We first looked for the feeling of a sunny garden: green tiles, a warm wooden frame and bright flowers. As the game grew, that small corner became the start of a journey. The current development version contains 260 levels across thirteen biomes.
We wanted each garden to have its own character. The desert gained cacti and oases, the Water Garden shells and lilies, and the moonlit grove glowing mushrooms. The Origami Garden uses paper motifs, while the lantern garden brings together dark jade, warm lights and small ponds.
The puzzles change along the way too. Basins, portals and linked mechanisms gradually join the familiar pipes. A new rule can first be tried in a separate interactive explanation before it appears in more involved combinations.
The move to 3D progressed one garden at a time. We revisited rocks, plants, frames and mechanism markings to give every place recognisable details. The main guide stays the same: work out where to send the water and which flowers are still waiting for it.
Game page: Garden by the Drop