Alchemy Stars

About

Alchemy Stars is a single player tactical role playing game with a fantasy theme. It was developed by Tencent Games and was released on June 17, 2021. It received positive reviews from players.

Alchemy Stars is a revolutionary line strategy RPG with an interesting plot, compelling graphics, and wonderful music. Its engaging gameplay and wholesome story make it a must-play, but be prepared for some grinding and occasional bugs. Overall, it offers a great experience for fans of the genre.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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88%

Audience ScoreBased on 10,079 reviews

gameplay1.3k positive mentions

grinding277 negative mentions

gameplay
2,082 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
61%
37%
2%
The gameplay of this game is widely praised for its unique mechanics, combining strategic tile-matching with turn-based combat, which many players find refreshing compared to traditional gacha games. While the graphics and character designs are also highlighted as strong points, some users note issues with repetitiveness and RNG elements that can affect the overall experience. Despite these concerns, the game is generally considered engaging and fun, with a generous gacha system that supports free-to-play players.
- “The gameplay is unique and very engaging, and it's really f2p if you wait and search online for infos, etc... it is sad than the game doesn't have the credit it deserves!”
- “The gameplay is fun and strategic, allowing for a lot of strategy and planning, with multiple ways to beat any stage.”
- “The gameplay is surprisingly fun, with a unique tile connecting mechanic that adds depth and strategy to the game.”
- “The game still feels laggy and unresponsive outside of gameplay; it's a chore to read the story, and the cloud garden is horribly optimized.”
- “Gameplay is decent but extremely repetitive and rng gated.”
- “The gameplay might not be for everyone, but I find it quite enjoyable.”
story
1,616 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
63%
35%
2%
The game's story is generally well-received, with many players praising its engaging narrative, character development, and rich world-building. While some find the pacing slow or the translation lacking, the overall plot and character interactions are described as captivating and immersive, often drawing players into the game's universe. However, there are criticisms regarding the grind required to progress through the story and the lack of a skip feature for repetitive missions, which can detract from the enjoyment of the narrative experience.
- “Outstanding game with interesting story and characters with very well developed personalities, caught me off guard.”
- “Moreover the story is really great both main and events, the characters are lovable.”
- “The story is immersive, the characters and their stories are interesting, and don't feel copy and pasted.”
- “I can't enjoy the story due to time-consuming grinding.”
- “The game seems like it could be fun and shows a lot of potential, but after so long, it baffles me that it still lags on a story that's just text with a PNG in the background.”
- “The AI used for auto is very dumb, and the story is very boring and cliché, with terrible pacing.”
graphics
859 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
77%
22%
1%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their beauty, vibrant art style, and high-quality character designs, contributing to an engaging visual experience. However, many players report performance issues, including lag and graphical distortions, particularly on lower-end devices or during specific game features like the Cloud Garden. Overall, while the visuals are considered stunning and well-executed, there is a strong desire for improved optimization and customizable graphic settings to enhance gameplay performance.
- “The graphics are stunning and the story is engaging.”
- “The art style is beautiful!”
- “Graphics are top notch and story wise it has good dialogs and plots, was honestly surprised.”
- “Edit: I just unlocked Cloud Garden and it is hella laggy; maybe the devs can add advanced settings for graphics to reduce the lag.”
- “The UI is painful to look at with the text being blurry, which would be fixed by upping the graphics, which would in turn cause performance issues that are also present on the lowest settings.”
- “New feature Cloud Garden, I can't play at all on my device (Oppo A12); that feature really needs a high graphic phone to play it. Common guys, fix it or lower the requirements for Cloud Garden.”
character development
328 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
78%
21%
1%
Character development in the game is highly praised, with many reviewers highlighting the exceptional character designs, unique backstories, and engaging lore that enhance the overall experience. Players appreciate the diversity and creativity in character aesthetics, often noting that each character feels distinct and well-crafted, contributing to a rich narrative. Overall, the combination of beautiful artwork, compelling stories, and meaningful character interactions makes character development a standout feature of the game.
- “The character designs are gorgeous, the main story is good and the gacha is pretty generous too.”
- “The character designs and story are outstanding and only improve as more is revealed.”
- “The character design is great, and the lore is wonderful.”
