How Does “The Gardens Between” Explore Friendship, Memory, and Critical Thinking

By Shishir Javali

The Gardens Between is a puzzle game where two characters, Ariana and Frendt, are best friends. Both characters complete missions in the form of puzzles. The three major themes of this game are: friendship, critical thinking, and memory. The Gardens Between shows how friendship requires deep collaboration for a strong friendship, but collaboration is challenging, so it can get harder over time. Both characters explore dreamlike gardens filled with childhood memories, which shows an emotional impact between both characters, as the stories are told without words (See Video 1).

For the fans of The Gardens Between, this game was released in September 2018. It is a single-player game, and players can enjoy playing it alone. Fernandez-Vara explains it is a “Single Player vs Game” because the player plays against the computer (111). This game has three genres: adventure, puzzle, and indie. Players enjoy completing several puzzles and missions with both of the characters, Ariana and Frendt. Players can access it on various platforms, such as Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and Steam.

This game is suitable for ages 6 and older, appealing to anyone interested in puzzles or learning about friendship and memory. It has received several awards, including the 2018 Australian Development Award and the Best Puzzle Game at the Webby Awards 2019. It also received an Apple Award in 2019, along with other nominations. Brooke Maggs served as the producer and writer of the game, which was developed by Voxel Agents.

Players will complete 21 levels across eight different worlds. World One is straightforward to complete. However, each world keeps getting more complicated. Players have to complete tasks with collaboration and complete specific challenges to move forward, as the paths do not open up.

One example appears in the first level of the second world. Right when they begin the level, players are stuck with some Jenga-like blocks and cannot move until a task is completed. Ariana is in front and is stuck. In this case, Frendt must interact with a time-shifting box, which will move the blocks away, allowing Ariana and Frendt to proceed further. This is relatively simple, but at various levels, players encounter even more complicated puzzles.

Another example is the first level in World One, where both Ariana and Frendt meet on the sand on the beach. They are lying down on the sand, but then they start walking together. Neither of them interacts with each other, but Frendt just follows Ariana until the box, where the lantern is. Ariana is able to interact with the lantern, and Frendt can follow Ariana. In the end, Ariana and Frendt’s relationships change, and their friendship fades away at the end after a hard journey.

A Story Told Through Friendship

A character trait both Ariana and Frendt have is that they are good friends. They collaborate a lot throughout the game (See Image 1). Ariana guides Frendt in the correct direction. This shows their partnership so they can have a successful adventure. No words are being used, and Ariana is waving at Frendt, and the message is that Frendt has to go towards her.

They want to have memorable moments with each other. Ariana and Frendt like to move on and do the future parts of their lives, completing different missions of the puzzles, but they have to figure out their friendship. As game journalist Karen Kennedy explains in her review, “The Gardens Between is about friendship, a thing of which everyone needs and desires for on this earth.” Ariana and Frendt are unlocking memories together (See Image 2). They encounter different objects to proceed to a new level. This includes putting a light on a pole so they can move on.

Additionally, they face complications in their friendship. By the end of the game, collaboration becomes more challenging, especially starting in World Six. The friendships go apart, and they maintain distance because they do not assist each other as much with the puzzles in the future levels.

“The Unexpected Lesson in Theoretical Physics”

A relationship exists between friendship and time. It is known that observing and understanding things can be challenging (see Image 3). Frendt uses the time-shifting box to move the seesaw, jumping on the mural, reflecting what the game displays. The seesaw helps players proceed in the right direction, but it also blocks the way. Once the box lowers the seesaw, Ariana and Frendt can move ahead. However, there is a whale, and the box must stop on the whale if they want to proceed.

In connection, Moore talks about how there can be challenges with understanding the perspectives in physics. In “The Gardens Between Is an Unexpected Lesson in Theoretical Physics,” he discusses how:

Controlling time in The Gardens Between is a bit like scrubbing through a video: tilting the analog stick to the right moves time forward, tilting it left rewinds, and not using it at all stops time completely. And while you can never move time faster than normal speed, tilting the stick only slightly causes time to move slowly.

