Asylum Entertainment has announced that it’s new children’s game GardenParty has entered the Public Beta phase. Focusing on children from 5 – 11, GardenParty is a world built for and aimed at play and interaction. Players plant seeds and grow them into new toys or other games that can then be shared with other online players. An interesting and perpetual play concept: a game that grows more games for more sharing and interactivity.
The initial invitation only beta started back in May, during which time developers say they’ve made the game more stable, included a number of user improvements and suggestions, and continued implementing online child protection and safety measures.
Building on the concept of ‘Grow you own fun!’, GardenParty is a world ready to explore, where the game is limited only by the imagination of players. Gardeners buys seeds, plant them, and tend to them in their private garden by watering them until fully grown. Not designed to be a ‘solo’ game, GardenParty promotes collboration and community, encouraging users to explore the world, meet others, take aprt in various in-game activities, and buy and grow seeds from all around the in-game world. Starting out in Time Town, other areas that are open for exploration include:
DISCO
Hop on down to the underground disco cavern and join all your buddies whilst you show off your great dance moves. Work in a team to get the dancing game started and see who can dance the best!LAZY LAGOON
If the hot sun is getting too much for you, why not go for a paddle in the beautiful tranquil lagoon. If you keep a close eye out you might see a fish swim up to the surface, quickly swim over to him as a big school of fish will be swimming by at that moment. You can go fishing and quickly earn some orbs. The bigger the fish the better of course!!SPLASH DOWN
Paddle through the tunnel over to Splash down. If you see an item like a jigsaw piece high up in the sky, why not fly up there to get it? – How do you fly, you ask? – good question, well If you visit Willy in the shop, you might discover a special seed which will help you take flight!
JIGSAW CAVERN
From splash down, you can then walk through to the jigsaw cavern and drop off the piece of the puzzle that you found. You are one step closer to finishing the puzzle! If you work in a team, the puzzle will be completed in no time!
ROCK HEIGHTS
Here you will discover a secret portal to take you up to space! This is only possible though if you complete the painting on the wall. A secret doorway will reveal itself which will take you to the launch pad. Team work is the key to completing the task. Watch out though, only the first three into the shuttle can go up to space, the rest will have to wait for the rocket to return back to the Garden Party launch site.
GardenParty also features a frequently updated website, along with forums where users can further interaction and make suggestions for game improvement.
While child online safety is often a huge concern to parents, Asylum ensures that it has gone to great lengths to ensure player’s safety. They’ve partnered with the relevant bodies and comply with all online laws and regulations. In order to gain these certifications, Asylum has had to follow specific terms and privacy conditions to comply with standards and COPPA laws.
Asylum Entertainment is looking to public beta test for approximately one month before releasing a v1.0. GardenParty will remain free-to-play, while premium content will require a subscription fee. The GardenParty website currently has a tab listed as ‘Shop’ where users will be able to buy real-world fan items such as T-shirts, toys and other accessories like keyrings, posters and stickers. No word yet as to if Asylum has interest in implementing a micro-transaction system, but given the premise of the game and number of available in-game purchases, it might be a viable option in the near future.
Tags: Asylum Entertainment, disco hop, free to play, gardenparty, lazy lagoon, micro transaction, subscription, tranquil lagoon, underground disco
