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Subway Invasion
Game
Game2024
Botany Manor
Developer Balloon Studios
Botany Manor is a 2024 video game developed by English independent developer Balloon Studios and published by Whitethorn Games. The game is a puzzle title in which players explore a period English countryside manor to cultivate magical flora. Upon release, Botany Manor received generally positive reviews, with critics praising the game's environmental design, tone and pacing. From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
431 reactions from 4 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Lemmy, Mastodon) · newest Nov 2, 2026 · last updated Nov 5, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
92
LovedLoved
243 positive · 20 negative
95% range 89–95%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 243 | 20 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 64 | 0 | 63 |
| Lemmy * | 2 | 0 | 21 |
| Mastodon * | 4 | 0 | 14 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
1,185 of 1,256 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
93% recommend · 236 yes, 19 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 255 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Overwhelmingly Positive (1,523 of 1,599 positive).
Players praise the game's relaxing atmosphere and beautiful visuals. [1][2][3] Many note the puzzles are satisfying but simple, with some finding them too easy. [4][5][6] Several reviewers criticize the inability to re-read clues, causing backtracking. [2][7][8]
Liked
Representative posts
- [16]
Great game for cozy/casual gamers, NOT for experienced escape room/puzzle room players. As far as puzzle/escape room games go, this one is okay. It has a pleasant, cozy atmosphere and a cute story but I feel like my expectations for the mechanics were greater than what was delivered. Especially considering the price! In the demo, you bloom the first flower to help you clear a room of smog. I think it gave me the …
- [1]
Botany Manor is a very calm and cozy game set in a beautiful Victorian manor. You play as a retired botanist, exploring the house and gardens while figuring out how to grow rare plants. One of the game's biggest strengths is that it encourages you to read letters, books, and notes carefully, rather than relying solely on visual hints. Paying close attention to written clues is essential for solving the puzzles, and …
- [9]
How can I even begin this? Botany Manor deeply touched me as a biologist who also happens to be a woman. The game doesn't bring only amazing puzzles and logical investigation to help each flower bloom, but it also has a really strong subplot of a serious female researcher who loves botany but is looked under by her sexist society. I loved everything about this game, its gameplay is just wonderful and the end made me …
- [5]
Wow, wow, WOW!!! I almost passed this game up, and I’m so glad I didn’t. I sat down to play Botany Manor and genuinely couldn’t stop. The puzzles felt balanced, they were challenging enough to be satisfying without ever becoming frustrating. I only had to look up the answer for one clue tied to one plant, so overall I’d say it’s very easy on the puzzle scale. Exploring the manor was one of my favorite parts of the …
- [13]
I do think this game is VERY overpriced for being able to 100% it in 3 hours. that being said, it is a very pretty game and the puzzles are fun, though quite simple. if you dont like difficult puzzles then i definitely reccomend picking this up on a big sale.
Summarised from 34 of the 406 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 12, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
93% of the 255 Steam reviewers we collected recommend Botany Manor. The complaint that keeps coming up: cannot re-read clues, leading to backtracking. Deal-breaker or nitpick?
