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.