Strange Horticulture: Unraveling Mysteries One Leaf at a Time

In this botanical whodunit, the only thing sharper than your shears is your wit.

Written by Janelle Hyde

Strange Horticulture is an immersive game that excellently captures a somber tone. Set in the fictional town of Undermere, players inherit a plant store and navigate a world filled with botanical mysteries and magical properties. The game masterfully combines visual and auditory elements to create an atmosphere of dread, curiosity, and melancholy, making it a compelling experience for those who appreciate darker themes.

Day by day, customers seek aid with botanicals of fantastical nature. The plants worked with possess magical properties, from opening locks and strengthening the body to curses of insanity and instant death. Similar to Potion Craft, players consult an encyclopedia to identify flowers, mushrooms, or other curious plants for those who come knocking.

The story of Strange Horticulture revolves around the recent murder of Arda, the leader of a sisterhood residing in a forest. Many people visit the shop seeking help to uncover the mystery behind the witch’s death. The narrative offers multiple choices and paths, with a total of eight possible endings.

Strange Horticulture features numerous puzzles and mysteries throughout the game. Even offering plants to customers can be challenging, as identification is tricky without careful observation. This game appeals to those with an eye for detail and a mind for riddles.

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The game’s greatest strength is its consistent tone. The music, visual details, and story are meticulously crafted with a blend of dread, curiosity, and melancholy—ideal for fans of darker cottagecore aesthetics. The puzzles encountered generate enough anxiety to keep players engaged and provide satisfying relief upon resolution.

The soundtrack is dominated by piano-heavy tracks that play a repeated series of chords. It’s quiet, somber, and simple, almost to a fault. The repetitiveness of the music becomes noticeable over time, suggesting the game could benefit from additional tracks. However, the single track might be an intentional design choice, reflecting the game’s theme of madness.

The sound design is quietly immersive. The soft handling of paper, gentle streams of water from the watering can, and the activation of the microscope contribute to a cozy environment in the plant store. Even the purring of the shop’s cat adds to the warm, cozy atmosphere. In stark contrast, the shrill ring of the bell on the counter is high-pitched and loud, startling the cat and bringing a sense of dread as new customers arrive, hinting at the story progression to come. Incorrectly answering a puzzle results in “Rising Dread,” the game’s version of a game over. Instead of a fatal consequence, players must solve a revival puzzle to continue. One critique of the sound design is the uniform sound for interacting with or picking up each plant, which detracts from the immersive experience.

Visually, the game excels in driving its tone through character details, the desk used to identify plants, and the plants themselves. Characters often appear miserable, with sunken eyes, dark and muted clothing, and expressions of exhaustion. This aligns with the game’s somber tone, reinforcing the atmosphere of melancholy and mystery.

The desk, central to the gameplay, is richly detailed. It shows signs of wear, with stains and mysterious symbols, alongside pretty golden patterns that add warmth and comfort with their floral design. The plants are beautifully drawn, with some traditional-looking flowers having poisonous or frightening properties, adding to the game’s intrigue.

The story is incredibly immersive. Players not only run a plant store but also participate in solving a murder. With questions emerging at every turn, players can choose which inquiries to pursue, take sides, discover secrets, and protect or harm characters based on their choices. The moral ambiguity allows players to approach the game as a horror experience or become the source of horror themselves.

Strange Horticulture offers various puzzle elements, blending survival, justice, riddles, and understanding ambiguous descriptions within the encyclopedia. Each turn engages the mind, setting a foreboding tone that is expertly maintained throughout the game. For those who enjoy cottagecore aesthetics, witchcraft themes, or challenging their cognitive abilities, Strange Horticulture is G.URL Approved.