has received a lot of praise from Playdate owners, and it’s easy to see why. The art is beautiful, the story is personal, and the soundtrack is perfect to put you to sleep. But Bloom is also weird, in the sense that we don’t feel enough like a game with its narrative presentation, but also doesn’t exactly feel like a visual novel.
Bloom takes place primarily via text messages and corresponds to real time. You play as Midori, who has decided not to attend college (unbeknownst to her parents) and instead opens a flower shop. As she chats with her family, girlfriend, friends, and other characters, you read and choose her responses. There’s also a simple gardening element – in which you buy and plant seeds, water them and harvest them to earn money – and an arcade-style mini-game.
Bloom This is the kind of thing you check several times a day until it’s finished, which could take several weeks. There’s not much in the way of gameplay, but there’s something very satisfying about the way he uses the crank to change floors, going from Midori’s apartment to the roof where his garden. It probably won’t be for everyone, but it’s worth a try if you like social sims.
