Gardenscapes

-0.85
Neutral
Price: Free
Ads: Yes
In App Purchases: Yes

iOS App Store
Google Play App Store

Temporal Dark PatternsTemporal Dark Patterns

This game has 65 reported Temporal Dark Patterns. There are 88 votes indicating the absence of a dark pattern.

-0.82

23 votes
1 votes
Infinite Treadmill -
23 / 1 votes
Impossible to win or complete the game.

19 votes
3 votes
Grinding -
19 / 3 votes
Being required to perform repetitive and tedious tasks to advance.

6 votes
14 votes
Daily Rewards -
6 / 14 votes
Encourages return visits every day and punishes you for missing a day.

6 votes
15 votes
Wait To Play -
6 / 15 votes
In-game timers that make you arbitrarily wait for something.

4 votes
17 votes
Playing by Appointment -
4 / 17 votes
Being forced to play according to the game's schedule instead of yours.

3 votes
14 votes
Can't Pause or Save -
3 / 14 votes
The game does not allow you to stop playing whenever you want.

4 votes
24 votes
Advertisements -
4 / 24 votes
Forced to watch ads or given rewards for watching ads.

Monetary Dark PatternsMonetary Dark Patterns

This game has 80 reported Monetary Dark Patterns. There are 170 votes indicating the absence of a dark pattern.

-0.09

20 votes
Premium Currency -
20 / 0 votes
Exchange rate between real money and in-game currency disguises the real price of items.

19 votes
2 votes
Pay to Skip -
19 / 2 votes
Spend money to avoid waiting for a timer to expire.

13 votes
4 votes
Gambling / Loot Boxes -
13 / 4 votes
Spending real money to play a game of chance for a reward.

9 votes
13 votes
Artificial Scarcity -
9 / 13 votes
Limited time offers with unnecessary urgency.

8 votes
18 votes
Pay to Win -
8 / 18 votes
A player can spend real money to purchase something that gives them an advantage in the game.

5 votes
18 votes
Anchoring Tricks -
5 / 18 votes
Placing a cheap item next to an expensive item to make it look more affordable.

3 votes
22 votes
Accidental Purchases -
3 / 22 votes
Making it easy to accidentally spend money with no confirmation or ability to undo or refund the action.

2 votes
22 votes
Recurring Fee -
2 / 22 votes
Encourages players to play as much as possible to get their money's worth.

1 votes
21 votes
Pay Wall -
1 / 21 votes
The game becomes impossible to continue playing without payment.

25 votes
Power Creep -
0 / 25 votes
A permanently purchased item in the game becomes less valuable over time.

25 votes
Waste Aversion -
0 / 25 votes
Capped inventory forces you to destroy items or upgrade inventory. Also, having small amounts of left over premium currency.

Social Dark PatternsSocial Dark Patterns

This game has 41 reported Social Dark Patterns. There are 107 votes indicating the absence of a dark pattern.

0.53

20 votes
1 votes
Competition -
20 / 1 votes
The game makes you compete against other players.

6 votes
13 votes
Social Pyramid Scheme -
6 / 13 votes
You get a bonus for inviting your friends and then they have to invite their friends.

5 votes
19 votes
Social Obligation / Guilds -
5 / 19 votes
To avoid letting down your friends, you are obligated to play when you don't want to.

4 votes
13 votes
Reciprocity -
4 / 13 votes
Feeling obligated to return a favor, share resources, trade an item, etc.

5 votes
18 votes
Fear of Missing Out -
5 / 18 votes
If you stop playing you'll miss out on something or be left behind and unable to catch up.

1 votes
25 votes
Friend Spam / Impersonation -
1 / 25 votes
The game sends spam to your contact list or social media account.

18 votes
Encourages Anti-Social Behavior -
0 / 18 votes
The game incentivizes players to lie, cheat, or backstab other players to get ahead.

Psychological Dark PatternsPsychological Dark Patterns

This game has 82 reported Psychological Dark Patterns. There are 75 votes indicating the absence of a dark pattern.

-1.5

26 votes
2 votes
Invested / Endowed Value -
26 / 2 votes
Having already spent time and money to improve your status in the game, it's difficult to throw it away.

19 votes
2 votes
Badges / Endowed Progress -
19 / 2 votes
Reluctancy to abandon a partially completed goal, even one forced upon the player.

17 votes
4 votes
Illusion of Control -
17 / 4 votes
The game cheats or hides information to make you think you're better than you actually are.

7 votes
15 votes
Aesthetic Manipulations -
7 / 15 votes
Trick questions or toying with emotions or our subconscious desires.

4 votes
16 votes
Complete the Collection -
4 / 16 votes
The urge to collect all the items, achievements or secrets in a game.

6 votes
20 votes
Variable Rewards -
6 / 20 votes
Unpredictable or random rewards are more addictive than a predictable schedule.

3 votes
16 votes
Optimism and Frequency Biases -
3 / 16 votes
Overestimating the frequency of something because we’ve seen it recently or memorably.

App Store Ratings

iOS:  (4.50) with 274,566 votes.
Google Play:  (4.58) with 5,787,820 votes.



Recent Dark Pattern Reviews

Aesthetic Manipulations reported on Jan 26, 2023
All the ads are urging you to save a little girl.
Artificial Scarcity reported on Oct 21, 2022
The seasonal golden tickets
Daily Rewards reported on Mar 30, 2021
Daily reward meter where you lose your streak if you miss a day.
Infinite Treadmill reported on Mar 30, 2021
Lots of new levels added at such a rate you can never complete it.
Premium Currency reported on Mar 30, 2021
Gold coins that can be bought with real money, and during seasonal events garden bucks can be bought for real money too.
Pay to Win reported on Mar 30, 2021
You can purchase boosters and bonuses.
Social Obligation / Guilds reported on Mar 30, 2021
Certain events require joining a team to complete, and if you don't play regularly your team suffers.
Invested / Endowed Value reported on Mar 30, 2021
The customisable aspect of the garden makes your garden feel special and hard to put down.
Artificial Scarcity reported on Mar 30, 2021
Very regular limited time offers that are made to seem like an essential thing to complete
Can't Pause or Save reported on Mar 30, 2021
You can't save in the middle of your match-3


Report a Dark Pattern

Screenshot Welcome to Gardenscapes! Rake your way through a storyline full of unexpected twists and turns to restore a wonderful garden to its former glory.

Embark on an adventurous journey: beat match-3 levels, restore and decorate different areas in the garden, get to the bottom of the secrets it holds, and enjoy the company of amusing in-game characters, including Austin, your butler, and a funny dog! What are you waiting for? Indulge yourself in some gardening and become the hero of a brand new story. Build your dream garden for free!

The game features:
Addictive gameplay: swap and match, restore and decorate the garden, and be part of a breath-taking adventure all at once!
Hundreds of unique match-3 levels
Dozens of in-game characters you can make friends with
An adorable puppy who is always there to cheer you up
An in-game social network you can use to keep tabs on everything
Different areas in the garden, each with unique structures: broken fountains, mysterious mazes, an old mansion, and much more
A community that comes first be neighbors with your Facebook friends!
A super addicting game you can even play offline!

Gardenscapes is free to play, though some in-game items can also be purchased for real money.

Enjoying Gardenscapes? Learn more about the game!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Gardenscapes
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gardenscapes_mobile/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/garden_scapes

Questions? Contact our tech support at gardenscapes@playrix.com