Critics, per Wikipedia
According to review aggregator platform Metacritic, Botany Manor received "generally favorable" reviews from critics. Fellow review aggregator OpenCritic assessed that the game received strong approval, being recommended by 91% of critics. In Japan, four critics from Famitsu gave the game a total score of 29 out of 40. Reviewers praised the game's execution of its botanic theme and environmental design, with comparisons to botanical games such as Strange Horticulture, or games set in open environments such as The Witness. Larryn Bell of Shacknews described the game's themes as highlighting the "overall interconnectedness of nature" and influence of environment on wellbeing, although…
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 431 · most liked firstGreat game for cozy/casual gamers, NOT for experienced escape room/puzzle room players. As far as puzzle/escape room games go, this one is okay. It has a pleasant, cozy atmosphere and a cute story but I feel like my expectations for the mechanics were greater than what was delivered. Especially considering the price! In the demo, you bloom the first flower to help you clear a room of smog. I think it gave me the impression that you were going to be both trying to figure out how to bloom the…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The nominees for Game Beyond Entertainment are… BOTANY MANOR KIND WORDS 2 (LOFI CITY POP) SENUA’S SAGA: HELLBLADE II TALES OF KENZERA: ZAU TETRIS FOREVER VAMPIRE THERAPIST #BAFTAGamesAwards
neutral · AI labelView post →Titles leaving Game Pass in 2 weeks: -Orcs Must Die! 3 -Kona -Botany Manor -Homestead Arcana -Coral Island -Turbo Golf Racing -Harold Halibut
neutral · AI labelView post →Botany Manor review. Firstly, many thanks to [@[email protected]](https://lemmy.ca/u/Panties) for providing a code for the game :) Botany Manor is a charming little puzzle game in which you explore a manor house, gradually unlocking new sections as you work out the correct conditions to germinate different species of plants. Visually it has the painterly, cell-shaded design of The Witness which felt perfectly at home in this pastoral Somerset valley. And flicking through the botany guide to…
positive · AI labelView post →Hard to recommend at the asking price; I felt I overpaid at 40% off. Completed in under 2.5 hours. It's pleasant, but the (very simple) puzzles and the clues to their solutions are clustered so tightly it deserves the walking simulator tag more than any other. Did not scratch the 'Strange Horticulture' itch.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →(COMPLETE) Leftover Keys from Humble Bundle. I have the following games leftover, leave a comment with what you'd like and I'll dm you the gift link! - ~~Botany Manor~~ - ~~Knightica~~ - ~~NanoApostle~~ - ~~Scanner Sombre~~ - ~~Blair Witch (Good Boy Pack added)~~ - ~~Fear the Spotlight~~ - ~~The Last Campfire~~ - ~~Rollerdrome~~ I have played Rollerdrome before and it is excellent, even if it's not in my normal range of genres.
neutral · AI labelView post →Xbox Game Pass For April Includes Day One Releases Harold Halibut And Botany Manor.
neutral · AI labelView post →Hey Bluesky! 👋 🦋 Botany Manor is a puzzle game set in a Victorian English Manor. If you enjoy: 🌷 Flowers 🏡 Exploring a beautiful manor 📚 Scientific research 👒 A heartwarming story Then give us a follow!
neutral · AI labelView post →Okay but I really do need this. @botanymanor.bsky.social @balloonstudios.bsky.social #botanymanor #indiegame #cozygame
positive · AI labelView post →We're so excited to share Botany Manor won the Accessibility Award at the #GamesForChange awards! The team put a lot of work into accessibility features, colour-blind legibility for clues and designing the game to be gentle to the player. As a small studio, it means a lot to see it recognised 😊💚
neutral · AI labelView post →I just beat this neat little botany-themed first person puzzle game called Botany Manor. It was a short but nice, relaxed time and it made me feel slightly smart. What more could I ask for? 😉
positive · AI labelView post →How can I even begin this? Botany Manor deeply touched me as a biologist who also happens to be a woman. The game doesn't bring only amazing puzzles and logical investigation to help each flower bloom, but it also has a really strong subplot of a serious female researcher who loves botany but is looked under by her sexist society. I loved everything about this game, its gameplay is just wonderful and the end made me tear up. It's so easy to connect to Arabella while we discover about her life…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Botany Manor is a very calm and cozy game set in a beautiful Victorian manor. You play as a retired botanist, exploring the house and gardens while figuring out how to grow rare plants. One of the game's biggest strengths is that it encourages you to read letters, books, and notes carefully, rather than relying solely on visual hints. Paying close attention to written clues is essential for solving the puzzles, and I recommend taking notes if you want to avoid going back and forth between…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →[OpenCritic] Botany Manor Reviews (84 Top Critic Average 100% Critics Recommend). -Eurogamer 4 / 5 -IGN 8 / 10 -Shacknews 9 / 10 -Windows Central 4 / 5 -PC Invasion 9 / 10 -COGconnected 78 / 100 -Nintendo Life 9 / 10 -Press Start 8.5 / 10
neutral · AI labelView post →We're so honoured and excited to share Botany Manor received an Xbox Excellence Award for top store rating of 2024. It's amazing to see how our game has left a lasting impression on so many 💚🌳 Thanks so much to @xbox.com and @gamepass.xbox.com for all the support!
