Decades ago, when nongamers thought about video games two things came to mind: 1) it’s for kids and 2) it’s violent. Well, it looks like an article titled Some developers are pushing back against violent video games from the Economist is actually finally catching up. Any passionate gamer would know that video game is such a broad term like music that not all games fall into the violent category, and so I would like to introduce my readers to a relaxing game called Strange Horticulture, a game developed by Bad Viking, published by Iceberg Interactive. 

When I initially watched the trailer, I was attracted to the variety of plants* but had my doubts about playing a game that requires players to label and manage an inventory of plants. That sounds kind of boring. How could that possibly be relaxing? To my surprise, the game is properly advertised. It’s atmospheric and relaxing. It’s dark and mysterious but not overbearingly gloomy. To some of us, the sound of rain is quite soothing to the mind, especially for those of us who suffer from anxiety. But what I enjoyed most about the game is the actual gameplay. It was fun navigating the map, reading through letters, and solving clue cards to locate plants. When you successfully locate the plants on the map, you are rewarded with a text that reveals more about the story and its characters. It reminds me of reading a novel. I like that. As the game progresses, the puzzles become more difficult but not to the point where it’s frustrating. I ended up playing the game twice and unlocked 3 endings out of 8 (You can reload your save points, so you don’t have to play from the beginning to get different endings). So, replay value is decent for those who want 100 % achievement. It’s not overly difficult as I am currently 3 achievements shy from 100% game completion. 

I also enjoyed the game’s soundtrack which I found out through reading an article from soundwave-sound.com that the tracks aren’t original. The developer states in the article that it would be too expensive to hire a composer for the game, which is understandable for a small game developer. Strangely, this notion makes me happy because it’s a win-win situation for everyone. If I never played Strange Horticulture, I would have never discovered new music. You see, you don’t have to break the bank to find some enjoyment in life. Do you want to worry less? Here is a Worryless plant for you! That’s exactly what I got out of this game! 

P.S.

I thought of a funny joke while playing this game on how it can turn from relaxing into a horror game. Well, it’s quite simple, it involves putting a price tag on plants because as we know, inflation is currently quite high.

Note: I used the term plants* instead of flowers because they are the same to me–however scientifically it’s not the case.