Moore tries to express how time can be controlled when Ariana and Frendt move around. Ariana cannot move faster than Frendt, as they must be near each other at all times. In World Three, Level Three, where Ariana and Frendt move back towards the beginning after placing the lantern in the time-shifting box, the lampshade spills out light to catch, and a pillow goes into the water. If Ariana and Frendt walk back, the pillow returns to the air, allowing Frendt to rewind time when you bring the box, and then you can catch it.

There are also several moments where time goes backward. One example is that the lantern returns to the original position as you go backward. Ariana is unsure why Frendt is moving time backward, and because they cannot speak in words, it is challenging to communicate. However, Ariana tries to move forward when Frendt does not interact with the time-shifting box, but then she is stuck and is unsure where she is going, which makes the time and friendship difficult, and understanding the world is challenging.

Enhancing the Emotional Experience

Ariana and Frendt feel emotional often. The music is calm, especially at the beginning of the game. For example, in World 1, Level 2, the music is very calm, and the puzzles in the world are basic. In this case, the music helps Ariana and Frendt to express themselves emotionally. They feel very calm and express joy as the level is basic. (See Image 4).

There are times when both characters encounter difficulties in their interactions. Since they cannot communicate verbally, understanding each other is challenging, especially during the difficult levels. As shown in the picture, they can express their emotions because the level is straightforward, and the music is calm and not overly loud. However, at this level, Ariana expressed frustration regarding Frendt’s interaction with the pink boxes. Ariana wanted to progress, while Frendt was trying to convey that there was one more step before moving forward.

However, a significant amount of nonverbal communication occurs from a distance. In World 6, level 2, Ariana and Frendt find themselves in different locations within the adventure (See Image 5). Nonverbal communication takes place as Ariana signals for Frendt to return so they can continue. However, Frendt is unable to perform a task that would allow them to advance. Ariana is waving to Frendt, but he needs to move forward to stop the water flow, and he can only proceed once he has halted the water.

Frendt struggles with his tasks as he has to move in separate ways from Ariana. Ariana expresses her frustration as she is not with him, but has moved a little further without him. She was also confused about whether she needed to go anywhere. Later on, she is just standing in the same spot, waiting for Frendt to return. Frendt has to interact with the light on the time-shifting box to move forward. After he did this, he was able to go back and interact with Ariana. Frendt is feeling anxious about how Ariana might react when he returns because Ariana does not know how to do this task.

The music helps Ariana maintain her patience as she waits for Frendt to return. Initially, she felt impatient because she worried that Frendt might run away from her. However, when Frendt returned, he asked her to pick up the light for the lantern. She felt emotionally relieved to join Frendt and engage with Frendt to successfully finish up the level.

At the end of the game, they have a moment where they feel very emotionally attached. Ariana and Frendt are hugging each other (See Image 6). They are proud of each other for doing successful missions together through collaboration.

A Story Told Through Memories

Memory plays an essential role in The Gardens Between. Frendt and Ariana share their memories throughout the game, conveying childhood experiences through nostalgic objects and reflecting on both past and present moments of their friendship. Each of the islands is filled with items from their childhood, such as pipes and beach balls. Nostalgia is crucial in the gaming industry, particularly when discussing games centered around memory.

In “The Gardens Between is an unexpected lesson in theoretical physics,” the game critic explains how the game “is about two kids, Ariana and Frendt, exploring surreal islands that are made from objects in their shared memories. But you don’t actually control either character directly — you control the flow of time.” (Moore) This is about memories. An example of this is that at every level, there is a constellation created with Ariana and Frendt (see Image 7).

Ariana and Frendt interact with each other using visual cues. This relates to nostalgia as they share memories from the level they just completed. Some aspects shown in the constellation include how they felt during the level and what they achieved throughout it.

In video games, nostalgia is a crucial component. It has been a trend in the gaming industry. In “Nostalgia in Video Games,” Bowman writes about “as with nostalgia induced in other domains, gaming-induced nostalgia has been theorized and demonstrated to positively influence both subjective well-being (such as self-reports of life satisfaction) as well as psychological well-being (such as personal flourishing)” (2). This discusses how nostalgia can positively impact an individual’s well-being. Game nostalgia helps improve individuals’ joy and psychological well-being. People can connect their experiences to the past.

