Garden Dash: A Fresh PlayFirst Original

Find your zen zone with Barb in our new PlayFirst Original game, Garden Dash! Flo's perpetually busy customer is taking the time to stop and grow the roses in this all-new time management game. Play now!

Read on for more about new features and top tips from the game’s producer, Aaron:

How did the seed for Garden Dash get planted?
Garden Dash originated out of the goal of taking the Dash franchise in a fresh direction, building up a well-known DinerTown character - Barb - into a starring role. We set out with creating a new time management game that was as fresh and innovative in game-play, story, and character development as was Hotel Dash.

What went into creating the story?
The team set out with the goal of touching on themes such as organic, urban gardening with the intent of bringing a relevant topic to the forefront in an interactive gaming experience. The quirk to the story, which only the true diehard Diner Dash fans may get, is the twist of using Barb to drive the message of zen gardening. Barb is a successful workaholic who thrives on stress, but the hectic office life at the offices of Big Corp has finally caught up with her and she is required to take a vacation. This is intended as a tongue-in-cheek joke, but I'm not sure everyone will understand the nuance of this plot-line. What I love though is that Barb has become a multi-demensional character who not only loves fast-paced office culture, but also is at peace with her sweet onions and fragrant roses.

What’s new in this game?
Having the plants act as the "customers" is unique. Each plant still has its own personality and specific attributes that require players to use different strategies with how the plants are grown and harvested. The ability to customize the layout of the game space allows for a greater variability of game play as well as being able to choose the size of pots used in your garden.

Which is your favorite plant?
The red hot chili's in the final venue are great. They work well with the fiery venue, and who doesn't love chili peppers?

What’s your favorite feature in the game?
The Relax Token meter is great fun! It may take players a while to figure it out, but here's a little tip: Fill up your relax meter and then line up a sequence of events that can be chained, then click to activate the relax meter and while the "zen Barb animation" is playing, click through your chain of events. It's a great way to queue many actions without using any time on the clock.

What’s your top tip to playing this game?
Similar to most Dash games, color matching and chaining is very important, but as previously mentioned, the Relax Meter is a true time-saver. Working to best maximize the use of collecting and filling up the Relax Meter is very helpful. There is also one upgrade in particular that is by far the best use of the hard-earned money - the Fertilizer upgrade. I always purchase this upgrade as soon as I have enough money. The time it saves in filling up your pots is critical, especially if you are going for EXPERT.

What’s your gaming quirk?
I'm a somewhat linear and symmetrical person, so I line up all of my pots in a neat line. It makes it easier for me to run straight down the line of pots and maximize my chaining ability.

Thanks for sharing, Aaron! What do you think of Barb going into zen mode? Tell us in the comments!

Interview by: Applesun
Games in this post: Garden Dash for PC/Mac