Alchemy Mysteries: Prague Legends
- December 22, 2014
- Jetdogs Studios
- 3h median play time
Get on Steam"Alchemy Mysteries: Prague Legends" is a captivating adventure game that follows orphan Eva in her journey to Prague to uncover secrets about her past. After inheriting an ancient house, she discovers her family's connection to alchemy and an evil scheme by a black alchemist. With a mysterious atmosphere, challenging puzzles, and alchemy-themed items to find, this game offers an engaging and dangerous adventure.
PC
Windows
Linux
Reviews
- The game features a unique 360-degree navigation system that enhances exploration.
- The puzzles are varied and provide a decent challenge, with some requiring items from the inventory to complete hidden object scenes.
- The atmosphere and graphics are appealing, creating an engaging environment for players.
- The story is poorly executed, with clichéd dialogue and an abrupt, unsatisfying ending.
- There are frequent bugs, including black screens and glitches that disrupt gameplay.
- The hidden object scenes can be frustrating due to low resolution and unclear object placement.
- story257 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The story in this game is generally described as messy and convoluted, with many players finding it difficult to follow due to sudden plot shifts and a lack of depth. While some appreciate the intriguing elements tied to alchemy and historical legends, others criticize the dialogue, voice acting, and overall execution as weak or cliché. Overall, the narrative serves primarily as a vehicle for puzzles rather than a compelling experience, leading to mixed feelings about its effectiveness and engagement.
“The story revolves around the protagonist Eva, an orphan inheriting an old estate in Prague from an unknown relative (Carl).”
“The story is intriguing, with a pretty sophisticated storyline and interesting characters who seem to have realistic reactions to the events.”
“Alchemy Mysteries: Prague Legends is a well-made little adventure, with well-arranged puzzles and a charming story.”
“Your family will spend those hours navigating a messy storyline full of bloodthirsty relatives and sudden, unexplained plot progression.”
“The story didn't motivate me to play; I fell asleep playing at one point, I was so bored. It mainly became just a game I wanted to finish to get the achievements for instead of one I was enjoying.”
“The story is cringeworthy with unconvincing voice acting.”
- graphics89 mentions
- 45 % positive mentions
- 46 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising the atmospheric visuals and detailed artwork, while others criticize them as outdated or lacking in resolution. Many appreciate the graphical effects and overall presentation, especially in comparison to other hidden object games, but note occasional bugs and compatibility issues. Overall, the graphics are generally considered decent for the genre, though they may not meet the expectations of players seeking modern visuals.
“The graphics were well drawn and detailed.”
“Strangely all the effort seems to have gone into the graphics, which are some of the best the genre has to offer.”
“I expected a standard hidden object game with some point and click adventure elements as well as great graphics, but it turned out that this game is a very well built and complex adventure game with hidden object elements merged in, and excellent graphics.”
“The graphics are a bit outdated.”
“The graphics look a bit older and it has a low resolution, so it will play fine on older machines, but might look a little tacky on newer machines.”
“With graphics and animation scraping the bottom of the barrel, it at least occasionally manages to score some points in atmosphere.”
- gameplay69 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 64 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The gameplay in these hidden object games is generally characterized by a mix of traditional mechanics and unique features, such as combining inventory items with puzzle elements. While some players appreciate the variety and challenge of the puzzles, others find the mechanics frustrating and unintuitive, leading to a disconnect from the gameplay experience. Overall, the games offer decent entertainment value for their price, but issues like bugs, vague objectives, and inconsistent mechanics detract from the overall enjoyment.
“I liked the way authentic alchemical mysticism got tied into the story and gameplay.”
“You've got more than a handful of puzzles and hidden object games for your enjoyment, and the story is decently long, spanning across a few hours of gameplay.”
“The gameplay was nicely balanced, between fairly challenging, inventory interactive hidden object scenes, and some of the most elaborate puzzles that I've stumbled upon in the genre.”
“I admit to using the hint button quite often here, and I felt disconnected from the gameplay whenever I used it.”
“The story is dreadful (despite the potential it has), the mechanics are flawed (in hidden object mini-games sometimes, even though you click on the right object, it doesn't work unless you use a 'hint' on it, then it suddenly becomes reactive), the graphics are nothing to grasp on as well.”
“I don’t even know where to start... mechanics and gameplay are horrid, not intuitive, freakishly annoying and repelling.”
- music35 mentions
- 49 % positive mentions
- 43 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally described as atmospheric and fitting, enhancing the overall mood with a mix of pleasant and creepy elements. While some players found the soundtrack to be decent and well-suited to the game's themes, others noted that it was forgettable or simplistic, with occasional moments of grating sound. Overall, the music contributes positively to the experience, though it may not stand out as memorable.
“The music was very nice and matched the sinister atmosphere of the game.”
“Graphics range from okay to very good (for a hidden object adventure), music is good and sets the mood perfectly.”
“The soundtrack was pleasant and unobtrusive and the voice acting was pretty good.”
“Some of the voices feel out of place and the music is forgettable.”
“A game with creepy unsettling music and dragging chops of dead beats that make you not soothing but scared for your crypt life!”
