Review Fix Exclusive: Inside ‘The Gardens Between’

Review Fix chats with Henrik Pettersson, Game Director & Designer for “The Gardens Between,” who lets us know why the game is a special one. Easily one of the most innovative in terms of gameplay and visuals on the Switch, it’s also available on the PS4.

About The Game:

The Gardens Between, the adventure puzzle game from The Voxel Agents in which players manipulate time to guide two best friends through a surreal world of mysterious garden islands.

Join childhood friends Arina and Frendt as they venture through a world of dreamlike garden isles. Manipulate the flow of time and guide the duo as they relive the emotional journey of their past. Solve puzzles and ignite constellations, lighting the way to precious memories they’ve shared. 

Review Fix: How was this game born?

Henrik Pettersson: I think it dates all the way back to 2011 when we at The Voxel Agents did a series of rapid prototypes. I think we did as many as 20 within a short period of time. Several of those concepts involving time manipulation, I believe the early inspiration was a scene from Minority Report. It wasn’t until 2014 we really started exploring the possibilities of a fully fleshed out game.

Review Fix: What was development like?

Pettersson: Very long, The Gardens Between went through many many iterations. I think our strive for making ‘something truly special’ had us stopping and restarting maybe one or two times too many. I’m endlessly proud of what The Gardens Between is today. But I also wish we had finished some of those earlier iterations.

Review Fix: What makes this game special?

Pettersson: While time manipulation has been done before, the puzzles in the Gardens Between are quite unique and playful. I’m very proud of the team’s efforts on the tone, aesthetics and visuals, and I think that all shows In the trailers we’ve released.

It’s also a highly accessible game that you can, I encourage you, to play with someone who might not be so familiar with video games. The simple interaction and the unique puzzle will put you, and your less gaming-literate friend, on equal footing and you’ll be solving the puzzle together.

Review Fix: How does the sound play a role in the game?

Pettersson: Tim Shiel, the game’s composer was brought into the development from the very start. We would create playlists on Spotify together, like audio mood boards, and Tim was also there during the early Narrative Meeting.

The Gardens Between is a story told without words or dialogue. That means the narrative communication depends on the visuals and music.

Review Fix: What games influenced this one the most?

Pettersson: I have to mention Journey. And in particular, a talk given by its studio director, Jenova Chen, at GDC 2014 about its narrative design. The mobile games by Simogo (Year Walk & Device 6) did a lot of interesting things to strip away a lot of baggage that adventure games had accumulated over the years. That’s something that The Gardens Between took cues from. And the spatially focused puzzle solving in The Room and Monument Valley was influential in how we designed our environments.

Review Fix: Any fun stories or wild moments during development?

Pettersson: Early on in development, before out tools were fleshed out, we would concept our environment with LEGO. It was great because the whole team could engage, We got this idea from reading about the development of Metal Gear Solid for PlayStation where the designers sometimes used Lego pieces to put the levels together

Review Fix: Do you think preserving older gameplay mechanics in new games is important?

Pettersson: No, not at all. We build upon older games and for that, I have huge respect for them, but for what reason would we have any obligation to preserve them? I honor them – they’ve done the hard work in resolving the kinks to make older gameplay mechanics more palatable with each revision. But preserve them, no. A museum can do that.

Review Fix: How does it feel to be on the Switch?

Pettersson: Pretty fantastic, the whole team is a bunch of Nintendo fans so obviously, it means a lot. For a long time, we had to keep our lips sealed to await an appropriate time to make our Switch announcement. This was was hard because I really wanted to tell my friends and parents that I was making a game for Nintendo.

Review Fix: What’s your favorite memory as a gamer?

Pettersson: The opening credits to Final Fantasy VI when the mechs are walking through the snow to Terra’s Theme.

Review Fix: Who will enjoy this game the most?

Pettersson: Players who pay attention to the environment will get a lot from the puzzles and the story of The Gardens Between.

Review Fix: Bottom Line, why must someone play this game?

Pettersson: The Gardens Between will be a different adventure game to anything you’ve played before. You’ll get to know two interesting characters and visit some really weird places while you bend time at your will.

Review Fix: How do you want this game to be remembered?

Pettersson: I really hope that the story leaves an impact and resonates. Within our team, we all have different areas of skills and responsibilities but it all comes together to make this story: The Journey of Frendt and Arina, and we really hope you will enjoy it.

Review Fix: Anything else you’d like to add?

Pettersson: The Gardens Between is released on the September 20th. Please send us any feedback to on Twitter @TheVoxelAgents or me at @vghpe. We would love to hear your thoughts.