Alice Greenfingers PC Game Review : Meryl.net

Alice Greenfingers PC Game Review

Posted on July 23, 2007 - Add Comment Comments

Alice Greenfingers is an original and creative game that mixes the strategic with the simulation, and the diner and tycoon genres. It most reminds me of the lemonade stand game I played years ago in black and white. Some report the game resembles Harvest Moon and SimFarm, which I haven’t played.

“Greenfingers” indeed refers to the gardening theme of the game in which players help Alice plant, grow and sell fruit, vegetables, flowers and eggs. I wasn’t sure I could survive Alice Greenfingers since I don’t even do a good job with my front yard. Amazingly enough, I didn’t kill anything and earned a profit each day. I love what the developer’s game tips says about playing the game, “… unlike traditional arcade games you can not ‘die.’ So, take it easy and do things at your own pace to enjoy the game to the fullest!”

Do I hear hemming and hawing about the inability to die or “win” the game? Don’t despair; you can still win awards such as going a whole day without the game reminding you to water the crops and sell 80 boxes in one day. Alice also earns points for health, knowledge, popularity, and wealth. Challenge yourself to get those numbers high as possible.

You’re in charge of your land. You can build crops with a lovely design by adding a duck pond, fence for animals, trees and fountains. It’s a delightful way to garden without the sweat, heat or fear of killing living things. One of the game’s strengths is its replayability. With so many things to buy in the market, you can design your farm in a variety of ways. If design isn’t a big deal, then you may lose interest once you’ve discovered and tried everything.

Alice begins with a shovel, a small water pail, tomato seeds, and a box that holds four crops. As she earns money from sales, she can buy bigger water pails, boxes, other seeds, animals, fence, and anything to help her enjoy her garden. As in the real world, Alice must decide what products to sell and how to price them based on current demands. As time passes, the store adds more products for Alice to buy and add to her farm. Players eventually unlock all the items in the store and must rely on their own imagination to stay engrossed.

To keep things unpredictable, you receive a message that asks if you want to sell boxes of a product for a proposed price, go see the doctor or take out an ad in the local newspaper. I wish the game came with a way to hire workers to pick the crops. My hands got tired from moving the mouse like crazy to grab a box, pick up four crops and carry them to the storage shed, repeat, repeat, repeat. By this point, the game becomes tiring and loses some luster especially after the store stops adding new products.

It’s nice having a game where you can take your time and relish the experience. The only timing that enters the game is that each day lasts about 15 minutes for 30 days. After 30 days, some features, like the ability to sell eggs, disappear. That’s a shame. Alice Greenfingers should continue with all features intact allowing players to maintain their farms for as long as they want.