Strange Antiquities Reviews
A great cozy yet creepy puzzle adventure packed with dozens of little mysteries to solve.
In Strange Antiquities, Bad Viking expands the rich world of Strange Horticulture – this time in an antique shop specialising in the occult. The puzzles are cryptic but rarely skull-cracking, forming an addictive gameplay loop: who knew hunting down magic antiques to solve customers' conundrums could be so satisfying?The whole thing is cloaked in a gripping mystery narrative, which you can influence with the right (or wrong) occult oddity. And with the possibility of multiple endings, replay value is high – at least for those of you who want to see just how much strangeness is in store.
It's difficult to review a game like Strange Antiquities as most of the pleasure and pain it derives will depend on if you click with the style of puzzle it presents. But if you're looking for a slightly cozy, slightly dark world in which to inhabit as the nights get longer, then I'd suggest at least checking out the demo of this game to see if it works for you. If it does, there's almost no better feeling in the world than getting that eureka moment as you solve a particularly tricky puzzle.
Strange Antiquities is a fantastic sequel, taking all the cosy charms of Strange Horticulture and improving on the game's presentation, puzzle design, and more. If you loved the first game, you'll love this too, and will eagerly await whatever occult theme Bad Viking can concoct for their next title.
A worthy spiritual sequel to Strange Horticulture, in Strange Antiquities we run an esoteric shop as an apprentice thaumaturge. Customers arrive with vague requests, and it's up to us to identify the correct item among relics and amulets. Gameplay revolves around observation and deduction, analyzing objects, exploring maps, interpreting symbols, and consulting manuals in search of clues. Progression intertwines complex puzzles and narrative choices, influencing events and endings. Challenging puzzles, a relaxed pace, and a dark atmosphere define the experience.
Review in Italian | Read full review
A perfect pick during the Halloween season, Strange Antiquities delivers on that cozy-yet-spooky Victorian vibe with the best of them. If you love mystery games, the pull will be irresistible.
Strange Antiquities sticks very close to the premise of the original, Strange Horticulture, while improving on almost every aspect. It offers a dark, atmospheric mystery with multiple endings, but the real entertainment comes in the form of examining the dozens of weird, creepy, and downright unsettling items stocked on your shelves and feeling like a genius when you decipher their hidden clues. Strange Antiquities is an easy recommendation to make for any fan of research-based puzzles.
Strange Antiquities is an excellent mix of subtle dread and fascinating puzzles. The core loop will have you hooked, while the setting will keep you coming back! Able to be played in short bursts or in a few sittings, it is a great addition to any library.
Story-driven occult puzzle game with a set of peculiar items to sort
If you played Strange Horticulture, you'll know exactly what to expect from Strange Antiquities, and you're in for quite the treat. Revisiting the macabre town of Undermere is a joy, and puzzling through as you help its residents find weird and wonderful antiques imbued with mysterious powers is almost (almost!) as fun as it was with plants.
I had a great time with Strange Antiquities, as it delivers an engaging and detailed story. Definitely more than I expected for a casual shop sim game. The plot was easy to invest in as Jupiter and I solved the puzzles and identified the numerous antiques. The puzzles are fun to solve once the game clicks, and they add layers to maintain the challenge level. It keeps the game from feeling repetitive and makes it so you can’t brute force or cheese your way through. I really enjoyed the detailed visual design, which somewhat alleviates that seeing the same perspective could get old quickly. However, the audio design was a little disappointing, with no audible character voices. The music and environmental sounds worked well, especially together. The replayability benefits from alternate endings and going back to see what you may have missed the first time around, and also having almost 2 dozen achievements to unlock. I am giving Strange Antiquities the Thumb Culture Gold Award and look forward to seeing what Bad Viking bring us next.
Strange Antiquities is a commendable sequel and also a great standalone game for anyone who wants a quiet but compelling title. Most “quiet” games are cutesy cozy, and so Strange Antiquities fits a very unique niche of being low-key while still interesting and spooky. All that said, the lack of a new game+ mode is a disappointment given the rich and compelling storytelling. The setting is delightful, and makes me wonder if we’ll be so lucky as to return to Undermere for a third time — but for the residents’ sake, I almost hope we don’t! I’m not sure this poor town can handle yet another curse.
Strange Antiquities is mesmerizing and will keep you engaged for hours, waiting unblinkingly for the next events and puzzles to be solved. The player must remain attentive most of the time, as many secrets are hidden in plain sight from the start. All this freedom in an adventure that is still quite linear really immersed me in the experience.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Bad Viking repeats its formula and proves once again that it knows how to create unique experiences. Strange Antiquities is demanding, but tremendously immersive. Its setting, object design, and the uncomfortable atmosphere it conveys are its greatest strengths, although exploration feels too limited and certain pieces are too cryptic. If you enjoyed Strange Horticulture, don't miss this one.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
The best thing about Strange Antiquities is the gloomy atmosphere created by the color scheme and theme. A close second are the imaginative puzzles. The biggest flaw is the console version's controls, but that doesn't ruin the gaming experience.
Review in Finnish | Read full review
Cosy and creepy, Strange Antiquities is a solid and satisfying puzzle game. While it doesn’t push any boundaries and the narrative lacks the punch of its predecessor, it’s still a highly enjoyable experience for fans of the genre.
Strange Antiquities expands the world of Undermere with a deeper identification system, clever puzzles, and a haunting atmosphere. Building on the foundations of Strange Horticulture, it offers more variety, refined mechanics, and meaningful player choices. A slightly weak Italian localization holds it back, but for fans of narrative-driven puzzle games, this is a must-play.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Strange Antiquities is a successful sequel that echoes the strengths of its predecessor, but this time with a more engaging theme and polished presentation. The controls still betray this as a PC game through and through, but on the Nintendo Switch 2, it works surprisingly well. The biggest disappointment remains the lack of voice acting, which sometimes makes the shop feel quieter than you'd like. And visually, I would have preferred a darker and more consistent style. But these are minor details in a game that otherwise excels in atmosphere and puzzle design. It's cozy, mysterious, and offers precisely those little riddles that you'll happily solve in a few minutes. For fans of the first game, this is a must-have, and for new players, an excellent entry point into the strange world of Undermere.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
Strange Antiquities is a charming and cozy occult puzzle game that is surely a treat for budding detectives and puzzle-lovers. With its simple point-and-click gameplay that complements a variety of complex challenges and riddles that require extra brainpower, this puzzle game will surely take you on a spooky but intriguing text adventure through the town of Undermere and the secrets that lie within.