Strange Horticulture is a 2022 video game by British independent developer Bad Viking, published by Iceberg Interactive for Windows, Nintendo Switch, macOS and Xbox One.
In the small town of Undermere, the player inherits from their late uncle a store named Strange Horticulture, renowned for selling to customers botanic remedies carrying mystical and occasionally dangerous effects.
Members of the town visit the store to seek plants to use for their own ends, including Bethany Coleman, a member of a nature-worshipping sisterhood in the nearby woods, the Arduinna, whose matron has died, Reuben Ward, an officer investigating the murder, Ennis Aleford, a hermit from a mysterious cult known as the Seeds of Redemption seeking to summon a creature called the Woken Dendrew, and Forest Vair, a hunter bent on sabotaging the hermit's plans.
"[6] The design of the game world was inspired by the brothers' experiences visiting fells in the Lake District in the United Kingdom, which they used to build the setting of Undermere and the surrounding area.
Writing for Polygon, Nicole Carpenter praised the "active sense of organization and the tactile feel of research and plant care", stating, "it's so easy to become engrossed in this world.
Alyse Stanley stated in The Washington Post that "the gameplay itself (stocking shelves, chatting with customers, watering plants) is tedious, but it’s the kind of tedium that’s easy to get lost in as you vibe along with the serene-but-slightly-spooky atmosphere.
"[17] Writing for Game Critics, Damiano Gerli stated "the gameplay loop could have used some more finesse," noting "players will either find it quite relaxing or intensely boring, depending on one's tolerance for slow-paced puzzlers.