Artificer: Science of Magic
- September 10, 2020
- Psilocybe Games
- 6h median play time
Get on Steam"Artificer: Science of Magic" is a single-player survival RPG set on the alien planet of Alcor, where players assume the role of a marooned science officer named Raymond Everett. The game emphasizes researching and practicing arcane arts to create magic, spells, and artifacts, while surviving against deadly creatures, bizarre plants, and eldritch beings. Exploration and stealing arcane secrets from alien races are encouraged to advance mystical knowledge and power.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features a unique concept that combines science and magic, allowing players to explore and experiment in an alien world.
- The artwork and soundtrack create an immersive atmosphere that enhances the overall experience.
- The research mechanics, particularly the monster autopsy feature, are engaging and add depth to the gameplay.
- The game suffers from poor design choices, including a lack of clear guidance and frustrating progression mechanics that can leave players feeling lost.
- Combat and crafting systems are overly simplistic and tedious, reducing the overall enjoyment of gameplay.
- The game is plagued by bugs and technical issues, which can hinder the experience and lead to frustration.
- gameplay46 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 74 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
Gameplay is characterized by a mix of innovative mechanics and frustrating execution, with some players appreciating the clever elements like xeno-fauna autopsies while others criticize the grindy and poorly implemented fight mechanics. The core loop involves exploration, scavenging, and research, but many find the experience disjointed and repetitive, lacking depth and coherence. Overall, while the game has a unique concept and some enjoyable aspects, it suffers from technical issues and a lack of content that detracts from the overall experience.
“Some of the mechanics are clever, like the xeno-fauna autopsies.”
“Don't be fooled by the superficial similarities to Don't Starve; this isn't an open-ended base-building survival-crafting game; it's a narrative puzzle-adventure with a mix of interesting and innovative survival-crafting mechanics.”
“The core gameplay loop can be boiled down to exploring the alien planet, scavenging sources for materials, researching tech that allows you to use those materials, and then advancing to the next tier using your newly acquired knowledge.”
“Other mechanics are straight up boring and grindy, and I question how much time the devs spent playtesting and getting honest feedback from players before deploying this game.”
“It's like there was this grand idea with some mechanics around it... and then the dev forgot that you actually have to make a coherent game around it.”
“I really want to like this game, but it's just kind of disjointed, like there are so many mechanics that just aren't explored as much as they should be.”
- music24 mentions
- 42 % positive mentions
- 46 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its quality and ability to enhance the immersive, alien atmosphere, with specific tracks effectively matching different areas and events. While some players noted that the soundtrack can become repetitive and occasionally gets drowned out by environmental sounds, the overall consensus is that the music significantly contributes to the game's appeal. However, a few players expressed indifference or lack of strong opinions about the music.
“Beautiful music and fascinating, alien looks make me feel I am really stranded on this foreign world.”
“The most consistent aspect of the game I enjoyed was the music.”
“I hadn’t found a track that seemed out of place, and the songs are built with quality that contribute to the overall immersion of the game.”
“As you walk through the marsh biome, it sounded like there were a couple hundred mobs walking towards me - it really drowns out the backing soundtrack and overall is pretty loud.”
“The music is okay; I don't know much about music to make an opinion about it.”
“I never play with the music on, so I can't speak on that.”
- story22 mentions
- 18 % positive mentions
- 68 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The game's story is described as original and interesting, presenting players with engaging situations to resolve, though it can feel simplistic and leaves some loose ends. Players have reported frustrations with progression due to bugs and unclear objectives, leading to a sense of disappointment when the narrative abruptly concludes after unlocking everything. Overall, while the story has its merits, it may not satisfy those seeking a more open-ended experience.
“The story is interesting and addictive.”
“The story quickly presents the player with a situation they have to figure out how to resolve.”
“In 'Artificer: Science of Magic', you play as an uncustomizable character sent on a mission as the second team to explore a planet called Alcor that shows readings of life.”
“There are several story elements that I will wonder about forever if the game is not updated.”
“Having a small story at the end that just ties off some loose ends isn't really a decent ending.”
“You're also likely to be disappointed that the game kinda just stops once you've 'unlocked everything', because it's telling a story rather than being an open-ended 'see how long you can last' type of game.”
- grinding12 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, particularly due to the cumbersome crafting system that requires dragging items individually for each potion, leading to a lack of meaningful rewards for the time invested. The trial and error mechanics in alchemy are heavily penalized, discouraging experimentation and making the overall experience feel overly grindy. While some players appreciate the community support and the game's magical theme, the grind-heavy mechanics detract from the enjoyment for many.
“Other mechanics are straight up boring and grindy, and I question how much time the devs spent playtesting and getting honest feedback from players before deploying this game.”
“It is very grindy, especially the trial and error dissection and alchemy minigames.”
“Very little is explained, and you're discouraged from experimentation because the crafting system is so tedious.”
- graphics8 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The graphics are generally praised for their decent artwork and unique art style, which effectively contribute to a fitting, alien atmosphere. Players find the visuals fabulous for the game's genre, enhancing the overall experience as they engage in mini-games and recipe discovery.
“Decent artwork and awesome OST create a fitting, weird, alien atmosphere.”
“For this type of game, the graphics are fabulous!”
“The art style is okay and you'll be discovering recipes while working on mini-games to research monster parts after you've killed them.”
- stability8 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant stability issues, including numerous bugs that hinder gameplay, such as unresponsive event triggers and disappearing bosses. While some players report minor glitches that are quickly resolved with community support, the overall experience is marred by a flawed crafting system and persistent technical problems.
“This game is very buggy and there are some things that are not explained well. There is a specific crafting system in this game called enchantment that is absolutely flawed in many ways. If it takes me 2 hours to craft one item despite having every material for it, and that item being one of the base items of this crafting system, there is a large problem.”
“Buggy as hell, can't complete the initial sequence. When the character enters the launch pad, there is no event trigger, you can't leave the room and can only walk around in it, forever.”
“- Still buggy, two of the bosses disappeared mid-fight and I had to delete various files in my save to respawn them.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The atmosphere is characterized by decent artwork and an impressive original soundtrack, which together create a fittingly strange and alien environment that enhances the overall experience.
“The decent artwork and awesome original soundtrack create a fitting, weird, alien atmosphere.”
“Decent artwork and an awesome OST create a fitting, weird, alien atmosphere.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviews highlight the game's emotional depth, emphasizing the nuanced experiences that contribute to a heartfelt appreciation of its themes and storytelling. Players find that the emotional resonance enhances their overall enjoyment and connection to the game.
“This is a heartfelt review as there are many nuances involved with enjoying and appreciating what this game is all about.”
