Shu's Garden is one of the most joyful iOS and Android games around
Come and play
Last year, Jason Bond and Colin Sanders attempted to raise funding for their cutesy real-time gardening sim Hey Shu! on Kickstarter. But they failed.
Undeterred, the pair decided to finish a small part of what they had planned for Hey Shu! and have put it out on iOS and Android as Shu's Garden.
I've been playing it and, my word, there is just so much fun to be had here.
Without goals or a mission, you take on the role of the bouncy ball alien Shu. You tilt to roll across the soil, sprouting grass behind you.
If you tap the right of the screen you can jump, and doing the same on the left makes Shu suck in plants (a bit like Kirby) and obtain their seed.
You can then shake the screen to plant a flower or tree, and when you come back in a minute or two it will have a glowing flower for you to collect.
You can concentrate on doing that to whatever purpose it fulfills, or you can tip giraffes over, swim with turtles, or just mess around with your alien friend. There's more to discover than that, too.
I'm pretty sure it's impossible to not smile while playing Shu's Garden. What a lovely little game.
You can pick up Shu's Garden on the App Store [buy] or Google Play [buy] for £1.99 / $2.99.