neutral · AI labelView post →Quite short, quite easy, involves no real plant science. it's well made, but too expensive for what it delivers.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →New Game Pass Games: 11/5 Metal Slug Tactics StarCraft: Remastered StarCraft II 11/7 Goat Simulator Remastered 11/19 Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 Standard: Go Mecha Ball Harold Halibut The Rewinder Turnip Boy Robs a Bank Botany Manor news.xbox.com/en-us/2024/1...
neutral · AI labelView post →'Botany Manor' is coming to PS4/5 on December 17th. Already on Xbox One/Series, Nintendo Switch and PC. Also on Game Pass. youtu.be/U1JXpialmio?...
neutral · AI labelView post →Botany Manor made me cry 🥲 What an incredible game! 🌻🌺🌼
positive · AI labelView post →Umm... 😳🙀 We're very honoured to share that Botany Manor is in the BAFTA @baftagames.bsky.social longlist for Debut Game, British Game and Game Beyond Entertainment! We're in great company too! 🌿🏡
neutral · AI labelView post →Continuing my very first LIVE accessibility game review! Stop by to see how accessible Botany Manor is! Live now over at: www.twitch.tv/arevya
neutral · AI labelView post →[Epic] Botany Manor, first-person puzzle game. Also available on mobile: [Checkout link Android & iOS](https://store.epicgames.com/purchase?offers=1-969bbfac9e7840a986c1d594ccd55c01-249ee1e9a6154d5eb88f29a6830b6c57&offers=1-969bbfac9e7840a986c1d594ccd55c01-c82823ab18da4d2cb4a710f82ddf750f)
neutral · AI labelView post →We are so excited to announce that @botanymanor.bsky.social just received the Accessibility Award at the 2025 @gamesforchange.bsky.social awards! A HUGE thank you to our Accessibility team for making Botany Manor a game for all! #gamesforchange #gamesareforeveryone
neutral · AI labelView post →🌿My newest series on YouTube has finally released!🌿 Over the next few weeks, join me with a full playthrough of Botany Manor, a game published by @whitethorngames.bsky.social (Also I hear the game is coming to Playstation VERY soon) youtu.be/oXkDqxd3khg
neutral · AI labelView post →Coming to Xbox Game Pass: LEGO 2K Drive, EA Sports PGA Tour, Harold Halibut, and More. * Superhot: Mind Control Delete (Available today) * LEGO 2K Drive (3 April) * Lil Gator Game (4 April) * EA Sports PGA Tour (4 April) * Kona (9 April) * Botany Manor (9 April) * Shadow of the Tomb Raider Definitive Edition (11 April) * Harold Halibut (16 April)
neutral · AI labelView post →Completed Botany Manor with my eldest today and it's such a sweet but heartbreaking game. Fuck the patriarchy, teach women about science, grow cool plants
positive · AI labelView post →This review of Botany Manor by @rcmacleod.bsky.social brought the most "me" game ever into my life. I finished, and am now unlocking hidden achievements just so I don't have to put it down. If you love games and aren't already reading @aftermath.site, why? aftermath.site/botany-manor...
positive · AI labelView post →The way that Botany Manor has you piece together clues in order to solve the puzzles means that they are not insanely hard, but they do feel rewarding. I've enjoyed puzzle games that where much less straightforward, but I've also given up on finishing some because of a particularly frustrating puzzle. I finished this game in one sitting because it managed to be just challenging enough that I found it fun. If I was going to make one mechanical change to the game, It would be to add some way of…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I! Finished! A video game! This never happens! I really liked Botany Manor! Very peaceful puzzle game, nice and short, but I didn't feel like it was *too* short. Good puzzles (even if a couple overstayed their welcome at the end). www.nintendo.com/us/store/pro...
positive · AI labelView post →🌿Botany Manor is a cozy game but also a window into challenges women face in academia. For #WomenInSTEMDay, we interviewed the devs @lauredm.bsky.social and @kittbyrne.bsky.social to explore how these issues were woven into storytelling and gameplay. 🎮 Read it @ jgeekstudies.org/2025/02/09/b...
