Strange Horticulture is a quiet occult puzzle game about running a plant shop, identifying unusual specimens from clues, and making choices that shape a mystery. Its appeal is the patient act of deduction and its eerie mood; its main drawback is that reading and repeating the identification loop are central to play. Steam user reviews are strongly positive, but whether the routine feels absorbing or tedious depends on how much you enjoy text-led puzzles.
What is Strange Horticulture?
Developed by Bad Viking and published by Iceberg Interactive, Strange Horticulture released on January 21, 2022. Steam describes it as an occult puzzle game in which you run a local plant store, identify plants, serve customers, and use plants to influence the story while uncovering the mysteries of Undermere. Steam’s game page lists mystery, puzzle, atmospheric, point-and-click, investigation, story-rich, and choice-driven among its tags.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
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Strange Horticulture and Strange Antiquities - Nintendo Switch | $33.44 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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Strange Horticulture & Antiquities (Nintendo Switch) | $46.68 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
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Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles - Nintendo Switch | $29.95 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
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Yoshi's Crafted World - Nintendo Switch | $52.90 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
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Minecraft - Nintendo Switch | $29.83 | Buy on Amazon |
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The core rhythm is straightforward: read a clue, inspect the specimens and plant book, work out which plant fits, then decide how to respond to a customer or situation. Those choices feed into the unfolding story. The game’s official presentation emphasizes puzzles, an eerie setting, and calming gameplay rather than action or speed. The official Strange Horticulture site gives a sense of that intended mood.
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On October 8, 2026, Steam showed 95% positive from 10,025 English-language reviews overall, labelled “Overwhelmingly Positive.” Its last-30-days aggregate was 93% positive from 107 reviews, labelled “Very Positive.” These are changing Steam user-review figures, not critic scores; the counts and percentages can shift over time. Check Steam for the current aggregates.
#1 Best Overall
- Two Occult Puzzle Adventures: Play Strange Horticulture and Strange Antiquities, set in the mysterious town of Undermere.
- Identify Plants & Artefacts: Discover strange plants and arcane antiquities, using your collection to aid the townsfolk.
- Unravel Dark Mysteries: Encounter covens, cults, and eerie happenings in Undermere—while remembering to pet your cat.
Community reactions point to the game’s defining trade-off. Some players enjoy having to stop and think through clues rather than being given answers. Others say there is a lot to read, that the routine becomes repetitive, or that they wanted a way to take notes while flipping through the plant book. Those are individual player responses, not a formal survey, but they capture the kind of experience the game offers.
What works well
A distinctive deduction premise
Identifying plants is more unusual than the familiar pattern of collecting clues to solve a crime or escape a room. The shop gives each discovery a practical context: customers ask for help, and your knowledge of the plants matters to what you do next. Clues and specimens invite comparison, so progress comes from observation and inference.
Rank #2
- Strange Horticulture - Strange Horticulture is an occult puzzle game in which you play as the proprietor of a local plant store.
- Find and identify new plants, pet your cat, speak to a coven, or join a cult.
- Use your collection of powerful plants to influence the story and unravel Undermere’s dark mysteries.
- Strange Antiquities - Become the custodian of a store dealing in occult antiquities.
- Explore the quaint and gloomy town of Undermere, where strange goings-on and dark mysteries abound. Find and identify arcane artefacts, use your collection to aid the townsfolk with their unusual problems — and remember to pet your cat!
A calm, eerie atmosphere
The contrast between running a small shop and dealing with occult mysteries gives the premise its character. The measured pace leaves room to read, inspect, and consider an answer. That is a strength for players who want to settle into a moody puzzle rather than react quickly to threats or timed challenges.
Choices with a story role
Plants are not only objects to identify: Steam’s description says they can influence the story. Serving customers and deciding how to use what you learn connect the puzzle-solving to Undermere’s larger mystery, giving the shop routine a narrative purpose.
Rank #3
- A dynamic living world with seasonal changes that affect routes, animal migration, and evolving weather conditions
- Set your own pace: trail-blaze across the world Or Settle down for a Spot of quiet fishing and farming.
- Master professions like carpenter, chef, tailor and more to help the residents of Gemea.
- Craft and trade items to solve puzzles as you banish the murk from the island.
- Build and harvest multiple farms across 8 diverse biomes, ranging from grasslands through dense forest, Caribbean Tropics and more.
Where the game may frustrate you
Reading and cross-referencing are essential
Clues, plant descriptions, and the book are central tools, not optional background. If you dislike text-heavy games or prefer puzzles that communicate through visual interaction alone, this may feel like work rather than immersion.
The central loop can feel repetitive
The same broad sequence—read, compare, identify, respond—returns throughout the experience. For players who find satisfaction in incremental deduction, repetition can reinforce the role of a shopkeeper learning a body of knowledge. For others, the routine can become tedious, especially when they would rather move on than search the book for a match.
Rank #4
- Explore each stage and then find even more secrets by making your way through the stage backwards on the flip side
- Overcome varied enemies and obstacles, like Zombie Guys, Skelesaurus, Ukiki, and Monty Mole as you seek out hidden collectables; ESRB Content: Mild Cartoon Violence; Genre: Action, Platformer
- Pass a Joy Con controller to a friend for 2 player cooperative exploration
- Clad Yoshi in collectable, protective, handicraft costumes as he makes his way through each stage
Note-taking may be part of the challenge
Some Steam reviewers specifically mention wanting a note-taking feature. That feedback suggests that keeping track of clues and discoveries can be a friction point for some players. The available evidence does not establish particular accessibility features or how well the game works with different controllers, so those needs should be checked against the relevant platform listing before buying.
Who is Strange Horticulture for?
It is a strong fit if you enjoy quiet narrative games, careful observation, reading clues, and making deductions without being handed the answer. It is a less natural fit if you want frequent action, a constantly changing set of mechanics, or minimal reading. The most useful question is not whether you like plants, but whether repeatedly consulting clues and specimens sounds satisfying.
Best Value
- Minecraft is a game about placing blocks and going on adventures
- Explore randomly generated worlds and build amazing things from the simplest of homes to the grandest of castles
- Play in creative mode with unlimited resources or mine deep into the world in survival mode, crafting weapons and armor to fend off the dangerous mobs
- Play on the go in handheld or tabletop modes
- Includes Super Mario Mash-Up, Natural Texture Pack, Biome Settlers Skin Pack, Battle & Beasts Skin Pack, Campfire Tales Skin Pack; Compatible with Nintendo Switch only
Botanical inspiration beyond the game
PC Gamer reports that the developers encountered Breverton’s Complete Herbal in a library and found its unusual plants and uses inspiring. Developer John Donkin recalled, “We just found this in a library one day and were like, gosh, how good is this?” as quoted by PC Gamer. The book is an optional point of interest for readers curious about that botanical inspiration; it is not established as an official companion, required reading, or gameplay guide.
PC Gamer’s review also quotes critic Chris Livingston calling the game “the best detective game I’ve played in years.” That is one reviewer’s assessment, not a consensus measurement. Read the PC Gamer article for the full context.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
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