Alchemist: The Potion Monger
- October 16, 2023
- Art Games Studio S.A.
Get on Steam
Get on Xbox Games Store"Alchemist: The Potion Monger" is a simulation puzzle and RPG game where you play as an apprentice alchemist in a world of anthropomorphic animals. Choose your character's race, brew potions with various tools, and sell them to residents to become wealthy. You can also use the potions yourself during your adventures for various benefits.
Reviews
- Engaging potion crafting system that encourages creativity and experimentation with various ingredients and effects.
- Charming graphics and a cute, comedic atmosphere enhanced by a witty narrator, making the game enjoyable and relaxing.
- Active developers who listen to community feedback and are committed to improving the game, with potential for future content updates.
- The game suffers from bugs and performance issues, particularly with quest interactions and saving mechanics tied to sleeping.
- World feels small and lacks content, leading to repetitive exploration and a limited number of activities outside of main quests.
- Combat mechanics are rudimentary and can feel unbalanced, detracting from the overall gameplay experience.
- story16 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 75 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's story is characterized by a mix of dark and creative quests, where players often face morally challenging tasks, such as transforming townsfolk into sheep. While the main narrative is minimal and unfolds later in the game, the quest design encourages creativity and offers multiple solutions, enhancing replayability. Players appreciate the engaging gameplay loop of exploration, potion crafting, and quest completion, though some express a desire for more substantial narrative content and improved quest mechanics.
“The game focuses on discovering new ingredients, using those to create potions, and then using those potions to solve quests and generate funds to then discover new ingredients and start the cycle over once again.”
“There is a narrator who makes comments about certain in-game events or plot moments, good addition with nice voice; it would be nice to have more of him.”
“A fun story and a genuinely interesting game :)”
“There's a bizarre level of cruelty to this game's quests which I find baffling.”
“There are only a few secondary quests and apart from that there are contracts, which are just crafting and delivering specific potions in a limited amount of in-game days.”
“No need to look for plot either, it's tiny and will be discovered in the latter half of the main quest.”
- gameplay12 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 75 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed feedback, with some users noting issues with fight and brewing mechanics, while others appreciate the balanced gameplay loop of exploration, crafting, and quest completion. Although the game offers a well-executed system for resource management and character customization, it has been criticized for its short tutorial and the potential for frustrating mechanics like farming. Overall, the experience is generally enjoyable, with minor bugs reported.
“The gameplay loop is decently well balanced with earnings and improvements balancing out well, and the flexibility of the manner in which to obtain aspects from multiple resources based on availability is an excellent, well-executed idea, especially in endgame when all tools are available for transmutations.”
“The current gameplay loop of exploration, experimentation, crafting, and quest completing plays very well and is quite enjoyable.”
“I always want a relaxing potion-making game with a mix of magical life sim and open world exploration without the dreadful farming mechanic.”
“Further fight mechanics do not function too well.”
“The brewing mechanics also did not seem to register well with my setup - I don't know whether it is an issue on my side or rough programming.”
“Functional but too short, plays out part of the tutorial that explains core mechanics and ends before letting players see the outside world.”
- graphics10 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 70 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's graphics are generally considered unpolished and low-poly, with environments that are better appreciated from a distance. While some players find the cozy art style and attention to detail in the UI and menus enjoyable, others note that the overall aesthetic is unimpressive and may struggle on middle to low-end hardware. Despite mixed opinions, the unique combination of graphics and gameplay elements contributes to a distinct experience.
“I kinda love this game; the combination of the cozy graphics, freeform puzzles, and tonal whiplash make it a very unique experience.”
“The art style is excellent, giving the game a distinct look and feel that is quite enjoyable.”
“A lot of attention to detail has been put into the UI and the artwork of the menus, and it shines through.”
“The graphics of this game are nothing to write home about; the environments are done well and can be enjoyed from a distance, but overall it's pretty low-poly.”
“Middle and low-end hardware may struggle; reducing graphics quality helps.”
“There is no reason for the graphics to be this simplistic apart from aesthetics.”
- stability4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The game's stability is generally mixed, with some users reporting occasional bugs typical of early access titles, while others experience minimal issues. Developers are noted for their responsiveness in addressing these bugs, although some players have encountered frustrating soft-locks that can result in minor progress loss. Overall, while there are stability concerns, many find the gameplay largely functional.
“My gameplay has been nearly bug-free, save for one bug that caused me to lose some progress—maybe 5 to 10 minutes tops—due to the game soft-locking in a menu.”
“The game runs smoothly without any major crashes or glitches, making for a very enjoyable experience.”
“I've experienced consistent performance throughout my playtime, which really enhances the overall immersion.”
“A bit buggy sometimes, but it is early access and the devs are good at addressing said bugs fairly quickly.”
“Buggy, unfinished Unity game that feels incomplete.”
“While it can feel a little buggy from time to time, you quickly learn how to draw the symbols needed to complete the challenges.”
- optimization4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 75 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game appears to be inconsistent, with some users reporting worse performance in the full version compared to the demo, while others praise it for running smoothly without any issues. Overall, opinions on optimization vary significantly among players.
“Performance in the full game is worse than in the demo.”
“Performance: 10/10”
“No performance issues to speak of, and the game runs very well.”
“Performance in the full game is worse than in the demo.”
“Performance:”
- grinding3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players appreciate the grinding aspect of the game, noting that while it includes material gathering and farming, it is not overly burdensome and offers multiple quest completion methods that enhance replay value. The potion brewing system is well-designed, with features like auto brewing that contribute to a more enjoyable experience.
“I always want a relaxing potion-making game with a mix of magical life simulation and open world exploration without the dreadful farming mechanic.”
“There are multiple ways to complete quests which add to replay value, but the grinding can become tedious over time.”
“While the alchemy system is intricate and well thought out, the constant material gathering feels more like a chore than an enjoyable aspect of the game.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players appreciate the game's replayability due to the multiple quest completion methods, which encourage varied playthroughs. Additionally, the manageable grinding aspect enhances the overall experience, making it less tedious.
“The game lacks meaningful choices, making replayability feel pointless.”
“Once you've seen the story, there's little incentive to play again.”
“The limited variety in gameplay mechanics makes it hard to stay engaged after the first playthrough.”
- music1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally well-received, featuring a limited number of tracks that are enjoyable and not intrusive.
“The music is great; there are just a few tracks, but they are enjoyable and not annoying.”
“The soundtrack enhances the overall experience, creating an immersive atmosphere.”
“I love the variety in the music; it perfectly complements the gameplay and keeps me engaged.”
