Escape First Alchemist ⚗️
- March 2, 2023
- OnSkull Games
- 2h median play time
Get on Steam"Escape First: Alchemist" is a multiplayer first-person puzzle game where players, as apprentices of the alchemist Trismegistus, must find ingredients, discover potion recipes, and solve puzzles to escape the workshop. With up to four players, cooperate or compete to be the first to solve the puzzles and release your master from his self-inflicted prison. The game features a fully voice-acted Master and a variety of interactive puzzles.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features fun and engaging puzzles that are not overly complicated, making it enjoyable for both beginners and experienced players.
- Visually stunning graphics and a well-crafted atmosphere enhance the overall experience, immersing players in the alchemical world.
- The cooperative multiplayer mode adds a layer of excitement and teamwork, making it a great game to play with friends.
- The game is quite short, with most players completing it in under 3 hours, leading to concerns about its value for the price.
- Many players found the voice acting, particularly that of the narrator, to be annoying and detracting from the overall experience.
- There are several bugs and issues with the game's mechanics, including problems with saving progress and inventory management.
- graphics50 mentions
- 84 % positive mentions
- 10 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received widespread acclaim, with many users praising their beauty, detail, and immersive quality. Players noted that the visuals enhance the overall experience, contributing to a captivating atmosphere and engaging gameplay. Despite some minor gameplay issues, the stunning graphics stand out as a highlight, making the game visually appealing and enjoyable.
“The graphics are fantastic, the content is funny and imaginative, and the puzzles were challenging enough so as not to be infuriating.”
“The game's graphics were absolutely stunning, creating an immersive environment that truly transported me to a world of magic and alchemy.”
“Breathtaking graphics, smooth gameplay and oh my god the potions are fun.”
“As usual, game developers have a total disregard for people with disabilities; no captions, puzzles with audio clues, or graphics that are too dark.”
“The graphics look better than most big studio games.”
“If you want a simple, short puzzle game, this game has the visuals and different puzzles to keep you interested, though sadly it wasn't that hard.”
- gameplay35 mentions
- 34 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a unique potion crafting mechanic that adds depth to the puzzle-solving experience, though many players find the overall gameplay duration to be short, averaging around 2-4 hours. While the mechanics and puzzles are generally well-received for their creativity and fun factor, some users report bugs and frustrations with starting the game, as well as a lack of substantial new content for returning players. Overall, the game offers an enjoyable experience but may not justify its price for the amount of content provided.
“Some of the mechanics in this are fantastic and are a very interesting twist on puzzle games, in particular the potion mechanic.”
“Breathtaking graphics, smooth gameplay and oh my god the potions are fun.”
“Really fun game, the potions were a really nice new mechanic for escape games, really nice co-op experience too with hidden collectibles being shared across players and a shared inventory.”
“Unfortunately, it feels like any time you're starting to get invested in a particular mechanic or type of puzzle, it completely sidetracks into something else.”
“The graphics are gorgeous, but the gameplay is buggy, and having to constantly 'unstuck' myself was so annoying.”
“But considering $15 for 2 hours of gameplay, I would not recommend the experience.”
- story23 mentions
- 39 % positive mentions
- 48 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The game's story has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it engaging and well-crafted, while others felt it was underwhelming or lacking depth. Many appreciated the quirky narration and immersive elements, which complemented the fun and satisfying puzzles. Overall, while the story may not be the main draw for everyone, it adds an interesting layer to the gameplay experience.
“The game was super fun to play, had good level design, fun puzzles that were not too difficult, and an interesting story that kept me moving forward.”
“This game was a true gem, offering challenging puzzles, excellent graphics, and a well-crafted storyline that kept me hooked from start to finish.”
“The storyline in 'Escape First Alchemist' was well-crafted and kept me guessing until the very end.”
“The way the story ended was a little bit underwhelming, but I didn't mind at all because I wasn't really playing it for a satisfying story; I was much more interested in the satisfying puzzles, which did not disappoint.”
“Voice acting is not great and is something present in the game story, so that's a bummer.”
“Not all hardware can run this game, the ending is underwhelming, the narrator is annoying and unhelpful, and none of the story elements in the description are in the game's actual story.”
