Strange Horticulture Critic Reviews

There’s something so very enthralling about Strange Horticulture; the way it lets you take the lead and figure out everything by yourself will really appeal to those with an analytical mind. The story could perhaps be a little more engaging, but it serves its purpose. Ultimately, it’s going to be Strange Horticulture‘s puzzles, its delicate but eerie presentation, and its satisfying and calming gameplay that will keep you hooked. Something very special awaits for those curious enough to enter Strange Horticulture.

A beautiful and engrossing detective game packed with mysteries, puzzles, and intrigue.

Strange Horticulture is a true hidden gem and a pleasant surprise to start the year on, a delightfully quirky and charming puzzle game that puts a unique spin on botany and requires you to develop a green thumb in order to succeed, largely thanks to puzzle design that truly excels in creating simple yet challenging orders. Backed up by an intriguing world that allows for a lot of interesting lore behind each plant and a relaxing atmosphere, this is something fans of puzzlers should check out. Pardon the awful pun, but it’ll grow on you.

Strange Horticulture is the botany game of my dreams. It has that research-minded gameplay I’ve been seeking for years. And while its story has a lot of moving parts that makes it hard to shift gears between listening carefully to a few patrons and peeking through a microscope, poring over books, and braving the elements to find exotic flora, it pulls you in with its deeply intriguing mystery nonetheless. I can’t recommend Strange Horticulture enough, and for a multitude of different reasons that all boil down to a unique blend of elements entrenched in an unsettling mystique, I declare this to be the bar by which all other games released in 2022 shall be measured.

Strange Horticulture is a shining example of why indie games are worth the time to look into. The art, sound, and story show that simple and subtle design is truly transcendent when the execution is done well.

I was pleasantly surprised by Strange Horticulture. It sports an extremely satisfying loop of collecting, cataloging, and solving puzzles.

What a strange and delightful game! You’ll spend many hours tending to weird plants and dealing with occult mysteries – and it works so very well. If, that is, you like your simulation games and don’t mind a bit of routine.

This isn't just the most satisfying detective game since Obra Dinn, but one that has a similar transportive quality, the world unfolding like a flower's petals as you steadily cultivate your knowledge of it through the wonderfully weird plants that flourish within.

I really enjoyed playing Strange Horticulture. Although at times the puzzles were a little too challenging, it’s certainly a game I would—one—play again, and—two—absolutely recommend to others. It’s not simply filled with puzzles, but the educational aspect is really entertaining, as you learn useful facts about the many different plants. I may not have a green thumb, but this game certainly makes me want to get one—even if only virtual!

While the gameplay is simple and the core loop of identifying plants and making customers happy might be too repetitive overall, Bad Viking’s slow-burn title might end up feeding a green thumb that some players didn’t even know they had.

Strange Horticulture is a puzzle game where you identify plants and mushrooms for the clients of your herbal store and explore the map following the clues. It’s a game for you if you don’t mind staring at one screen or browsing a swelling botanical handbook – especially if you enjoyed Potion Craft.

It's a completely 2D game with hand-drawn art, and you're basically trapped in one room with a cat for the whole game. The setting is perhaps vaguely Edwardian but mostly unmoored by its strangeness. But it's so immersive! It's very easy to imagine how it feels to brush your hand over the cover of your encyclopedia of plants and flip through the pages. To experience the slight panic as a customer approaches and you sweep secret letters and tools back into the hidden drawer of your desk. The gentle animation of all the plants makes them feel so alive. The pattering of the rain on the windows. It gets cold in the shop, especially in the rain. If only I could persuade Hellebore to come and sit, purring, on my lap sometimes. Ah! Hello sir! Why yes, I have just the thing to help you sleep. Let me see now... Strange Horticulture is quiet, meticulous, delightful, dark, and beguiling. An utterly lovely game.

Strange Horticulture is, appropriately, a strange game, one of those simple premises that balances intrigue, sense of place, and puzzles in a satisfying, tactile way. It’s so easy to become engrossed in this world, to become obsessed with the litany of beautiful, exotic, and sometimes dangerous plants that line the walls of my shop. And it’s already one of my favorite games this year.