Have you ever come across old photos or mementos from time spent with friends and found yourself reminiscing over those fond memories, wishing you could go back in time and relive them? I am almost certain that we have all been there. Now, thanks to the award-winning team at The Voxel Agents, you can relive some of the best memories shared between two friends in their VR version of ‘Hidden Memories of The Gardens Between.’

Two decades after their childhood adventures, Frendt discovers Arina’s diary while preparing to move house. Finding himself thrust into a world of wonder as their friendship comes alive once again in ‘Hidden Memories of The Gardens Between.’ Instead of telling a story through cleverly written dialogue, this game adopts more of a “A Picture is worth a thousand words” approach to its storytelling, as each memory springs to life through the pages of Arina’s diary.

I often found myself making up my own version of events while playing through each level, which was not just silly childish fun being had, I swear. Even though the lack of dialogue could be off-putting for some, a clearer picture couldn’t be painted of Frendt and Arina’s incredible friendship.

Throughout the campaign, players don’t have any control over our protagonists, Frendt and Arina. Instead, players must manipulate time and solve intricate puzzles while they watch how the memory unfolds. Winding time forward and backward is achieved in one of two ways: either by holding left or right on the left Sense controller, or by holding down either trigger button and dragging your hand left or right.

Players will also need to interact with various objects by pressing X on the right sense controller, enabling them to achieve the objective of reaching the end of the memory that is playing out. Each memory will finish once players have delivered the lantern to the end of each level, provided it contains an orb of light.

Solving each of these puzzles is a journey all on its own. Most are fairly simple and require minimal thinking; however, some puzzles saw me scratching my head for a while, eagerly searching for my next Eureka moment. I found these puzzles to be intricate in design, but ultimately, each can be solved with minimal effort from players. Additionally, players can also unlock sub-memories within each level, which are contained within the pages of Arina’s diary.

Sub-memories will have players exploring each level, searching for key items that are missing from Arina’s diary pages. While using the grab buttons on your Sense controllers, you will be able to pick up each of the missing items that are hidden throughout each of the levels. The grab buttons are also used to rotate the level by grabbing the outer edge of the level. You can also grab onto the level itself and make it larger, which helps for closer inspection.

Unlocking these sub-memories is a lot of fun, like a good old-fashioned game of hide and seek. For me, the exploration of each level also gave me ample opportunity to appreciate the beauty and talent that is showcased in each level’s design.

The art style of each level’s island reminds me of Japanese Dry Gardens, where everything is contained within a balanced harmony. Calling them levels is almost a disservice to the incredible design of each set piece. In a game that has no dialogue, each of these intricate designs plays a vital role; they are the cornerstone of the environmental storytelling.

Subtleties within the animations of Frendt and Arina helped give a great sense of who these characters are as people. I even managed to sniff out a few clues and points of interest while watching closely as the events unfolded.

Tim Shiel, who composed the soundtrack for ‘Hidden Memories of The Gardens Between’, has done such an outstanding job. Delivering a soundtrack that complements the game’s environmental storytelling, it presents a tranquil dreamscape filled with serenity and harmonious undertones. This soundtrack is so zen that I could have easily drifted off into a meditative state, while having moments of quiet reflection.

‘Hidden Memories of The Gardens Between’ is a heartfelt, nostalgic journey through time and memories shared between Frendt and Arina. This journey of quiet reflection is a testament to the outstanding environmental storytelling, incredible set pieces and stellar animation. If you are looking for a relaxing puzzle game that is sure to have your own childhood memories flooding back to you, then this is for you.

Written by: Gary Nielsen