Strange Antiquities

A great cozy yet creepy puzzle adventure packed with dozens of little mysteries to solve.

In Strange Antiquities, Bad Viking expands the rich world of Strange Horticulture – this time in an antique shop specialising in the occult. The puzzles are cryptic but rarely skull-cracking, forming an addictive gameplay loop: who knew hunting down magic antiques to solve customers' conundrums could be so satisfying?The whole thing is cloaked in a gripping mystery narrative, which you can influence with the right (or wrong) occult oddity. And with the possibility of multiple endings, replay value is high – at least for those of you who want to see just how much strangeness is in store.

Strange Antiquities puts us behind the counter of a shop, researching, discovering, identifying, and selling mystical items in an ingenious and very enjoyable puzzle experience. We’ll consult the various arcane resources at hand, enveloped in the atmosphere of a central mystery, making the experience especially ideal for those who enjoy puzzles and occult fiction.

A gentle and rewarding mystery that lingers long after the final day ends. Strange Antiquities is a cosy and atmospheric mystery that rewards patience, curiosity, and a love for small details. Its gentle pace, beautifully crafted world, and satisfying shopkeeping loop make it easy to sink into, even when a few puzzles feel vague or the controls take some getting used to. Despite those small bumps, my time in Undermere was memorable, and I often found myself wanting to play just one more day. For anyone who enjoys thoughtful puzzles and rich, quiet storytelling, this is a journey well worth taking.

Strange Antiquities takes the same blueprint of Strange Horticulture and nicely amends it to selling magical items instead of plants.

Strange Antiquities is a gorgeously designed game that uses a shop management setting to explore the compelling story of a community ravaged by occult monsters.

I had a great time with Strange Antiquities, as it delivers an engaging and detailed story. Definitely more than I expected for a casual shop sim game. The plot was easy to invest in as Jupiter and I solved the puzzles and identified the numerous antiques. The puzzles are fun to solve once the game clicks, and they add layers to maintain the challenge level. It keeps the game from feeling repetitive and makes it so you can’t brute force or cheese your way through. I really enjoyed the detailed visual design, which somewhat alleviates that seeing the same perspective could get old quickly. However, the audio design was a little disappointing, with no audible character voices. The music and environmental sounds worked well, especially together. The replayability benefits from alternate endings and going back to see what you may have missed the first time around, and also having almost 2 dozen achievements to unlock. I am giving Strange Antiquities the Thumb Culture Gold Award and look forward to seeing what Bad Viking bring us next.

Strange Antiquities is a commendable sequel and also a great standalone game for anyone who wants a quiet but compelling title. Most “quiet” games are cutesy cozy, and so Strange Antiquities fits a very unique niche of being low-key while still interesting and spooky. All that said, the lack of a new game+ mode is a disappointment given the rich and compelling storytelling. The setting is delightful, and makes me wonder if we’ll be so lucky as to return to Undermere for a third time — but for the residents’ sake, I almost hope we don’t! I’m not sure this poor town can handle yet another curse.

Strange Antiquities is mesmerizing and will keep you engaged for hours, waiting unblinkingly for the next events and puzzles to be solved. The player must remain attentive most of the time, as many secrets are hidden in plain sight from the start. All this freedom in an adventure that is still quite linear really immersed me in the experience.

A worthy spiritual sequel to Strange Horticulture, in Strange Antiquities we run an esoteric shop as an apprentice thaumaturge. Customers arrive with vague requests, and it's up to us to identify the correct item among relics and amulets. Gameplay revolves around observation and deduction, analyzing objects, exploring maps, interpreting symbols, and consulting manuals in search of clues. Progression intertwines complex puzzles and narrative choices, influencing events and endings. Challenging puzzles, a relaxed pace, and a dark atmosphere define the experience.