Nintendo 3DS Game Review: Gardening Mama 2: Forest Friends

Gardening Mama 2: Forest Friends

Released: April 29, 2014

Studio:  Majesco

Mama is back in her gardening gloves planting the seeds of friendship! Make your animal friends happy by growing flowers, fruits and vegetables they can sell in their forest shops. With intuitive, stylus based-activities, customization and tons of fun rewards, Garden Mama 2: Forest Friends will get you growing in no time!

The latest addition to the successful Mama franchise: 13 million+ games sold worldwide!

Sequel to the best-selling Gardening Mama DS game that defined the gardening genre.

Use your stylus as your master gardening tool to plant seeds, bulbs and saplings, then care for them with water and fertilizer. Grow 50+ different plants, from gorgeous hydrangeas to delicious watermelons to sizzling hot peppers!

New play mechanic! Your animal friends send you mail asking for help. Nurture, harvest and deliver garden items to 6 different animal stores including: Bear’s Restaurant, Rabbit’s Flower Shop, Cat’s Beauty Shop and Squirrel’s Cake Shop.

Earn rewards like new varieties of seeds, flower bulbs and trees from your critter friends so you can expand your garden and they can grow their shops into bigger, more extravagant businesses that attract additional customers.

So I have never played the original Gardening Mama game but that didn’t matter.  The “Mama” games as I like to call them are fun regardless.  Now I will say the start of this game is slow as it teaches you how to do the various tasks but then you are off on your own.  Gardening Mama has you doing exactly that, gardening.  There are challenges to accomplish and the game can be a little addicting.  I found myself playing a lot longer than I expected at first!  The graphics are fun and super cute, very kid friendly.  It does say on the box “Alcohol Reference” as far as something parents should consider, but I hadn’t even noticed it.

I didn’t get too far in the game yet as far as levels go but I do like how there are different challenges you have to accomplish to move onto the next task.  Some games feel like you are just there to explore but this one does have tasks.  With over 13 million games sold in the Mama franchise, they are definitely doing something right.  Since I haven’t played the original Gardening Mama, I can’t compare it, but I want to add that you don’t need to have any previous Mama experience either.  Kids will even learning about gardening and not even realize it!  Then there are mini-games in it as well to play in addition to all the hard work you have to do!

BUY IT:  You can buy “Gardening Mama 2: Forest Friends” for Nintendo 3DS on Amazon currently for $29.96 or wherever games are sold.