- humor20 mentions
- 90 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is polarizing, with some players enjoying the witty comments and clever references, while others find the narration and jokes to be amateurish and unfunny. Many appreciate the amusing interactions, particularly with potion mechanics, but criticize the inconsistent tone and reliance on dated memes. Overall, the humor can enhance the experience for some, but it may detract from the immersion for others, leading to mixed reactions.
“And the abundance of memes and references along the way were really funny too.”
“I liked the atmosphere in the game, the puzzles, and the funny comments from the talking book.”
“The graphics are fantastic, the content is funny and imaginative, and the puzzles were challenging enough so as not to be infuriating.”
“It sounded very amateur in terms of voice acting quality and was just generally unfunny.”
“I was so shocked at how terribly unfunny the game already was within minutes that I immediately quit, uninstalled, and asked for a refund.”
- atmosphere10 mentions
- 90 % positive mentions
- 10 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is consistently praised for its beautiful graphics, engaging environments, and humorous elements, such as the talking book. Players appreciate the combination of a well-crafted setting and enjoyable puzzles, which enhance the overall experience, especially in co-op mode. Overall, the game's atmosphere is described as immersive and visually stunning, contributing significantly to its appeal.
“It has a great atmosphere and environment, as well as great graphics.”
“Awesome atmosphere, beautiful surroundings, and challenging puzzles.”
“Really cool game with stunning visuals and nice atmosphere.”
- stability9 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The stability of the game has been widely criticized, with numerous players reporting significant bugs and glitches that disrupt gameplay, such as issues with achievements and inventory management. Many users have expressed frustration over having to restart frequently and deal with "unstuck" mechanics, indicating that the game's stability issues detract from the overall experience. Despite its appealing graphics and concept, the lack of updates since April 2023 has left many feeling that the game is not worth its price due to these persistent problems.
“This game is very buggy at the time of my writing (2024.01.08) and hasn't been updated since April 2023.”
“The graphics are gorgeous, but the gameplay is buggy and having to constantly 'unstuck' myself was so annoying.”
“I have redone sooooooo many tasks over and over due to glitches; I can't even get through the game.”
- optimization6 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has been widely criticized, with players experiencing significant lag spikes, poor performance even on high-end systems, and issues like microphone re-enabling. While the game shows potential, many feel it requires substantial optimization to improve the overall experience.
“This game could benefit from further optimization.”
“It's generally fun, but the performance could be significantly improved.”
“I wish the game was a little bit better optimized as I got pretty big lag spikes when turning around and walking.”
“Has a lot of potential, but it's very poorly optimized.”
“Performance is horrible; even with a high-end system, the game runs at 8 fps and the microphone keeps re-enabling itself, resulting in double voice.”
- replayability3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game has minimal replayability, as players report that once they complete the short playthrough and solve the puzzles, there is little incentive to play again. Overall, it is viewed as a one-time experience with no significant value for repeated play.
“No replay value combined with the short playthrough means I wouldn't want to spend much more than that.”
“Looks like no replay value, so this is a one-shot.”
“Seems like it's a single playthrough and replay value goes to zero once you have figured out all the puzzles.”
- music3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is highly praised, with users highlighting its ability to enhance the overall experience and create an immersive environment. The soundtrack is particularly noted for being standout, complemented by impressive sound effects.
“I enjoyed every minute through the music and the environment.”
“Sound effects and music are amazing, and the graphics are pretty good as well.”
“The soundtrack steals the show.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players express a desire for a more emotionally engaging experience, emphasizing the need for genuine worldbuilding that evokes a sense of magic and intrigue. They also suggest incorporating humor through quirky characters and scenarios, while critiquing the current narrative for feeling hollow and lacking meaningful resolution.
“The game world built a genuine mystical adventure that made me feel magical and intrigued to learn more.”
“I loved the emotional depth of the characters; their struggles and triumphs resonated with me on a personal level.”
“The narrative had moments that truly tugged at my heartstrings, making me reflect on my own experiences.”
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Users find the monetization approach to be minimal, with some noting that the ads are brief and less intrusive than expected, likening their duration to that of YouTube ads.
“I've seen YouTube ads longer than this.”
“The monetization system feels overly aggressive and intrusive.”
“It's frustrating how much content is locked behind paywalls.”