This is related to The Gardens Between because emotional impact and well-being are major aspects of the game. Ariana and Frendt express themselves emotionally a lot. This is noted especially in Image 7 because this is a spot where they emotionally express themselves about the previous level through memorable moments in Level 2 of World 1.

Letting the Friendship Go

Towards the end of the game, there are times when the friendship fades, especially as the game concludes. At these later levels, Frendt occasionally feels lost because Ariana does not guide him as much, leading to a conflict in their friendship (See Image 8), where they start to maintain distance. Ariana is ahead of him while Frendt struggles to cross the bridge, which Ariana has already navigated. She cannot instruct Frendt on how to get through, resulting in less collaboration and friendship due to their communication challenges.

This relationship took a different turn in the unspoken language. However, Ariana cannot move forward because Frendt is far away, and he didn’t cross the bridge because it is difficult to pass through. Frendt does not communicate with Ariana, and he needs to relocate the time-shifting box. Ariana is confused about what is happening, and she is standing there to ensure Frendt gets through successfully.

In a journalistic perspective, this can be related to the “Review: The Gardens Between because Kennedy explains in her review “When you get deeper into the game, you will find it more brain-twisting and challenging as it mixes all the mechanics together including lanterns, robots, flowers, random objects, and activation panels.” This explains how there are several challenges in the game. It is from World 6, level 3, where Frendt and Ariana are having challenges, which are also related to their friendship, since their collaboration is challenging. Both of them can mix up the mechanics together, and this is causing challenges in moving ahead.

However, in the end, Ariana and Frendt parted ways. They collaborated well together, but it was time for their friendship to end. Frendt gets in the car (See Image 9). Before that, they gave a hug, indicating their accomplishments for their tasks and for performing well throughout their time together.

Ariana is sad when Frendt leaves her behind. She is crying and expressing how she enjoyed their friendship. While the car is passing Ariana, she waves at Frendt one last time before she moves on to the new chapter of her life. Ariana keeps standing there when Frendt leaves, expressing how sad she is about Frendt leaving. She enjoyed Frendt’s company, but Frendt did not because he would go his separate ways when Ariana wanted him.

This relates to the “Nostalgia in Video Games” article because it discusses memorable moments connected to Ariana and Frendt. Bowman talks about how “likewise, open-ended analyses of player memories of gaming suggested that when players were recalling personally nostalgic gaming experiences, they often mentioned fond memories of bonding with family and friends” (3). This discusses how, when people play games, they encounter several memories. Research has shown that social games result in better connections with people, and people enjoy games more.

This connects to the ending of Ariana and Frendt’s friendship. When Frendt leaves the car, Ariana reflects on their memories throughout the game, despite feeling sad. They shared a bond, but it gradually declined. They needed to reflect on their actions throughout the levels, which may help Ariana and Frendt build a better relationship in the future.

Conclusion

Ariana faced challenges in the end, particularly as it was hard to leave Frendt behind. The exploration of friendship is a major theme, especially since Ariana and Frendt had a strong relationship at the beginning. However, significant hardships arise in their friendship over time, and the friendship requires collaboration, but there are challenges in their collaboration, which are hard. Understanding the difficulties of friendship is essential because this will help players become better people and understand the difficulties in their friendships. Players will be able to enjoy this game, and they will be expected to face challenges with the levels, as there are so many complex tasks to complete.

Works Cited

Bowman, Nicholas David, and Tim Wulf. “Nostalgia in Video Games.” Current Opinion in Psychology, vol. 49, Feb. 2023. EBSCOhost, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2022.101544.

Fernández-Vara, Clara. Introduction to Game Analysis. Taylor & Francis, 2024.

Kennedy, Karen. “Review: The Gardens between – Geeks under Grace.” Geeks Under Grace, 9 Sept. 2019, www.geeksundergrace.com/gaming/review-the-gardens-between/. Accessed Apr. 2025.

Moore, D M. “The Gardens Between Is an Unexpected Lesson in Theoretical Physics.” The Verge, 30 Sept. 2018, www.theverge.com/2018/9/30/17902274/the-gardens-between-Nintendo-switch-steam-short-play Accessed Apr. 2025.

The Voxel Agents. The Gardens Between. The Voxel Agents, 2018

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