neutral · AI labelView post →🌷💐 Calling all budding botanists 💐🌷 Botany Manor is blooming onto PS5 and PS4 next week! Explore a historical English homestead, uncover long-forgotten seeds, and piece together clues to help rare plants grow in this critically-acclaimed puzzle game
neutral · AI labelView post →[Second Wind] Botany Manor Review | Bytesized.
neutral · AI labelView post →It's a pleasant experience for the most part. The graphics are very pretty and it's worth taking time out to just look around from time to time as the scenery is lovely. My only real gripe is that for a game where you collect notes in a book, you can't reference any of them from the book and have to go back and find them again if you've forgotten an important detail. Doesn't feel like a difficult fix, but it's been a couple of years now and the devs have ignored community comments on the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →15. Botany Manor ⭐⭐⭐⭐ A lovely little palette cleanser, a shame it doesn't have a platinum. Recommended for puzzle game 🙂
positive · AI labelView post →Just finished Botany Manor (in about 3 hours). It's a beautiful botany-based puzzle adventure game, with perfectly-pitched puzzles and some fun light narrative. I loved it! www.botanymanor.com
positive · AI labelView post →I really really wanted to give this a thumbs up, and I am torn even while writing this review. First and foremost, it's pretty expensive for the duration and content it provides. I think it's just exactly the right length, but then the prize should have been adjusted accordingly. The puzzles are fairly simple, but I did enjoy how the clues could be put together. It is also an incredibly beautiful game with delughtfully calming music. I also absolutely loved the letters that gave little…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game is fine, it's a decent way to spend a couple hours if you like basic puzzles and walking through gardens, but $25 is just way too much for something this short and easy with a narrative this basic and minimal. I'd say $10 at most and even that might be a stretch. Also, none of the achievements had any business being hidden. They aren't spoilers, just weird obscure interactions you're very unlikely to stumble on organically without a guide. For example, you get one for sitting on a…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Botany Manor has a beautiful atmosphere and interesting puzzles, but I strongly think that the clue system needs improvement. You can’t re-read clues once they’re discovered, which leads to unnecessary backtracking. A simple option to view previously found clues in Arabella’s Book would greatly improve the flow of the game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I see that Botany Manor is leaving Game Pass in about 2 weeks time. Please give it a shot. It may just surprise & delight you as much as it did me.
positive · AI labelView post →Found a charming little game called Botany Manor on GamePass. It’s a first person puzzle game; you’re a middle aged woman in 19th century England. You want to study botany but no-one will let you (education is wasted on women, don’tcha know) so you’re doing research on your own.
positive · AI labelView post →new blog post: Design review of Botany Manor - a quiet detective game www.blog.radiator.debacle.us/2024/04/desi...
neutral · AI labelView post →Slowly realizing one of my favorite genres of video game is "explore a creepy mansion with puzzles" and part of it is how wildly different the games can feel while still being basically the same thing. I just played Botany Manor, but there's also Another Code, 7th Guest, Resident Evil, and more
neutral · AI labelView post →[Fanatical] Best of Platinum Collection - Build your own Bundle (Winter 2025). 3 for $9.99, 5 for $14.99, 10 for $28.99 - Amnesia: The Bunker - Botany Manor - Disco Elysium - DOOM - Dungeon Tycoon - DYSMANTLE - Edge of Sanity - Endless Alice - Fallout 3 - Game of the Year Edition - Fallout 76 - Fallout New Vegas: Ultimate Edition - Gestalt: Steam & Cinder - LEGO® Bricktales - Mini Settlers - Neongarten - Paradise Killer - REVEIL - RoboCop: Rogue City - SteamWorld Build - SteamWorld Dig…
neutral · AI labelView post →Here's my #NintendoSwitch #indiegame highlight for today! 🎮👍🏼 Game - Botany Manor Developer - @balloonstudios.bsky.social Publisher - @whitethorngames.bsky.social Release date - April 9, 2024
neutral · AI labelView post →Botany Manor is a delightful puzzle/exploration thing. It's a rare game that explores the power fantasy of not only being able to keep potted plants alive, but induce unto them instant growth. Also this game is GORGEOUS and whoever designed the titular manor needs more recognition LOOK AT THIS PLACE
positive · AI labelView post →Stressed CPU!. Even a game as low intensity as Botany Manor is proving a bit of a test for my old cpu! :D
neutral · AI labelView post →Finished Botany Manor - very cosycore puzzle game, where you have to make plants bloom by following clues in an English Edwardian manor. 🪴
positive · AI labelView post →Botany Manor – Launch Trailer – Nintendo Switch.
