Strange Antiquities

Strange Antiquities is a narrative puzzle game set in a shop in Undermere, a town on the edge of the world and the world beyond. As the apprentice thaumaturge, you run the shop while its proprietor, Eli White, is away, helping townsfolk find occult objects for their arcane needs. A sickness is spreading through the town, and you may have to stand against forces that threaten to unmake it.

Run the shop

Each day, customers arrive with unpredictable and often alarming needs. You examine, identify and catalogue strange artefacts, using observation, deduction and illustrated reference books. Mistakes can be costly, and when dealing with powerful items, you choose whether to help someone or curse them with an affliction. The townsfolk remember your misdeeds.

You also care for Jupiter, the shop’s cat, by giving him daily affection and the occasional scratch behind the ears.

Investigate Undermere

You sometimes leave the shop to investigate rumours or retrieve artefacts, guided by Eli’s hand-drawn maps. The shop itself holds puzzles and hidden secrets, and you uncover what lies within its walls as you work.

Ravens have appeared as an omen of the town’s sickness. Barton Potter’s bad eye is aching again, and a creeping darkness has taken hold in Jack Hungerford’s house. Eli is due to visit Ravenglass and consult the occult scholar Verona Green before leaving, while the forces threatening Undermere may call you to take a stand.

The town and its mysteries

Undermere is a serene town beside a grand lake, but it lies at the boundary between our world and the one beyond. You help preserve reality’s frayed edge while dealing with visitors who may not be what they seem and curiosities that are best left untouched.

The game tells a new story, though familiar faces and plants may appear. It takes place in the dark but welcoming world associated with Strange Horticulture.