STRANGE HORTICULTURE

Strange Horticulture  is a 2022 video game by British independent developer Bad Viking, published by  Iceberg Interactive  for  Windows ,  Nintendo Switch , and  macOS . Described as an "occult puzzle game",   Strange Horticulture  involves the discovery and identification of a fictitious  herbarium  of plants for sale to a range of mysterious and unscrupulous customers. Gameplay involves the completion of puzzles by matching the details of customer requests of plants to their descriptions, opening up access to more plants and identifying information. Released in January 2022,  Strange Horticulture  received praise from critics, with particular praise directed towards its immersive and intimate gameplay and the design and tone of its setting. The game appeared on several year-end lists as one of the best games of the year, and got nominated for the "Excellence in Design" award at the 2022  Independent Games Festival . In the small town of Undermere, the player inherits a store from their late uncle named Strange Horticulture, renowned for selling to customers botanic remedies carrying mystical and occasionally dangerous effects. Members of the town visit the store to seek plants to use for their own ends, including Beth, a member of a nature-worshipping sisterhood, the Arduinna, in the nearby woods whose matron has died, Reuben, an officer investigating the murder, Ennis, a hermit from a mysterious cult known as the Seeds of Redemption seeking to summon a creature called the Woken Dendrew, and Forest, a hunter bent on sabotaging the hermit's plans. How the player chooses to assist or hinder characters through the plants they provide them influences a branching storyline which ultimately determines the fate of the characters in the game.