Rivenaar’s Grove Review

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More Than Just a Farming Sim

I remember a time when farming sim games were seemingly unstoppable. Whether it was Harvest Moon, Animal Crossing or Stardew Valley, each tried to put their own spin on the genre, in an effort to reel in gamers who probably had no interest in carrying out the real life equivalents of what was on offer.

Aiming to tap into this vibe is Rivenaar’s Grove, which in the interests of clarity, is not a farming sim. Instead, what we have here is a take on the classic sliding puzzle which started life as a cheap plastic toy (as far as I can remember anyhow).

Rivenaars Grove Review 1 — NOT a farming sim!

Harvesting Crops with a Sliding Twist

The aim is to harvest your crops which, rather interestingly, are layed out in a series of unusual formations. The wee farmer is only able to move up, down and side to side and will keep going until he hits the edge of the patch. As a result of these rules it’s entirely possible to make a wrong move, requiring a tap of the Y button to start over.

However, Rivenaar’s Grove is very lenient as it turns out, because it’s usually possible to recover your attempt by backtracking and circling around the level. The puzzles are forgiving, meaning only very occasionally you’ll find yourself needing to try again.

As you plough through the levels you’ll encounter spiky vines and teleportation orbs. The deadly plants will end your attempt in the event of a single touch, and will appear and disappear according to a predictable rhythm. They’re easily identified and scattered across each level, so it’s a question of timing before you make your move. The orbs will instantly take you to a different part of the level, which demands you to think a little further ahead. For example, as you can’t stop when you like, if you head through a portal you need to time it right so one of those pesky vines doesn’t strike as you emerge from the other side.

Rivenaars Grove Review 2 — A simple concept

A Bountiful Harvest of Modes: Exploring Gameplay Variations

Being honest, Rivenaar’s Grove is an incredibly simple concept which is executed well enough. The gameplay itself remains almost entirely unchanged throughout, with just a couple of variants thrown in to slightly alter things.

It’s probably no surprise then that you’ll find it easy enough to complete, and there’s barely a couple of hours worth of gameplay here. There are 50 regular levels, which have no time limits or move restrictions. Aside from the main mode, there are two others and you can probably guess how they differ.

First off is a mode which limits your moves, in an attempt to make you think more carefully before setting off on your harvest. In theory it should add a little challenge, but fails to do so as you are granted plenty of spare moves which allows you to correct things in the event you choose the wrong path.

Secondly is a mode which pits you against the clock, however you need to complete a cluster of five levels in a single run. This was actually my favourite mode, because a handful of the ten level clusters were actually a little tricky, and I did run out of time on a couple of occasions. However, what let it down was the very noticeable duplicate level layouts, with only the locations of the vines changed. This meant once you had cracked the solution, you could apply it again straight away.

Rivenaars Grove Review 3 — Extremely simple, but mildly enjoyable

A Relaxing Puzzle Game for a Casual Harvest

By now I’m sure you are, understandably, wondering about the Gamerscore on offer here; after-all, this is an Eastasiasoft game. Well, it’s good news because an easy 2000G is up for grabs, earned simply by completing the levels on offer. Oddly, what I thought was the most challenging mode (which pits you against the clock) has no achievements linked to it whatsoever.

Rivenaar’s Grove is an extremely simple yet mildly enjoyable puzzler. It provides a way to kill an hour or two, and isn’t remotely taxing on the old grey matter.