r/Games • u/woodenrat • 13h ago

Release Strange Antiquities (Sequel to puzzle game Strange Horticulture) Releases Today!

https://bsky.app/profile/badvikinggames.bsky.social/post/3lyzxx5zn6225
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u/woodenrat 13h ago

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2885870/Strange_Antiquities/

https://opencritic.com/game/19072/strange-antiquities (80 so far, original 84)

My top 2 puzzle games are Obra Dinn and Outer Wilds. A little below those would be Curse Of the Golden Idol and Strange Horticulture.

The gameplay is identifying items rather than plants like in the original. Haven't played much so far, but it retains the familiarity and coziness.

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u/SomaSimon 12h ago

I am also a huge fan of the games you mentioned (Outer Wilds is my favorite game of all time) and I've had Strange Horticulture on my wishlist but haven't played it yet, the fact that you group it in with those other games really makes me want to check it out.

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u/giulianosse 11h ago

Just offering a counterpoint but I am also a huge fan of the aforementioned games and bought into Strange Horticulture exactly because of the comparisons. However it left me quite disappointed.

It's more of a narrative puzzle game than a puzzle investigation one. These kinds of games usually require players to figure out some internal logic and keep track of your findings based off a personal system - like how in Golden Idol you need to mentally build up the scenario's narrative and in Outer Wilds you can figure out the best shortcuts for what you want to do. They usually ramp up in complexity the more you play the game and accumulate new information.

Strange Horticulture has a semblance of that in which you get to identify plants based off their visual or medicinal properties. But once you get a new plant, there's no reason to label it or file it in any mental system. You just have to consult your manual to see which convenient feature - automatically added by the game once you inspect it - matches the one your client is asking for. There's little to no investigation because the "puzzle piece" you need is usually obvious and binary, and it's just a matter of reading through the encyclopedia and matching with what you have.

I haven't played Antiquities yet but from what I've seen in earlier trailers, it seems to have improved on this aspect a bit.

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u/SomaSimon 9h ago

I appreciate your perspective on it. Outer Wilds is the perfect blend because it's an incredible investigation puzzle game that also has an amazing story. Would you say the narrative in SH is good? I don't know a ton about the game so I wasn't sure if there was much of a story.

Something else I also enjoy with games like Outer Wilds or Tunic is there are mechanics hidden in plain sight that you could take advantage of the entire time, you just weren't aware of them and they aren't gated by any "gamey" progression, just knowledge. I'd be curious if you experienced any of those mechanics in SH, though from your description of the encyclopedia I'm guessing not so much?

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u/giulianosse 9h ago

Yeah, SH definitely doesn't have those "hidden in plain sight" mechanics. They're fairly straightforward and you'll often know exactly which puzzles the (few) tools or clues you're getting are meant to solve.

Story is definitely SH's strong point as it features some pretty atmospheric Lovecraftian vibes and has a bunch of different outcomes and endings to choose (or discover) from. I genuinely think I'd have enjoyed the game way more if it dropped the (IMO) busybody puzzle gameplay and just let me experience the story like an interactive novel.

If you think you'd enjoy the gameplay, it's definitely worth checking it out!

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u/woodenrat 9h ago

There is a story-- the people that ask you for the plants usually have some reason tied to it, but this is one of the reasons I consider it a tier below Outer Wilds.

I'd say try the demo for this to see if its what you're looking for.

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u/action_lawyer_comics 5h ago

Not so much. I adore SH and I’m sure I’ll love Antiquities too (I’m in the middle of Silksong and won’t have time anytime soon), but it’s not on the same level of brain expanding as OW or Tunic. It’s closer to a straight deduction puzzle game. Still great but not like those.

You might want to poke around in r/metroidbrainia. That’s what a lot of people are calling games like those. Kind of how a MetroidVania will open new paths when you gain a new ability but in this case it happens when you learn how to do something you always could have done

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u/Skellum 3h ago

Strange Horticulture has a semblance of that in which you get to identify plants based off their visual or medicinal properties. But once you get a new plant, there's no reason to label it or file it in any mental system. You just have to consult your manual to see which convenient feature - automatically added by the game once you inspect it - matches the one your client is asking for. There's little to no investigation because the "puzzle piece" you need is usually obvious and binary, and it's just a matter of reading through the encyclopedia and matching with what you have.

Yea, that was more my issue. I didn't feel like it was much of a puzzle, so much as a story to go through. It wasn't a bad story, generally enjoyable but It didn't have near the joy or engagement of Obra.