- “Story: I try so hard to go through the early story, I fell asleep in the middle of the story, too much words to read, great way to make me sleepy when I am in insomnia, no voice acting, a lot of cringe lines. The world's setup story is ok-ish; character design: I really love the art, but other than that, the character's personalities aren't supported by anything. We players can feel the dev's attitude and intention through what they put in the game.”
- “Only played because there's seems like a lot of unique character design, sadly only the weeb material that's viable for use while the interesting ones are only there to exist.”
- “My only complaint is the character design of certain heroes.”
music
313 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
32%
1%
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many players praising its quality, emotional depth, and ability to enhance the overall gaming experience. While the soundtrack is often described as beautiful and immersive, some users noted that the battle music could be less engaging, particularly during boss fights. Overall, the combination of stunning visuals and a captivating soundtrack contributes significantly to the game's appeal, making it a standout in the gacha genre.
- “The art is absolutely gorgeous, the music is extremely soulful and fitting, and the story and interactions with characters are so great that I don't even care about the gacha part anymore.”
- “The music is truly sublime, creating an immersive and emotional atmosphere that perfectly complements the gameplay.”
- “Beautiful character designs and art, amazing music and an engaging story make this game worth a download.”
- “The music is somewhat ok, because the battle music is really meh (even when you fight a boss, the music makes it look like an ordinary enemy) but outside of that is good.”
- “Gameplay is nice and characters look cool, but the game feels lifeless; when I started playing it was just so boring reading text and the music is so drab.”
- “Overall rating: 2/5 /// graphics: 3/5 --- music: 2/5 --- gameplay: 3/5 --- content: 2/5 --- micro-transactions: 1/5”
grinding
284 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
2%
98%
The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it excessively time-consuming and tedious, particularly due to the lack of a skip or sweep function for farming materials. While some appreciate the auto-battle feature, they often criticize its inefficiency and the slow pace of progression, leading to frustration, especially for those with limited playtime. Overall, while the game offers enjoyable mechanics and visuals, the grinding experience can detract significantly from the overall enjoyment.
- “Simple and easy grind yet not tedious.”
- “Difficulty level is just nice, not too grindy, good gameplay and had an interesting story.”
- “Story is also nice and expanding, dailies are fast and not tedious to do.”
- “I can't enjoy the story due to time-consuming grinding.”
- “The material farming is too soul-sucking because the consumption is too much and just training one aurorian takes ages to max out everything.”
- “But I agree with others that the grind combined with the slow auto combat makes progression really tedious.”
optimization
117 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
62%
17%
Overall, the game's optimization is a significant concern among users, with many reporting laggy performance, particularly in the "cloud gardens" mode, and unresponsive menus. While some recent updates have improved performance, players still experience issues such as stuttering, low frame rates, and high resource consumption, even on high-end devices. There is a strong demand for further optimization to enhance user experience and make the game more accessible on lower-end devices.
- “I'm hoping that there will be more optimization in a few content like smoother loading and processing.”
- “Edit: after the recent update, suddenly the performance has become a lot better and less stuttering and laggy UI.”
- “New optimization is best.”
- “Unfortunately, the game needs a lot of optimization, especially for the new mode Cloud Gardens.”
- “Good game but very badly optimized; menus are not very snappy, and story portions and gacha animations are very laggy at random times, and I mean very, like 10 fps.”
- “Gameplay is interesting with a lot of potential, but quality of life issues such as bad technical performance even on top spec phones really makes it hard to recommend this game.”
monetization
50 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
24%
42%
34%
The monetization in the game is generally viewed as fair and "free-to-play" friendly, with no intrusive ads and a focus on cosmetic purchases rather than essential gameplay elements. While many players appreciate the generous rewards and the ability to progress without spending money, some express concerns about predatory practices and the potential for high costs associated with in-app purchases. Overall, the game strikes a balance between monetization and player experience, though some users have reported issues with transactions and account management.
- “On top of that, the gameplay is both fun and challenging, and the monetization is done pretty well!”
- “Sure it is a gacha and has microtransactions, but surprisingly it is relatively easy to get new characters, the rewards for doing stages and missions are generous and they do not really force the cash shop in your face every time you play the game.”
- “Monetization is surprisingly reasonable and the game can be played free-to-play.”
