Urban Jungle Review (PC)

I’m fresh off of the heels of an unforgivingly painful, emotionally taxing journey through the translucent caverns of a souped-up ARPG, so I could certainly do with a little respite from the madness of it all. I don’t ask for much; in fact, a simple solution would be to slot me on the couch like a jigsaw piece, staple a few floral bouquets to my hands, and ask me to arrange them in colorful patterns for a couple of hours or so. Miraculously, such respite exists in the form of a bite-sized simulation game called Urban Jungle. Go figure.

As luck would have it, Urban Jungle isn’t the type of game that you would play to get your blood pumping and your palms blistered. Oh, this isn’t that sort of gig; it’s a stress-free, floral arrangement simulator that goes hard on the Feng Shui, and even harder on the charming aesthetics of a lo-fi billboard. It’s as if Unpacking had somehow got ahold of a few shrubs and decided that, despite already having countless pieces of furniture in its stead to unload, flowers were of more sentimental significance than a bulletin board and a spare vacuum cleaner. And to be fair, it isn’t all that different from Unpacking. The only change to the experience here is that there are no objects for you to formally rearrange — only floral tributes and luscious cacti and what have you. In other words, it’s a digital Shangri-La for fledgling green thumbs and florists.

Urban Jungle is a peaceful affair, and not to mention a game that doesn’t require a huge amount of forward planning. With no time constraints or soul-crushing rules to abide by, it’s an easy way to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon. The question is, is it worth spending money on?

Ribbons & Petals

Urban Jungle takes you on a journey through the vital turning points of a relatively ordinary protagonist’s life. With a multitude of residential properties to sift through, the game asks that you carefully arrange the decor (or floral arrangements, in this case) and find the best possible locations for each of them. And if that sounds almost too easy to you, well, that’s fine — because it is. Granted, there is something of a puzzle-like element to it; each plant has a distinctive quality, and therefore, depending on where you decide to slot each one, certain aesthetics and cozy elements can  oftentimes flourish and alter the environment. And yet, with no time constraints or vigorously tough tasks to accomplish, it doesn’t really matter if you have the third eye for harmonic vibes, or if you’re about as clueless about setting a scene as a paper napkin.

The idea is simple: sort through a collection of plants and other floral tributes, and allocate them to key areas in an apartment in exchange for aesthetic points. As you progress through each section of the protagonist’s story, you eventually earn additional interactive set pieces to help boost the overall ambiance—a lamp, or a cozy humidifier, for example. And that’s really all there is to it; it’s all about creating an idyllic workspace or homely cubby with the pieces that you’re given, and gradually transforming the rustic look into a mesmerizing piece of art. You can also move each piece as many times as you like, so there isn’t really a one-time use for each plant, much less a challenge for each setting, either. Oh, and did I mention that you can pet the cat? There’s always a market for that sort of novelty, so well played, team.

Beyond the Branches

While there’s no denying the fact that Urban Jungle has some irresistibly charming features and a wholesome vibe emitting from its aesthetically appealing blueprint, it is worth mentioning that the interactivity, or just the gameplay in general, isn’t teeming with obstacles for you to overcome. Aside from the relatively straightforward task of moving plants around a room, there isn’t a huge amount to fret about. And as for up-keeping the plants and ensuring that they blossom, well, that’s not a problem here, as the game takes care of all of that post-planting process for you. But this is a bit of a double-edged sword really, as on one hand, you don’t have to concern yourself with additional chore core work, whereas on the other hand, you don’t have much purpose outside of the basic fulfillment of your setting.

It’s a simple concept, and yet, without a great deal of detail to the gameplay to show for its somewhat barebones design, it’s highly unlikely that Urban Jungle will resonate with the entire community. To make it perfectly clear, it isn’t a bad game; it’s just not the most physically demanding game that you’ll ever put your mind to. If you’ve a couple of hours to spare on a sopping wet weekend, though, then this might be the perfect opportunity for you to dabble in the floral arts.

Verdict

Urban Jungle isn’t a bad game by default, but to say that there’s still a lot left to be desired wouldn’t be untrue. I’m on the fence with this one, truly, as a good half of me is somewhere up in the clouds, mindlessly trying to allocate shrubs to vacant spaces in exchange for the slightest glimmer of approval from its tenants. But there’s another side to me that’s still wanting more—a side that almost wishes that l could do a little more than simply watch the world evolve and not have anything to do with its evolution. I’m not saying that it’s like watching paint dry, because there’s a sense of gratification that I often feel whenever the correct petal matches up with its corresponding branch. And yet, there’s still that piece of me that wants a more extravagant bouquet.

Of course, any fan of Unpacking is more than likely going to enjoy alternating between the masking tape and the watering can. If that’s the sort of dopamine injection that drives you, then you’re probably going to adore waxing thorns and playing Mary Poppins with a pair of pruners in this happy-go-lucky jewel of Assemble Entertainment’s treasury. With that said, if you’re more for the agricultural side of the planting process—seeding, growing, and maintaining, for example—then you might be disappointed with the lack of creative control that comes with the box. On that basis, you could argue that Urban Jungle is a tad too easy, more so when you consider the lack of time constraints and perplexing scenarios that it brings with it. But hey ho — you can pet the cat. There’s five extra points, right there.