Strange Antiquities Review: The Perfect Spooky Season Companion
Summary
Strange Antiquities is a cosy, cleverly designed puzzle-adventure from Bad Viking that casts you as a thaumaturge’s apprentice running an occult antiquities shop in the moody town of Undermere. Much like its 2022 predecessor Strange Horticulture, the game centres on deduction: examine items, consult reference tomes, weigh evidence and match curios to customers’ cryptic requests. Outside the shop you’ll follow riddles on town maps to unearth new artefacts, and your choices carry narrative weight, leading to multiple endings. The atmosphere, tactile investigation and rewarding puzzle loop make it a perfect fit for autumn evenings. The reviewer’s verdict: 9/10 — Exceptional.
Key Points
- Play takes place mainly in a single, richly detailed shop where you inspect, test and identify occult items for customers.
- Puzzle tools include reference books, scales, direct interaction with objects and a hint system if needed.
- Map-based exploration and riddle-solving expand the catalogue of artefacts and add variety to the core loop.
- Choices influence story threads and there are multiple endings, giving decisions real narrative impact.
- The tone is wonderfully eerie and intimate, though the formula can feel repetitive to some players.
- Release: 17 September 2025 on Nintendo Switch and PC (reviewed on Nintendo Switch 2).
Why should I read this?
Fancy a cosy, spooky puzzle game that actually rewards curiosity? This review tells you whether Strange Antiquities is worth your autumn evenings — short, punchy and honest. If you like tactile detective-style puzzles with atmosphere and a bit of moral heft (plus a cat called Jupiter, Destroyer of Souls), this one’s a strong bet.
Context and relevance
Strange Antiquities slots neatly into the current appetite for small, narrative-led indie experiences that prioritise atmosphere and player-led discovery. Its approachable but rich puzzle design follows a trend favouring tactile investigation over fast action, appealing to players who enjoyed Strange Horticulture, Botany Manor or Potion Craft. The game’s release this autumn makes it especially timely for anyone after a moody, slower-paced title to play during the darker evenings.
