0 
0 Pick a couple flowers and have Hanako tie them up with a nice bow
Currently available on Steam, you can grab Hanako’s Flower Shop for £11.51 thanks to an introductory offer! Let’s see how much this game packs in for a relatively small price.
Gameplay
What seems like a normal shop game is actually so much deeper than that. The game sets the tone with backstory and side characters, highlighting different emotions you’re going to face as you play.
The story starts with Hanako graduating and finally starting to work in her grandfather’s flower shop. Whilst Hanako is very excited about her first day, her grandfather seems hesitant which leads you into the story. Both of Hanako’s parents have moved to the big city, away from the small town that Hanako’s Flower Shop is based in, and thriving as successful business people. Her parents are pushing her to join them in the city rather than staying a the shop. Hanako, however, has set her mind to working at the flower shop, a dream she’s had since she was a small child.
As you play through Hanako’s Flower Shop, you will meet a wide cast of characters who have their own stories. FantaJI wastes no time in hitting you where it hurts with characters discussing lost loves, abandoned pets and more. Despite being a relatively simple game, the characters have a level of depth that can be difficult to find in modern games.
You may want to write this down
As you talk to customers, you will have the ability to make notes about what they’re saying. For the most part, they will repeat the same emotion over and over such as joy, happiness etc. There are also descriptions like kinship and loyal where you have to dig a little deeper to understand what they’re asking for. Make sure to keep an eye on which flowers you are using in your bouquet. You only have what you have already grown available. Luckily there are plenty of opportunities to get more.
How many flowers can Hanako hold?
You are introduced to twins Aya and Sayuri at the beginning of the game. The siblings go off into the woods when requested and will bring you back a variety of flowers from their adventures. You can also go into the woods yourself and pick the flowers that you know you are low on. Hanako’s basket can only hold up to 7 flowers, however, so you need to pick your flowers carefully. The game does a good job of making sure you didn’t have to worry too much about running out of flowers.
Graphics & Audio
The background music and voice acting for this game are so, so, so good. Each character really has their own little unique ways of speaking and they have an element of life to them that I wasn’t expecting. The female voices, especially for the younger characters, are very similar however there is enough there to differentiate them between who’s speaking if you’re not paying attention. I am really impressed by the voice acting of the first old man that comes to the shop talking about his old wife. The emotion that was put into his voice really had me feeling bad for a guy I had known for all of five minutes.
The graphics are cute 2D drawings that really build the vibe that this game wants to give. Each character has their own distinct design and personality that is only emphasised by the voice acting. Even as you swap from serving customers to picking flowers, everything is super consistent and pushing cutesy to its peak.
Longevity
Whilst I did really enjoy playing Hanako’s Flower Shop, I couldn’t play it in really long sittings. The characters were interesting but sometimes you have to take in way too much information. For example, when you’re talking to Tin’s owner, they give you a lot of information that just isn’t useful yet you note it down because you feel like you need it.
This game is great in short bursts but I don’t think I could play it for longer than that. I do want to find out more about the characters but it gets really repetitive really quickly.
Final Thoughts
Hanako’s Flower Shop is a beautiful exploration of so many heavy hitting emotions that need to be handled with care. It’s simple game mechanics and the way they work mean you have a real opportunity to pay attention to what’s happening rather than striving to just do everything perfectly. This game is definitely a great addition to any gamer who loves story mode or is a fan of cosy games.
It was an easy decision to give Hanako’s Flower Shop the Thumb Culture Gold Award.
Disclaimer: A code was received in order to write this review.
If you’re looking to expand your library even more, check out our PC reviews here!
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