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Press release:
The Erie-based (Pennsylvania, the US) indie games publisher Whitethorn Games (the publishers of “APICO”, “Princess Farmer”, and “Lake”) and Devon-based (the UK) indie games developer Balloon Studios, are today very happy and thrilled to announce that their charming exploration puzzle game “Botany Manor”, is coming to the PS5 and PS4 via PSN on January 28th (2025).

Set in a historical English homestead brimming with a lifetime of memorabilia and research to explore, players will uncover long-forgotten seeds and piece together clues as they solve puzzles to help each rare plant grow.

Botany Manor on PlayStation takes advantage of the immersive features of the PlayStation DUALSHOCK® 4 and DualSense® controllers. Flip through the pages of Arabella Green’s herbarium using button controls or touch pad motion, while the light bar echoes the vibrant hues of each flower as they bloom.

The enduring estate of Botany Manor is home to retired botanist Arabella Greene. After a long career, she has amassed a collection of rare, long-forgotten plants that require some research to help them live again. Play as Arabella and explore the stunning historic manor and its grounds to look for clues in her notes, books, posters, and items scattered around the residence to determine the correct set of circumstances to help the flora flourish. Unlock new seed varieties and plant them. Interactable items around the property that can be turned and flipped will provide information to help you solve each gardening puzzle, grow the plants and discover their mysterious qualities.

Having earned a “Very Positive” Steam rating of 9/10 and an overall 82% Metacritic rating, reviewers and consumers across the board have described it as “…a first-person puzzler worth tending to.” (IGN, 8/10), “…a beautiful puzzle game with the timeless allure of a summer’s day stroll.” (Eurogamer, 4/5), and “…a blissful, smart, and creatively conceived puzzle adventure.” (Gameinformer, 8.75/10).

Key Features of Botany Manor include:

Explore the peaceful grounds and many calming rooms of the beautifully rendered, historically accurate 19th-century manor.
Pick up, flip, turn, and rotate the many items found around the estate to piece together the clues to solve each plant-based puzzle.
Learn about Arabella’s life and career, and the challenges she faced as a woman scientist during the 19th century as you explore.
Fall in love with the calming soundtrack that perfectly compliments the environment and flowers you bring to full bloom.

Botany Manor will be available on PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 on January 28, 2025. The game is currently available on PC via Steam, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One and Xbox Series S|X, for $24.99 USD and free to Xbox Game Pass holders.

Botany Manor is available in the following languages on all platforms: English, French, Italian, German, Japanese, Latin American Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Simplified and Traditional Chinese.

To keep your botanical research up to date, be sure to follow Botany Manor on TikTok, Twitter and Instagram, and visit the official website. Follow Balloon Studios on Twitter and the official website.

Accessibility features for Botany Manor can be found on the official accessibility features page.

About Balloon Studios
The studio is founded by Laure De Mey, who previously worked at the award-winning ustwo games on Assemble with Care and Alba: A Wildlife Adventure. Laure was also named as BAFTA Breakthrough UK in 2020, and was part of Apple’s Macbook Pro campaign in 2019. With Balloon Studios, she has set off on her own journey to cater to underrepresented audiences like herself, and deliver welcoming game experiences for people who want to escape to peaceful, historical worlds. Learn more at balloonstudios.com.

About Whitethorn Games
We’re an indie game publisher focusing on pleasant, easy-going games that can be played in pieces, that require no special skills or knowledge and that anyone can pick up and play. We’re believers in accessibility, inclusion, and widening the audience that gets to play. We like to consider ourselves the defenders of easy games. While our games might challenge you, they’ll respect your time, they’ll make sure you can play, and most importantly, they’ll never punish you. Learn more at whitethorngames.com.