Gardenscapes


Gardenscapes: New Acres is a free-to-play puzzle video game released by Playrix Entertainment in August 2016. It is available on iOS and Android, and on Facebook. The game combines simulation elements and traditional match-three mechanics.

Gameplay

Gardenscapes: New Acres is a match-three puzzle game, where the core gameplay is based on swapping two adjacent elements to make a row or column or group of at least three elements. Every level has a goal, examples of which include collecting a certain number of elements, uncovering garden gnomes, digging up emeralds, setting off firecrackers, or removing ivy, all accomplished through different match-three mechanics. By completing match-three levels, players earn stars and coins to complete tasks and progress through the storyline by unlocking new areas.
As players complete tasks, they are allowed to choose between three different decor items for a specific part of their garden, similarly to previous titles. Players also have the opportunity to make friends with in-game characters, follow them on an in-game social network, and have the company of an animated dog.

Reception

More than 7.5 million people play Gardenscapes: New Acres every day. Facebook named it the game of the year in 2016. As of April 2017, ZDNet estimated that the game had been downloaded to Android devices more than 10 million times, ranking it #11 on the Android game download list, and had produced total revenue exceeding $150 million. By November 2017, total downloads had exceeded 92 million.
Gardenscapes, along with other games by Playrix, have been increasingly coming under criticism on the internet for displaying misleading advertisements that depict gameplay that does not accurately reflect the game itself. Several Reddit forums are dedicated to this. In late 2019, a Change.org petition was set up to "Stop false mobile game advertising", that cited Gardenscapes as a prime example.