Strange Horticulture is an occult puzzle game in which you play as the proprietor of a local plant store. Find and identify new plants, pet your cat, speak to a coven, or join a cult. Use your collection of powerful plants to influence the story and unravel Undermere’s dark mysteries.
At the heart of the gameplay, players must identify plants based on customer requests and detailed descriptions. By meticulously consulting the in-game encyclopedia, which catalogues each plant's appearance, uses, and associated lore, players piece together the unique characteristics that match the given information. This puzzle-solving process strikes a satisfying balance, providing enough contextual clues to deduce the correct plant without making the task overly difficult.
One widely praised aspect of the gameplay is the ability to flexibly organize and label the growing collection of plants in the shop. As the selection expands, the limited shelf space encourages players to develop personalized systems for cataloguing and arranging their horticulture. The option to manually affix labels to each specimen allows for a gratifying sense of ownership and mastery over the workspace.
Rather than presenting plant identification and puzzle-solving as standalone challenges, the gameplay in this experience weaves directly into the unfolding narrative. Clues about rare plant locations, the motives of eccentric customers, and the larger mystery surrounding the town all emerge through the process of managing the horticulture shop.
A common praise among players is the overall relaxing and atmospheric nature of the gameplay experience. The lack of time pressure or fail states, combined with a soothing ambient soundscape and visuals, cultivates a calming environment that encourages exploration and contemplation. Even as the narrative delves into more unsettling occult themes, this tranquil core loop of plant identification and management remains a consistently enjoyable and stress-free activity.