Solving Mysteries...with Plants

I'm always on the lookout for new games that offer something unique so when Strange Horticulture began showing up on my Steam home page, my interest was immediately piqued.  Even better, the user reviews were "overwhelmingly positive" which is usually a good sign that a game is solid.  At the price of $14.99 it seemed like a low-risk purchase, so I gave it a whirl.  I've gotta say, it made me wish there were more games that involve plant-based capers.

What is it?

A point-and-click mystery/detective game that involves discovering, identifying, and using plants to unravel clues.  You play the role of the shop owner (which, of course, you inherit from poor grandpa--can I just say that grandpa characters need a break from dying and being the starting points of games) of "Strange Horticulture," and are trying to continue the family tradition of satisfying the plant related needs of various townspeople.  It's quickly revealed that the lands have been plagued by some mysterious folks who have quite possibly unleashed some sort of nasty, murderous critter.  It's your job to choose who you believe...and who you want to help (or hinder).

The gameplay involves using a descriptive plant encyclopedia (which offers general descriptions of plants and a drawing) to correctly identify plants.  Each plant has multiple uses--some are mundane, like helping to clear up a cough--while others are more sinister.  Customers show up to the shop and will ask for a certain plant for a specific issue--it's your job to correctly identify the plant and its usage.  There's a cast of strange characters who frequent the shop and they each have some sort of link to the greater mystery.

Each in-game day you also receive mysterious clues.  As time passes in your shop you accrue "will to explore" and can use a handy map to help analyze the clues and try to solve them.  Solving the clues will lead you to new plants which are useful to help the customers who show up at the shop.  There's also some choice involved as sometimes you can choose to give someone the plant they want...or a different plant that might throw a wrench in their plans (or give them a nasty rash because they are nasty people).

My full playthrough clocked in at 7.8 hours (and I played a bit extra to finish identifying all the plants), so it's not exactly a long game.

Pros:

+ It's unique.  The entire concept of identifying plants, solving mysteries using vague (and sometimes frustrating) clues, and making choices around the characters you meet just isn't a combination you'll find in other games.

+ Identifying plants is just challenging enough to be fun.  The plant encyclopedia provides general descriptions but it's up to you to puzzle out which plant is which.  Some of the more elaborate puzzles involved puzzling out elixir recipes from just drawings of plants.

The same can be said about most of the daily clues in the game--they're challenging and it might take you a few tries to figure something out, but they're not so impossible as to frustrate you to the point of quitting.

+ Replayability.  Even though the game is relatively short, there are multiple endings (I think one of the end screens said there are 16 different endings--I might be misremembering though).  Throughout the game you are given the choices about who to help--do you help the weird plant cult or the weird forest cult (there's a lot of cult-related activity...)?  Your choices impact which of the endings you get.

+ Your shop has a cute black cat named Hellebore who hangs out while you help the customers.  You get an achievement for petting Hellebore.  I wholeheartedly approve of games with cats and games that reward you for petting cats.

+ After you finish the main story the game gives you the option of continuing to play so that you can locate and identify any plants that you missed.  There's an achievement for identifying all of them (and it's possible that you wouldn't be able to identify them anyway due to the choice you make).  This is a nice option that helps eliminate multiple playthroughs for those who want to go after certain achievements.

Cons:

- It's on the short side.

- There's not much of a tutorial (it's pretty easy to figure out though) and I think it would be nice to have some of the exploration mechanics better explained.

- At one point in the game you receive a clue that is completely boggling.  Solving it requires using an object that is only explained much later--I think they intend for people to figure it out on their own.  It's a minor gripe, but I wish the timing on that object was moved up a bit in the timeline of the game. (*It's one that I will admit that I looked up...and then regretted).

Recommendation:

Strange Horticulture offers unique gameplay and much replayability.  The puzzles and clues are challenging without being frustrating and the game has a relaxing vibe--you're solving puzzles through your knowledge of plants!  I would recommend paying full price (the $15 price tag is just right) and look forward to more games from this developer.

Tranquil Puzzling in Dorfromantik

It's a fact that as you get older your gaming preferences experience a marked change--I no longer have any desire to play anything competitive and mostly am just looking for something that's perfect to relax with (although, there is a time and a place for a suspenseful game).  Recently I came across a game that perfectly fits the relaxation bill and manages to feel relatively simple while also requiring some skills to be truly masterful.

Each landscape you create is unique.

What is it?

Dorfromantik is a puzzle game where you piece together randomly generated hexagonal tiles to create a cute landscape filled with forests, rivers, cities, and fields.  Each new map starts with one simple blank tile and a specific number of tiles for you to lay.  Tiles can be rotated and points are awarded for how well you can match each side to the surrounding tiles--the most points are awarded for a "perfect match" meaning that all the sides match with the surrounding tiles.  Certain tiles have objectives, which are indicated by a number floating above it--this means that if you connect the correct number of the same type of tile you are awarded points as well as a certain number of extra tiles--this could mean connecting tiles with trees into a forested area with a specific number of trees or linking together railroad tiles.  The game continues as long as you have tiles, so the ultimate goal is to keep gaining tiles.

Pros:

+ The gameplay is deceptively simple but requires a lot of forethought to truly master.  All you're doing is placing tiles and trying to rotate them to make the best matches, but it's harder than it sounds.

+Multiple gameplay modes.  The classic mode scores each map you create and the game ends when you run out of tiles.  There's a leaderboard and each time you end a map your score and place on the leaderboard is reported.  This is as close to competitive gameplay as Dorfromantik gets.

If you just want to relax and place a never ending stream of tiles into the ultimate landscape, you can opt for creative mode.  There's no scoring, so no pressure.

+The music fits the gameplay perfectly.  Soft piano accompanies each map and even if I'm listening to a podcast, I don't usually turn it off.

+The achievement system offers up unlockable tiles for meeting certain goals.  These new tiles add more life to your landscape--a beaver dam tile places some cute little beavers on a water tile; granary tiles challenge players to sting together certain numbers of field tiles.  The achievements aren't the kind of thing you stress over, but are simply things you'll accomplish the more you play.

+ Each map you build is unique and it offers up infinite replayability.

Cons:

- It's a puzzle game with one premise--lay tiles, build landscapes.  It's probably not everyone's cup of tea.

Recommendation:

Dorfromantik is a great little puzzler that's perfect for relaxing.  Your sessions automatically save so there's no pressure to play for long periods and it's a great accompaniment for listening to your favorite podcast.  It's fun to see each map turned into a cute landscape and see how you stack up to the rest of the world (I think my highest score so far is something slightly over 18000--I managed to crack the top 20,000--I'm definitely not a master, but I don't care).