Un verger à faire vivre, saison après saison

2H Play is an independent game studio run by 2H SERVICES in Villeneuve-sur-Vère, in the Tarn countryside of south-west France. We design peaceful orchard games for Android in which players tend a small orchard through the seasons.

Pruning in winter, protecting blossom in spring and harvesting at the end of summer each bring their own gestures and small decisions. Apples, plums and figs grow at different speeds, so a well-planned orchard always has something to look after.

The trees forgive mistakes. A badly pruned branch grows back the following year, and even a modest harvest fills a corner of the barn. There are no timers and no penalties, only the gentle cycle of the year and the satisfaction of a healthier orchard.

The landscape is inspired by the rolling hills, brick farmhouses and vineyards of the Tarn, drawn in soft watercolour. The soundtrack follows the seasons, from winter wind to summer cicadas.

A year in the game passes in about an hour of play, spread over as many short sessions as the player likes. Progress stays on the phone and the orchard waits patiently between visits.

Neighbours drop by with small requests, such as a basket of plums for a village fair or cuttings for a new tree, which gives each season a gentle goal. Over several years the orchard grows into a varied and personal place, and an album keeps a painting of each harvest. Each tree has a short note about the old local varieties that inspired it, and a calendar shows which tasks fit each month for players who enjoy planning ahead. Weather varies from year to year, so the same orchard never plays out quite the same way twice. A small market stall lets players share surplus fruit with the village.