Botany Manor Review (Xbox Series X|S)

Botany Manor is a dive into history, taking heavy tones from the time period it is set in with its background story. While at the base level, it is a puzzle game about growing plants, a story is hidden in the documents spread throughout the game. It is a story about gender inequality and how it may have looked in 19th century England.

The game took me just four hours to complete. This is coming from a player who doesn’t usually play puzzle-style games. Veterans of the genre could probably complete the game in about two hours. As a beginner-friendly and cozy game, Botany Manor is quite an enjoyable and refreshing experience.

In Botany Manor, you play as Arabella Greene, exploring an English manor in the 19th century and focusing on finishing a book about flora. Under the surface, Arabella has been fighting her entire life to be accepted as a professional in her field, while every time she tries, she is met with disdain from the men in positions of power. Arabella received letters telling her that because she is a woman, she could never understand the fine details of botany. On the other side, Arabella’s sister is continuously pressing her about finding a romantic partner.

The game does culminate in an ending that feels utterly complete as Arabella finishes her journey in a satisfying way to the player. The overarching story of Botany Manor can be almost completely ignored, as it is told through documents instead of other means. This benefits players who enjoy reading and exploring while also allowing players who may want to focus on the gameplay to just enjoy that side of the game.

With 13 different types of flora to research and figure out how to grow, Botany Manor offers a lot of variety. Throughout the research, players have to uncover all of the clues and find the seed packets hidden throughout the manor. This was actually my first gripe with the game, after collecting clues, there is no way to refresh your memory of what the clues contain unless you go back and search for the clue again. This isn’t the worst, as it encourages players to explore the manor, but it feels like a missed opportunity to help the player.

Another missed opportunity to make the game more accessible is within the guidebook the clues are kept in. While picking up documents throughout the manor, there is a button prompt to display the text in full screen, making it easier to read. However, there is no way to do this within the book and documents selection. This is very important as the text is too small and hard to read when selecting clues.

The game is by no means difficult, and the accessibility due to this does bring up another major concern. With how approachable it is, the story is what players are expected to resonate with, and while there are achievements to be earned, there isn’t much in terms of replayability. Without overtly challenging parts, there is also the concern of the game lacking many memorable scenes.

One of my favorite puzzles did reach a very satisfying ending. Upon entering the manor for the first time, there is a tree that is noticeably sick. In my gamer mind, I knew it was going to be involved with one of the flora. As I continued to progress with the flora heading into the kitchen, it stuck in my head to look for something to heal the tree. Eventually, there was a fungus that was said to feed off certain diseases that trees can get. This immediately clicked in my mind, and combining the fungi and the tree reached a very enjoyable ending.

Just that puzzle alone goes to show that there are enjoyable memories to have within Botany Manor; they are just far and few. I think if the game had more challenging puzzles, Botany Manor would be more memorable. The game is very cozy, comfortable, and easy-going with its approach.

Botany Manor shines in its artistic approach — something about the style resonates with the time period the game is set in. Environments are green and vibrant, and it feels like traveling in time back to a place that’s happy and glowing.

The opening of the game featured a fantastic introduction to the visuals, as you start in a greenhouse that is covered in smog. I honestly thought it may have been rough draw distance or a visual bug, but as I began playing, it became apparent this was temporary. In fact, the first thing that you do is to clear this smog. This vastly increased my love for the art in the game, as it almost felt like I had a hand in helping.

Unfortunately, the beauty is plagued by a massive amount of clipping foliage inside and outside of the manor. Though some of this may have been fixed, as I played the review copy, it broke some of the immersion of the area.

On the positive side, all of the bugs and glitches that I encountered were only visual. At no point did the game feature game-breaking bugs, nor did the game ever crash. This is a testament to the care that has been put into the game. Hopefully, between the launch update and future patches, some of the frame stuttering and visual bugs can be improved.

The length of Botany Manor could be underwhelming to some players seeking a longer game, but it is well worth the time for players interested in this genre. In a way, Botany Manor made me feel enthused as Arabella displayed that she could become an established botanist and made me, as a new player to the genre, interested in pursuing more puzzle games.

Keeping the price tag in mind, Botany Manor is a short and delightful game. Technically, the game is generally polished, but without any truly challenging experiences it failed to create a truly memorable experience. Due to the length, cost, and lack of accessibility features, it comes a little short. Nonetheless, Botany Manor is worth the purchase for players interested in the puzzle genre and cozy games, although waiting for a discount may be recommended.