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.
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.
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.