Strange Antiquities Reviews
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Strange Antiquities is a welcome return to the moody town of Undermere. It is what you would like from a cozy game for Autumn – strange artefacts, quirky characters, a moody soundtrack, a cat you can pet, and of course, an overarching mystery to solve.
Running Strange Antiquities feels like a mix of puzzle-solving, catalogue work, and moral choice. Each day is a self-contained session that takes about twenty to thirty minutes, which makes it perfect for short bursts of play. You spend your time identifying artefacts, cross-referencing your tomes, and deciding which object might help (or hinder) the townsfolk. ... Strange Antiquities is a masterclass in atmosphere. The game captures that balance of dark and cosy that makes Undermere such a compelling place to return to day after day. The rain at the window, the candlelight across your shelves, and Juniper’s quiet presence all weave together into something that feels both homely and haunted.