Garden Tails: Match And Grow's Relaxing Gameplay Was Born From Urban Chaos

gamespot.com:

Among the new releases on Apple Arcade this month is Garden Tails: Match and Grow, a serene match-3 puzzle game where building a garden and filling it with cute little animals is the main goal. In a medium filled with adrenaline-focused video games, this new Apple Arcade experience stands out as a quiet, more relaxing alternative.

To learn more about the game and its relaxing roots, we spoke to Dots' Sandra Honigman, game designer and lead on Garden Tails, for more insight on where the idea came from and how it tries to keep things light for the player.

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Now Playing: Garden Tails — Mobile Gameplay Trailer

We spoke about the game's attempts to overcome some of the negative stereotypes of the match-3 genre, including a lack of monetization and a few mechanics that help the player solve its puzzles. We also go into length about how living in a major American city birthed the idea of a quiet experience.

This interview was conducted remotely via Zoom and edited for clarity.

GameSpot: Match-3s like Garden Tails can be stressful, especially when the number of moves left whittles down to zero. Was the idea to theme the game around a serene garden in an attempt to juxtapose that stress? Do you still want the player to feel a little some of that tension?

Sandra Honigman: We don't need tension there, no. The guiding idea for Garden Tails has always been relaxation and peace, which is why we have the Zen gardens, the music, the sounds, the animals, etc. in the levels. We're also not monetizing from the level loss either,