Forget the stress and the grind; it’s time to find your inner Zen in a digital diorama… if you’ve ever found yourself aimlessly raking a tiny wooden sandbox on an office desk (it’s not as weird as it sounds), you’ll know that there’s something oddly satisfying about creating order out of chaos. Dream Garden, the latest chill-out sim from Campfire Studio, takes that concept and blows it up into a beautiful, life-like creative sandbox. It’s not a game in the traditional sense… there are no bosses to beat, objectives to meet or levels to clear, but as a tool for decompressing after a long day, it’s a proper gem.
The core hook here is building miniature Japanese-inspired Zen gardens. You’re given a blank plot of land and a massive library of assets to play with, everything from stone lanterns and wooden bridges to tiny trees and foxes. What’s impressive is how tactile the tools feel. The terrain editor is surprisingly intuitive, letting you raise hills or dig out rivers with a click. But the real showstopper is the rake tool – tracing intricate patterns into the sand with the curve of the rake moving and twisting with your mouse inputs, just like a real karesansui garden, is strangely hypnotic. It’s the kind of thing you can lose an hour to without even realising it.
Visually, the game is a real treat. Everything from the moss-covered rocks to the way the trees sway in the breeze holds up even when you zoom right in for a photo. The photo mode is impressive too, with plenty of camera options to give you the perfect snap, and with a range of settings to play around with as well (the living room with hanging string lights is a favourite of mine) there’s a lot of scope to give yourself a year’s worth of desktop wallpapers. The soundtrack is equally spot-on, a collection of hand-crafted chill music that perfectly matches the vibe. It doesn’t demand your attention; it just sits in the background, keeping things peaceful while you decide where to place your third stone pagoda, and helps you sink into your chair and let the world disappear around you.
It’s a wonderfully serene experience, but it definitely won’t be for everyone. Because there are no objectives or quests, some players might find themselves wondering “what’s the point?” after about an hour. It’s purely about the joy of creation and relaxation; if you aren’t the type to enjoy making your own fun or want something to shoot at, you might find it a bit aimless. I also noticed a bit of clunkiness when trying to be precise. It’s only occasional, but trying to stack items or place something perfectly on a ledge can be a bit of a faff, with the controls not quite doing what you expect. It’s not a dealbreaker, but for the perfectionists out there or anyone without the patience to try a couple of times, it might cause a minor grumble.
So where does this leave a recommendation? If you’re looking for a digital escape that’s the equivalent of a warm cup of tea and a quiet room, then absolutely. It’s a beautiful, meditative sandbox that proves you don’t need high scores and explosions to have a good time. Just pull up a chair, grab your virtual rake, find some noise cancelling headphones to block out the real world, and let the stress melt away.
Reviewed on PC
