt quickly to sudden changes. With that being said, the longer a player plays the game the better they will get at recognizing moves that will increase their chances of winning. By teaming up with friends and other players, they can help each other out by tips for the levels or gifting each other extra lives.

In-App Purchases

Although there are in-game coins that give players additional moves or lives, the games offer both free and payable prizes. For this specific microtransaction, players can pay $4.99 for a golden ticket to unlock many rewards that the player can obtain by playing the game and collecting specific pieces for that golden ticket event. There are other microtransactions such as spending real money to buy in-game coins that can be used to give a player additional moves as well as additional lives.

Reception

While the games had seen much popularity with a large number of downloads, they ended up getting a rather negative reception when they created ads that did not truly represent what the games were about. The advertisements for the two games would show game footage that was nothing like the actual gameplay. Many players first downloaded the games expecting a very different experience than what the games provided. There had been talk of banning the ads as many people accused the game publisher of false advertising (BBC 2020).

Conclusion

Mobile games are a great way for anyone to get into playing video games. Gardenscapes and Homescapes are examples of easy-to-play casual games because they are easy to get into and they require little to no skill to play. Gardenscapes and Homescapes’ main gameplay loop appeals toward casual gamers (Hörgstetter 2020). With each level, a player earns stars that can be used to renovate different areas. Players feel rewarded by completing levels as well as being able to complete renovations on a mansion or garden.

Cross-References