Strange Horticulture is a 2022 occult detective game by British indie team Bad Viking. It’s a family business and a two-man team of Rob and John Donkin.

It’s available on PC, Switch, and Xbox. It’s a critically acclaimed puzzle game with a focus on discovering new (totally made up) herbs and plants, which are then sold to a bunch of weirdos (customers). Intrigued? Good!

Dabbling With the OCCULT in Strange Horticulture

This genre of games, detective puzzle type jaunts (not the best phrase, but it does the job) isn’t normally our type of thing. Our mortal enemies over at Later Levels, through their Twitch streams, have helped us appreciate it all a bit more.

And if you’ve played something such as Lucas Pope’s Return of the Obra Dinn, then Strange Horticulture should be right up your alley.

Being a detective game, there’s a plot here. It’s set in a small town called Undermere where you, the player, become the lucky inheritor of your uncle’s store Strange Horticulture. The place sells strange botanicals and other concoctions, with locals visiting to get plants for their various depraved needs.

As the shop owner, you choose to assist the customers you meet as you see fit. You can make things easy for them, or be a bit of a jackass. Here it is in action!

The game is busier than it looks, presented as it is with a general itinerary screen. You have to organise your pants (this is the puzzle solving bit) to match what your customers are after.

To help you identify what is what, there’s a compendium book of records you sift through to reveal answers. If you’re able to match a plant to a customer’s needs, you gain access to more knowledge and improve your lot.

So, yes, this is a THINKING type game where you have to use your noggin.

There’s about five hours of gameplay here, making it much more accessible than many other detective games (which can require a lot of abstract puzzle solving). You’ll be able to tell straight off from the trailer if that’s worth your time or not, but we’re not detective game fans and we still had fun with Strange Horticulture.

It’s very well presented, has a quaint charm about it, and the sedate pace is rather engaging.

The chilled vibes, which always have a slight nudge toward the gothic (that black cat you get with the shop), is brought about through the ambient soundtrack.

Its music kind of says everything you need to know about the game. You are not in a rush here. Take your time. Bask in the solitude.

The gameplay loop is all about stacking shelves, watering plants, researching in a book, chatting to customers etc. If that’s not your type of thing, steer well clear. If it does? This should be an ideal romp for you. But gamers will either like it or think it’s stunningly boring.

For us, it’s a thumbs up. Something a bit different and, hey ho, we have a wider appreciation for the world of plants now.