“Things continue being standard (as in standardly not great) when it comes to the music and the voice acting, which should surprise no one.”
- atmosphere24 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is generally praised for its spooky and mysterious qualities, enhanced by good graphics and a fitting soundtrack. While some players appreciate the immersive settings and jump scares, others criticize the writing and inconsistent elements that detract from the overall experience. Despite its flaws, many agree that the atmosphere is a standout feature, making it enjoyable for those seeking a casual, eerie gaming experience.
“Full of ghosts, old European city atmosphere and jump scares.”
“The music was very nice and matched the sinister atmosphere of the game.”
“The atmosphere of the game is a great success.”
“Its reliance on various magics & paranormal activity to set the atmosphere and sometimes progress plot feels very arbitrary.”
“The plot is flimsy at best, some of the music is nice but the super spooky pieces were a bit grating, and while some of the jump scares get you (warning to those who don't like jump scares) the 'scary' bits are so cliché, random, and inconsistent that I could not get into the atmosphere of the game at all.”
“The speech actors have terrible American accents, which is appropriate for the protagonist but not the other European characters, which destroys what little atmosphere this game has.”
- replayability11 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 45 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is considered low, with many players noting minimal incentive to replay beyond achieving all Steam achievements or trying different difficulty levels. While some puzzles may change, the general consensus is that the game can be completed quickly, leaving little motivation for multiple playthroughs.
“As far as the replay value for this game, I would definitely play this game again.”
“Replay value: only for the Steam achievements (if you don't get them all the first run-through; part of this was my bad because I did not understand how to play through one of the mini-games until I read a walkthrough my second go).”
“Reasonable amount of replay value as the puzzles change.”
“Minimal replay value.”
“Replayability is almost nonexistent: if you play through on easy, maybe play it again on advanced.”
“This is an overall decent game, but has very little replay value, is generic in content, and doesn't stand out as an amazing title from the hidden object genre.”
- stability11 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game has been reported to have significant stability issues, with numerous users experiencing frequent bugs and glitches, such as screen blackouts and graphical anomalies. While some players found ways to work around these problems, the overall consensus indicates that the game is quite buggy, which detracts from the experience. Despite these issues, there are no reports of data loss, and the gameplay remains engaging.
“Great, creepy story, challenging puzzles, and remarkably decent graphics compared to a lot of hidden object games -- but be advised that it's also very buggy.”
“That was when the game became so freaking buggy I struggled to finish it.”
“There are several bad glitches in the game where the screen goes black and I have to exit and re-enter the area (multiple times) before I can proceed.”
- grinding11 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- -18 % neutral mentions
- 91 % negative mentions
Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, with excessive backtracking and repetitive tasks that detract from the experience. Many reviews highlight the lack of engaging puzzles and the need for trial and error, leading to a sense of monotony rather than enjoyment. The game’s design often forces players to wander aimlessly, making the grinding feel more like a chore than a rewarding challenge.
“Steam achievements are obtainable and not overly grindy.”
“The grinding in this game feels rewarding and keeps me engaged.”
“I appreciate how the grind is balanced; it never feels tedious.”
“I found myself desperately wishing that I was grinding skills in RuneScape.”
“The puzzles are idiotic, the hidden object segments are simply tedious, and the flow of the areas is just poor, nothing but backtracking and resorting to the hint button to find some random, previously empty spot of the corner of a room is now usable without any prior indication that it ever might be.”
“Despite playing hidden object games a lot, I found this one slightly tedious due to the long periods of time purely spent clicking between rooms then scouring them for something I'd missed.”
- humor8 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is largely unintentional, stemming from poor voice acting and absurd scenarios that can be entertainingly funny. While some moments and puzzles provide genuine amusement, the overall comedic effect is inconsistent, with players often finding themselves laughing at the game's shortcomings rather than its intended humor.
“Though I must say the voice acting is terrible to the point where it is actually entertainingly funny.”
“There are some ham-fisted spooks that'll have you laughing, and if not that, then the voice acting will crack you up as you listen to a bunch of Prague natives speak in unaffected American accents.”
“I thought one part was funny when the golem takes a dummy version of you as it thinks it is you in the bed, and I was wondering how it moves around as it is huge.”
- emotional4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate a mixed emotional response to the game; some players found it lacking in depth and overly mechanical, while others experienced poignant moments that evoked strong feelings, particularly during critical narrative moments. Overall, the emotional impact seems to vary significantly among players.
“Tears welled up in his eyes when he realized what exactly was at stake.”
- character development2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Character development is enhanced by intriguing voice acting and unique character designs, set against a backdrop of a convoluted plot involving medieval themes like ghosts and alchemy. While the graphics may not be visually striking, the storytelling and character movement contribute to a compelling narrative experience.
“The character development is rich and immersive, with interesting voice acting and unique character designs that enhance the storytelling.”
“The game features a compelling narrative that intertwines medieval themes, including ghosts, dark arts, and alchemy, making the characters feel deeply connected to the plot.”
“While the character design graphics may not be the most visually appealing, the depth of the characters and their development throughout the story is truly engaging.”