neutral · AI labelView post →A marvelous feel-good game with light exploration mechanics and gradually more complex puzzle-solving centered around making plants bloom using information discovered in both obvious and sometimes slightly hidden locations. The unique concept of making botany the game's main focus works surprisingly well. As the game progresses, keeping paper and pen handy becomes useful even if it's not mandatory but it helps. Each chapter adds three new plants to your library along with clues that must be…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Botany Manor is a very good first-person puzzle game about growing plants in the late 19th century. I greatly enjoyed deciphering the clues to each plant. Well worth the 4-5 hours it takes to complete. #demo
positive · AI labelView post →Well, I'm ready to go live to do my very first LIVE accessibility game review! Stop by to see how accessible Botany Manor is! Live now over at: www.twitch.tv/arevya
neutral · AI labelView post →Xbox Game Pass Standard launches without Starfield, Hellblade 2, and more. >Microsoft has launched a new Game Pass tier, Xbox Game Pass Standard, which includes access to hundreds of games and online multiplayer but no day one releases. >Earlier this year, Microsoft announced big changes to Xbox Game Pass, with a new tier called Xbox Game Pass Standard replacing Game Pass for Console for new subscribers. Xbox Game Pass Standard is available now, and there's quite a substantial difference in…
neutral · AI labelView post →Fanatical's new Build Your Own Puzzle Adventure Bundle offers 19 games from as little as $3 per game. Titles include Superliminal and Botany Manor. www.videogameschronicle.com/news/fanatic...
neutral · AI labelView post →[Epic via Prime] *Botany Manor*, gentle indie gardening puzzle. > It's 1890, and you play as botanist Arabella Greene, who is working to finish her botanical research book 'Forgotten Flora'. Explore a complete historical English manor and its grounds, researching how to grow rare plant specimens from seed. There are many rooms and gardens to discover, all set inside a beautiful countryside surrounding. > > The manor is filled with mysterious clues for you to discover, including books, posters,…
neutral · AI labelView post →Was expecting a puzzle game, this is more really an adventure game where the puzzles are figuring out the 1 or 2 correct circumstances in which to grow plants. There isn't really a deep mechanic involved.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Wow, wow, WOW!!! I almost passed this game up, and I’m so glad I didn’t. I sat down to play Botany Manor and genuinely couldn’t stop. The puzzles felt balanced, they were challenging enough to be satisfying without ever becoming frustrating. I only had to look up the answer for one clue tied to one plant, so overall I’d say it’s very easy on the puzzle scale. Exploring the manor was one of my favorite parts of the experience. I loved slowly uncovering the story through environmental clues…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Short and super pretty game. The story has meaning and it was nice to see the mc story develop while blooming flowers and exploring the environment. It was cool that the player can just chill and listen to the background sounds, like birds and/or ponds. Super easy to 100% under 5 hours and in on playthrough. Usually included in bundles for a decent price. Beautiful on the steam deck also
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A Game that Exists tl;dr: Buy Strange Horiculture instead. Over the course of a bit under 3 hours, Botany Manor hit all the notes, exactly as all of its predecessors wrote them. The puzzles were straightforward to a fault with the exception of a single guide-dang-it moment (it's in front of the mower by the pond), the UI was handholdy, and the "chill vibes" existed only in the form of a warm color palette and a few pleasing music cues. It wasn't a slog, but it wasn't entertaining. It simply…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →unboxing the Spring Pusheen collection "Loafing About" AND finishing up plant-identification puzzle game BOTANY MANOR twitch.tv/the_jenna
neutral · AI labelView post →now streaming first-person puzzle game BOTANY MANOR. these plants are CLASSY! twitch.tv/the_jenna
neutral · AI labelView post →
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