Strange Horticulture

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

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.

Plants can cure or kill in this atmospheric puzzle game.

Strange Horticulture is part ideal life sim and part puzzle adventure, where running an arcane plant shop is quiet, meticulous, delightful, dark, and beguiling.

Strange Horticulture's biggest struggle is shoehorning itself into the Switch's little screen and thumbstick controls. It does that well enough to preserve its wonder, but if you have a PC to play it on, that might be preferable. It comes from a very simple place: a one-screen playfield with basic, heavily scripted interactions. But that is the perfect backdrop to throw the player's new discoveries into sharp relief and bring an eerie world and gripping mystery to life. This irresistible immersion stems eventually from a quiet and unassuming start, so stick with it – it'll grow on you.

Puzzle design that truly excels in creating simple yet challenging orders.

Despite the Xbox version currently lacking the better control scheme (mouse & keyboard) available elsewhere, Strange Horticulture remains an evergreen puzzler from start to finish.

Strange Horticulture is a beautiful investigative game. I was drawn in by immersive writing, simple but rewarding gameplay, and a fine level of polish in visual and sound effects. I loved the quiet, mysterious atmosphere and well-designed puzzles. But looking back, what I liked most were tiny details—sounds, especially. Crinkled pages turning, shop bell ringing, drops of water falling. It’s an experience you want to soak in. That makes Strange Horticulture more than just a puzzle game. If not for inconvenient maneuvering around the interface, I would readily give the Switch version a “Two Thumbs Up”. I imagine the PC version to be a much better, if not perfect, experience.

This game was super unexpected, and it is so worth the money, so if this review interested you in Strange Horticulture, you might want to get it. Using the Saving Content rating system out of five, I have to say it’s a solid four from me. Please read more reviews on Saving Content.com to see some other strange or exciting games. I know Strange Horticulture is a very strange game, but one that lives up to its title. Thank you so much for taking the time to read my review! If you want to read more of my reviews, keep a close eye on the site! Be brave, bold, and share some peace.

As a whole, I wouldn’t say Strange Horticulture is a bad game, just somewhat disappointing. I can see the appeal, but it’s honestly often boring. There are some truly great ideas in here, but nowhere near enough to combat the game’s tediously repetitive main gameplay loop. Having more puzzles, riddles, and even a few more visible environments I feel could have made Strange Horticulture a true gem of an indie game.