Friendly and Well Designed – Miss Claire Garden Review

I rarely give a 5 Star rating, but this is truly an overlooked gem. It is critized for being a clone of Yoshi's Island for the SNES, but is that really a bad thing ? Both games have a family friendly and hand-drawn artistic charm, each their own. Miss Claire's Garden has platforming depth, puzzling challenges, and is oozing with the hand drawn charm of a single, loving, developer. It is also iOS 11 Ready, so there has never been a better time to pick it up Presentation 4/5 It comes off as a retro 2D platforming game. It is polished and pulls off the job nicely. It also supports the hardware MFi controllers. The downside is it is a little too much like classic 2D games, despite offering a nice HD update and parallax scrolling. There is also enough detail to warrant playing on an iPad. 5/5 if it added an original touch. Gameplay 4/5 The platforming is solid and 4 collectible challenges for each stage offer a great value for the total game. The problem is it is a slow paced puzzle platformer with a time limit, and no way to extend the time. Having to race through a game designed for a slow pace to beat the clock is a poor design choice. Otherwise, there are enough different, area fitting enemy types, moving platforms, unlockable blocks, jumps, and secret areas to satisfy most 2D platforming fans. The game is also easy to pick up, but though to complete and fully unlock, like classic platformers. Also, the challenges are precise, at times, but always fair. The game even provides a few characters or signs to provide hints along the way, though there should be a proper walk through for this game, and I couldn't find it. > Story 4/5 This game tells the story through it's visuals. The forest areas really come off like a garden or nature aesthetic. The objects are cartoon basics with a slightly abstract hand drawn look. Nothing seems to menacing. There are always friendly mice or characters to meet along the way, and always a beetle or butterfly fluttering about to make you feel safe. There are not a lot of kid or female friendly games these days that offer gameplay depth and challenge, but this game is a diamond in the rough. 5/5 if the story were a little more clear, and less abstract. Sound 4/5 The sounds are friendly and relaxing, as well as the music. The music mostly sounds flute-driven. The menus also have pleasant effects, reminiscent of Nintendo games. 5/5 if more songs and sound effects. Overall 5/5 The sum is greater than the total of the parts here. The game is polished and there is nothing bad about it. It is the product of a single developer and is a shining example of a quality product in a modern app market defined by ad or micro transaction driven sholvelware.
Review by EmilyApricot on Miss Claire Garden.