Pokémon Garden

Pokémon Garden (Japanese: ポケモンガーデン Pokémon Garden) was a social -based web browser game, developed by Bascule and released exclusively on the website . The game essentially acted as a virtual theme park, where players could chat with each other, play mini-games, schedule rides on the "Pokémon Special Tour" attraction, and see previews for , which would launch 2 months after Garden.
Pokémon Garden was originally conceived as a "web campaign" to try and regain the attention of older children that had grown out of (or "graduated" from) playing Pokémon games.
While the game was originally scheduled to close at the end of February 2007, it was re-opened due to popular demand. This new iteration would launch on August 15, 2007 with a new 4th floor, though with the requirement of a Yahoo! JAPAN ID in order to play. The game would remain open until the end of April 2009, when it closed permanently.
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==Features==
The entirety of the game takes place in the Pokémon Garden building, which is modeled after a giant Game Boy. Players start by talking to a receptionist and selecting a Trainer class as their avatar, using graphics from the Generation III core series games.
Gameplay is controlled entirely with the mouse: players can click a location to have their character move there, and chatting with other players is performed by picking two words per message from a pre-defined list. Emotes are also available, with some first needing to be unlocked with coins.
===1F - Lobby===
On the first floor, players can schedule rides on the "Pokémon Special Tour" attraction at the reception desk, with a wait time of at least 2 hours. A table of available time slots is also available to view.
While waiting, players can interact with arcade machines to play single-player mini-games from , such as Dodrio Berry Picking, or a Slot machine from the Celadon Game Corner. High scores are recorded on a high score board, with the scorer's username.
A bulletin board with Pokémon-related news is also available to view.
This floor has access to an escalator to 2F, and an elevator to 4F.
===2F - Gallery===
This floor has rooms themed after Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn. Each room has two floors: the first floor has a centerpiece statue of that region's first partner Pokémon, while the second floor has displays where players can view game information, Pokédex data, maps, character profiles, and concept art.
This floor has access to escalators going down to 1F, and up to 3F.
===3F - Game Freak Virtual Office===
This floor contains the Game Freak office, where players can talk with NPCs that represent developers. Unlike other NPCs who show a versus sprite while talking to them, a developer NPC instead displays a photo of the real-life person they were based on. These NPCs give preview information about Diamond and Pearl, including silhouettes of new Pokémon.
Players can also view a database of Q&A entries, where developers answer user-submitted questions.
Two secret rooms are available: by giving secret passwords to the NPCs blocking a hallway, players can access the "Diamond room" or "Pearl room", each of which has a special wallpaper available for download.
This floor has access to an escalator going down to 2F.
===4F - Souvenir Shop===
This floor has a souvenir shop, where players can exchange points for stickers that can be placed on their Trainer Card; or for emotes that can be used when chatting. Points can be earned from the mini-games on 1F, or from playing the rock-paper-scissors battle game.
Players can sign up for the battle game on the 4th floor, with each game accepting up to 30 players. This game takes place inside giant Poké-Ball-shaped stadiums on the Pokémon Garden building's roof.
For each round of the game, the game master NPC Ryosuke will tell players the number of their opponent NPC - No.1 uses , No. 2 uses , No. 3 uses , and No. 4 uses a random type that is initially unknown. Players will have 10 seconds to choose Fire, Water, or Grass as a response. Players who fail to respond or chose a disadvantageous type would be eliminated, while players who chose an advantageous or matching type would move on to the next round. However, if the NPC opponent was No. 4, then only advantageous responses would be accepted. The game continues presenting rounds until one player remains, or all players are eliminated. 
Points are earned according to the following rules:
* 10 points per advantageous response against No. 1, 2, or 3.
* 15 points per advantageous response against No. 4
* 1 point for a tie against No. 1, 2, or 3
* (10 * number of participants) points for a tie against No. 4.
Points are rewarded when a player exits the game, whether by elimination or forfeit. If a player is the last one standing, they will be interviewed before receiving their points. The responses chosen for the interview are displayed on a TV on 4F, where it can be viewed by other players.
===Pokémon Special Tour===
The Pokémon Special Tour is an interactive presentation for up to 11 players. Through using a time machine, two tour guide NPCs would guide players through the real-life development history of the Pokémon core series games. These tour guides had full voice acting for all of their dialogue during the tour. Tours would last approximately 30 minutes, and would take a commemorative photo of the participant group at the end. 
To access a tour, players must schedule a time slot in advance on 1F's reception desk. While waiting, players are free to explore the Pokémon Garden building. Once the scheduled time arrives, players are automatically moved to the tour's viewing room.
Two versions of the tour are available. The course version must be chosen at the time of reservation.
* The "Diamond Course" is hosted by the NPCs Kouichi (こういち) and Mai (まい), and covers through 
* The "Pearl Course" is hosted by the NPCs Kazuya (かずや) and Jun (ジュン), and covers Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald Versions.
At certain points during the tour, the time machine would malfunction, and the tour guide NPCs would instruct players on how to fix it. Players may be told to move their avatars to one side of the viewing room, matching the time portal on the screen; or to click a button in time with a spinner to generate power for the machine. The outcome of the tour's story would change depending on how players respond to these events.
==References==
* Press kit video - on YouTube
* "ポケモンガーデン" - Wikipedia Japan
* "Lost Pokemon Games You Can't Play... Yet" - Did You Know Gaming on YouTube
==Related articles==
Category:Websites
Category:Defunct games
Category:PC games
ja:ポケモンガーデン