I just finished Starfield. Yeah, I know it took me a while, but I was interrupted by other games I had to play like Forza Motorsport (2023), and I simply couldn't blitz through the main campaign without exploring as much of the side content as I could find. After 130 hours in Bethesda's magnum opus, though, I wanted to cleanse my gaming palate with a shorter and less intensive gaming experience. Sure enough, the next title up in my far-too-long video games backlog was a unique, indie puzzle game.
Strange Horticulture sees you take over an obscure, specialized horticultural shop after the death of your uncle. You discover, collect, tend to, and identify a diverse array of different plants, flowers, and fungi, and assist various customers with their needs. You may help with rashes, combat memory loss, deal with fatigue, or... become involved in the occult? This game isn't quite like it seems at first glance, and it's a strangely alluring puzzle game that had me hooked from beginning to end, to the point that I finished the 6+ hour campaign the day after completing Starfield.
