Release Date: July 28th, 2022 (Switch)
Developer: Bad Viking
Publisher: Iceberg Interactive Platform: PC, Switch (reviewed)
Price: $14.99

Years ago, if you said, “strange horticulture” people would assume your big brother had a secret plant room in the basement where he grew…. “Tomatoes.” But today we mean a game about a strange little shop located in the equally strange city of Undermere which has a bit of a problem, something evil is on the loose and people are dying and just like real life people turn to the local florist for help. Okay, okay, I’m not going to get a lot of millage out of florist jokes because it's more complicated than that and your plants might just hold the key to stopping the killing.

A-4 lets see, HIT! YOU SANK MY BATTLESHIP!

As we begin, your POV character is the owner and shopkeeper, of Strange Horticulture located in the fictional city of Undermere which is populated by a variety of townsfolk, The librarian Simone, the prescient Faye, the menacing Isidore, and some weird lady in a Jade Mask. But wait, there’s more, what weird herbology shop would be complete without a cat, in this case named Hellbore who performs the usual cat tropes such as getting in the way and nibbling plants he’s not supposed to. While the story is too short to take the time to explore the characters in much depth, there is enough variation and backstory to make this more interesting than a simple collection of puzzles.

There is a fine line between “Occult Scholar” and “serial killer”

Your shop serves as the setting as you try and figure out the aforementioned killings by solving puzzles and discovering new plants. You’ll get letters and hints from customers, and every day you’re given a new clue card that directs you to somewhere on your map of the surrounding area. While some of these are easy to figure out, like the librarian wanting you to meet her at the GASP, library, many are much more difficult.

Gameplay is entirely point, click and drag, with a tutorial menu if you do happen to get stuck. As you progress you collect more plants to sell to people as well as more clues and entries for your encyclopedia that you use to identify them. Strangely enough the plants don’t come pre-labeled and determining which plant is which can be difficult, but the game is merciful, allowing for mistakes rather than having you calling poison control every five minutes, there is also a hint button but of course I NEVER tried it except to check its functionality, and then I only did it 31 times. The overall feeling of the game is sedate, but there is a genuine hint of menace, which is entirely appropriate. Likewise, the art is spot on for the game.

Normally, this would be about it, my first play through took me about 7 hours, so I knock out a short review for a short game. But remarkably for such a short title, it's quite replayable. Different choices during the game obviously lead to your success or failure, but there’s also different ways to approach the story. Several times I've gone back to it, as new things occur to me, and I’m still not certain I’ve found all the nooks and crannies.

Bottom line, Bad Viking’s Strange Horticulture is a solid if sedate puzzler that will give your heart a rest and your brain a workout.

The Good:

Well executed
Relaxing yet challenging
Re-playable

The Bad:

Not everyone’s cup of tea
A bit short for the price

Strange Horticulture (Switch) Review