I loved Strange Horticulture when I played it a year or so ago. Something about the cozy, relaxed nature of identifying plants, with eldritch, spooky elements thrown in, just made for a nice time. Now, the developers have tickled my urge to deal in antiques, with even more eldritch promise as well.

In Strange Antiquities, you are the apprentice of Eli, the proprietor of the titular antique shop. The shop carries not only mundane antiques, but also magical items. When Eli has to leave for a few days, you are in charge of the shop.

This means that you must use Eli’s notes to solve customer needs, as well as making sure not to end up becoming a victim of some of the more dangerous items in Eli’s collection.

As in Strange Horticulture, you are able to tag each item. This allows you to mark the name of the item once you identify it, as well as color coding things or marking them in all manner of other ways. There is also an accessibility feature that automatically labels things once they are identified, to make things easier on you.

The controls of Strange Antiquities are simple, utilizing either mouse, mouse and keyboard, or controller. I personally think just using the mouse works fine enough, but the Mouse and Keyboard is simple too if moving around your workspace needs to be faster.

The developers were also kind enough to provide a dyslexia-friendly font option, since the game contains a lot of reading. As with Strange Horticulture, there are also multiple endings based on the choices you make. There are places to go, paths to follow, and mysteries to uncover both in your shop and in the world.

Strange Antiquities is a mystery that is more than worth exploring. I found myself enthralled by its story and the twists and turns that are available to be found. The gameplay loop is comfortable and cozy, but there are many hours of fun to be had.

If you liked Strange Horticulture, or you perhaps are curious about it but find yourself drawn to antiquities instead, play Strange Antiquities. Whether you are returning to the world established in Strange Horticulture, or experiencing it anew, you won’t be disappointed.

A PC review copy of Strange Antiquities was provided by Iceberg Interactive for the purposes of this review.

Phenixx Gaming is everywhere you are. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Also, if you’d like to join the Phenixx Gaming team, check out our recruitment article for details on working with us.

Phenixx Gaming is proud to be a Humble Partner! Purchases made through our affiliate links support our writers and charity!

Strange Antiquities

$17.99

10

Score

10.0/10

Pros

• Text Accessibility Features
• Fun, Cozy (yet a little spooky) Gameplay
• Standalone yet connected to Strange Horticulture
• Simple Controls
• Intriguing Narrative