Strange Horticulture
a game by | Bad Viking |
Platform: | PC (2022) |
Editor Rating: | 9/10, based on 1 review |
User Rating: | 10.0/10 - 2 votes |
Rate this game: | |
See also: | Puzzle Games, Best Detective Games, Mystery Games |
Manage your very own eldritch garden shop and unravel an ancient mystery in Strange Horticulture: a puzzle game where selling plants is only half of your workday. This unique simulation game will have you playing in a world where the dark corners of the Earth hold terrible secrets – but also profitable loot.
A delightfully quirky game, Strange Horticulture combines the best elements from puzzle games and tycoon simulators together, making for a strange and fascinating experience that has to be played to be believed.
Find and Sell
In this game, you play as the owner of a strange plant shop that sells a wide array of exotic medicinal herbs. How wide your inventory will be depends on how adventurous you are, as you’ll have to venture into the unknown to retrieve new species to sell in your shop.
New clients come to your shop every day, asking for a specific plant to cure maladies, or to brew some strange concoctions. You’ll have to instruct them on how to properly use the plants on some occasions, so be sure to always read your notes carefully before selling a crop.
The game plays like a managerial sim with some dark elements thrown into the mix: think of Graveyard Keeper without all the farming stuff. Strange Horticulture also has some minor puzzle elements: some of your explorations will break your mind, forcing you to piece it together piece by piece, for example.
Expect some very quirky sense of humor at every step. The visual design of Strange Horticulture goes perfectly with its eldritch subject, and every character looks like they come from some kind of dark storybook; it’s all great.
Narrative Mysteries
As you progress further through the game, you might realize that things are not what they seem. Some patrons are definitely hiding something, and you’ll have to piece together what that something is.
Strange Horticulture’s narrative offers mystery after mystery, and its addictive gameplay will make you all the more excited to solve its many conundrums.
Each plant you sell also comes with quite a lengthy explanation about its medical properties and a bit of backstory. The amount of attention to detail in this game is simply astounding, especially for such a small indie game. The plants themselves are all amazingly detailed, fitting perfectly with the rest of the game’s visual themes.
The only area where I feel like there could be an upgrade is in the game’s dated UI. While it serves its purpose well, the presentation makes Strange Horticulture feel like it was made in the mid-90s. There’s something about the wood grain menus that just makes the game feel like it’s a visual novel that came straight out of the Sierra Games catalog: like it is a sequel to Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers or something.
All in all, Strange Horticulture is devoted to its presentation and narrative above all else. It’s a unique game, that’s for sure, and it also manages to be entertaining all the way through.
Strange Horticulture is an addictive tycoon/puzzle game with eldritch elements that’s a delight to play and look at.
Pros
- Amazing art style and overall presentation
- Addictive gameplay with a gripping narrative
- Vast content and mysteries to solve
Cons
- The UI feels a bit dated
Download Strange Horticulture
System requirements:
- PC compatible
- Operating systems: Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/2000/Vista/WinXP