- “What a cash grab game, the draw rate is a trap and lies, spend so much just for PS5 and go nuts, I had uninstalled it, waste of my money and time.”
- “An absolute joke of a cash grab.”
- “Very predatory monetization, very similar to EA, the in-game shop even shows x% off but the prices were always the same; in some countries that is illegal. Every new event, the game pass thing gets forced down your throat by showing how much you miss out.”
humor
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
93%
7%
The game is praised for its clever balance of humor and drama, with many players enjoying the funny dialogues and character interactions that often break the fourth wall. Users appreciate the lighthearted storytelling and humorous elements, although some express a desire for more varied comedic content in future updates. Overall, the humor adds a delightful layer to the engaging narrative and character designs, making the experience enjoyable despite some gameplay frustrations.
- “Even without the fight aspect, the game is very good when managing the colossal, getting new characters and even interacting with them, and many of them have really funny and nice stories and dialogues with you as the protagonist and as the real player 'breaking the 4th wall.'”
- “The fact that they will mock/demand/tell you to go to bed when you're playing late is funny.”
- “I love the story and the dialogues are hilarious.”
- “The game is good, but you run out of stamina so incredibly fast that it's not funny to play anymore. You can either farm to level up your characters, farm for gold, or farm for pieces to upgrade the colossus, or do story missions. Forget about doing all that in the same day.”
- “The storytelling style is chilled and bright; I often find myself laughing over unfunny jokes that are so ridiculous that they become funny.”
stability
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is a significant concern among users, with frequent freezes and crashes reported, particularly when accessing certain features like the friend menu or during gameplay. Many players experience bugs that hinder their ability to exit the game properly or cause the screen to freeze entirely, especially after recent updates. While the game is praised for its fun elements, the overall performance issues detract from the experience, leading to frustration and dissatisfaction.
- “But the game is too buggy for me; first, I can't exit the game properly. I have to go to my phone's homepage and remove the app from the app manager.”
- “When entering the game, my screen just freezes and crashes.”
- “Having issues with the friend menu; it freezes the whole game when I click on it.”
emotional
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express a strong emotional connection to the game's characters and storyline, highlighting the unique designs, wholesome interactions, and nostalgic moments that evoke deep feelings. The beautiful artwork and immersive music further enhance the emotional atmosphere, making players feel invested in the narrative and characters. Despite some gameplay frustrations, the overall emotional experience is described as heartwarming and engaging.
- “I have become emotionally invested in its characters.”
- “The game has an emotional storyline and beautiful artwork.”
- “I loved the special anniversary scene; it really made me feel nostalgic about the past events (even the ones I haven't personally experienced, I just watched the scenes) and I felt the love from the characters (and developers) to navigator (us).”
atmosphere
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
89%
33%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its stunning art and immersive music, which together create a cohesive and engaging experience. Reviewers highlight the unique design and emotional depth of the atmosphere, noting it as one of the game's strongest aspects, despite some comparisons to other titles in terms of graphics and storyline. Overall, the combination of visual and auditory elements contributes significantly to the game's appeal.
- “The music is truly sublime, creating an immersive and emotional atmosphere that perfectly complements the gameplay.”
- “The illustrations are quite good and the general atmosphere of the game is one of its strong suits.”
- “Art 5/5 - stunning, cohesive, tasteful music 4/5 - atmospheric, immersive story 4/5 - fun and engaging.”
- “The atmosphere feels flat and uninspired, lacking the depth and immersion I was hoping for.”
- “Despite the game's potential, the overall ambiance is dull and fails to engage the player.”
- “The environment feels lifeless, making it hard to get lost in the world.”
replayability
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
60%
The game offers high replayability due to its engaging interactive events that cater to both casual and hardcore players, allowing for diverse strategies and experiences. Players appreciate the flexibility and the non-automated elements that enhance gameplay variety. Overall, the game is designed to remain enjoyable across multiple playthroughs.
- “It has great interactive events with different player skill levels, making it enjoyable for both casual and hardcore players.”
- “This game offers a lot of flexibility and strategic options, resulting in high replayability.”
- “The game is not completely automated, which enhances its playability.”
- “I hope this game can be more replayable.”
- “This makes for a really flexible experience, offering a variety of strategies with high replayability.”
- “Not completely automated, which makes it more engaging to play.”