The Gardener and the Wild Vines Now Available on Steam

For a lot of women and LGBT people (myself included) the idea of Mario or Link saving the princess was great and all, but felt a little limiting. Aside from the idea that most women hardly need saving from a man, some of us would like a prince to save instead. Surprisingly, you can now play an adventure with that in mind! The Gardener and the Wild Vines is now available on Steam and Itch.io, developed by Finite Reflection Studios.

Here is what the press release has to say about The Gardener and the Wild Vines. “In The Gardener and the Wild Vines, players embark on a heartwarming journey to scale a series of increasingly perilous towers and rescue the prince from the clutches of an evil magician.

To ascend the magician’s many towers, the titular Gardener climbs magical vines, bouncing on leaves and using his trusty shears to cut flowers which grow the vine and create new platforms. Drawing inspiration from old and new sources, the game’s vibrant visuals feature a unique mix of retro charm and modern sensibilities, combining 2D pixel art with 3D environments and effects.

To rescue his beloved prince, the Gardener will have to make his way across four distinct environments and overcome dozens of towers full of nefarious tricks and traps. Bucking the trend of punishing 2D platformers, Gardener puts the difficulty into the player’s hands with optional challenge towers, an invincibility mode, and a 3-star rating system to incentivize skilled play. Featuring a queer, POC protagonist, the lighthearted and emotional story proudly flips the classic “save the princess” narrative on its head to explore themes of identity and love in an empowering way.”

Lead developer Kartik Kini commented on the project, stating: “The game’s story is one I’ve wanted to tell for a while, one where a character’s sexuality isn’t hidden, homophobia isn’t the major conflict, and queer characters get the happy ending they deserve.” The Gardener and the Wild Vines will be releasing later this Fall on consoles and has a colorful 2.5D aesthetic that should satisfy all sorts of players.

If you want a little change in your fairy tales, perhaps The Gardener and the Wild Vines is for you. I’m very interested in checking it out when it launches on console, but perhaps I might pick it up on a Steam sale too. Supporting smaller devs and their projects is rarely a bad thing.