For the first 10 minutes of Strange Antiquities, I just look at everything. The shelves of the candle-lit shop are already filled with oddities. There's a lot to take in, including a vial full of glowing blue, a small wooden stag statue, a shriveled human hand with a swirl of gold on one finger, and a pendant with a green eye that's definitely looking around as much as I am. I'm obsessed, and I've not even opened the door to a single customer yet.
If you've played the original game, Strange Horticulture, you'll know that this isn't just a shop. While on the surface, yes, it's a place where people come to buy goods, there's a darkness and a curiosity here that makes this one of the best puzzle games I've played since Blue Prince. This little shop is equal parts a library and a puzzle box. Customers come in with specific needs, whether that's something more lighthearted like wanting to have better eyesight to get back into painting to something more sinister, like trying to cure the blackened eye syndrome that's taking over the town. Curses, spirits, and other evocations are a constant in this town, but it's on you to figure out how to help the townsfolk.
