Back in August (has it really been that long?), I played the demo of Magical Greenhouse on Itch.io and fell in love with the pastel color scheme and the promise of what was to come in the full game. A lot has happened since then, and Magical Greenhouse has only developed into something adorable and even more special than the demo promised. 

Magical Greenhouse is a greenhouse and shop simulator developed by Mgtt Studio, and it is full of charm, humor, and things that will make you fall in love with the gameplay loop and characters. I love it, my daughter loves it, and here’s why I think you’ll love it too. 

A step up from the demo

Let me be very clear: The demo of Magical Greenhouse definitely sucked me in and had me obsessing over it for a while, but it did have features locked that I wanted to get to. The full game is packed with the same features I fell for in the demo (plant growing, potion brewing, shop management, etc.), but it also has so much more on offer than I had expected. 

The biggest things that stand out are the local residents, who have friendships you can increase and make requests for specific potions, and experimental potion making. The former is a new form of income, as potion requests that you fulfil pay big bucks (and offer some friendship boosts), but the latter is particularly fun because it means you don’t have to buy new recipes outright anymore. 

In the demo, you’d need to purchase new recipes before you could make them. Now, you can throw random ingredients together in the hopes of discovering something new, and there’s even a long list of potion hints that offers a part of the recipe for you to further develop from. There’s something incredibly addictive about this process, and it’s what I find myself doing most while playing. 

A colorful cast of characters

In the demo of Magical Greenhouse, you could open the map and look at the characters who would eventually be met in the full game, but now that I’ve had the chance to meet them, I’ve discovered that each is lovable in their own way. From the vampire with a sick grandma (developing her cure is the ultimate goal, here) to the frog who desperately wants to be a human regardless of who he has to kiss, each of the characters is fleshed out and memorable. 

Building friendships with them is part of the core mechanic. You can send texts to each character every day, and just having a little chat will earn you some friendship points. Building up your friendship with each character to five stars will earn you a polaroid documenting your new BFF status, but each character has their own points requirement before you reach that point. 

The frog is easy to befriend and will likely be your first earned polaroid. The vampire is the hardest to get friendly with, but I’m sure that curing his grandma will eventually get you some big boosts in terms of friendship. Earning those polaroids feels challenging in the best possible way, and it’s incredibly satisfying when you finally reach five stars with each new friend.

Same cozy vibes on a larger scale

Between the unfathomably soothing pastel color scheme, the soft humor of your interactions with each character, and the possibility of wild experimentation with potions, there’s an impossibly cozy feeling to everything in Magical Greenhouse. 

Playing feels like taking a deep breath after a long and stressful day, and while I’m never going to have particularly green fingers in real life (I’ve killed many succulents), developing those skills virtually with fantasy plants is soothing. The soft, calm background music only adds to the vibe, and you’ll never feel stressed while progressing through the seasons. 

Sure, the emphasis here is on making money to buy new plants and eventually complete all of the requests that come your way, but with so many avenues to do that, there’s very little pressure to do anything in a certain way. You can slowly build things up by hoarding ingredients and fulfilling requests, or you can speed through it by making whatever potions you can and selling them alongside any leftover ingredients. 

If you want a calming gaming experience that will keep you occupied but relaxed in your desk chair (or wherever you choose to play), Magical Greenhouse is the perfect option. The full game is set for release on November 5, so you really don’t have long to wait until you can dive in, and there’s a demo available in the meantime if you’re impatient and want to experience it right now.