Pharmakon
- June 10, 2015
- Visumeca Games
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io StoreUse your drone to lead tactical combat against elemental beasts infesting your faction. Assess the risks, coordinate attacks, optimize your equipment and become the agent who will put an end to the infestation!
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features an interesting mashup of Tetris mechanics and tactical gameplay, requiring strategic planning to optimize attacks.
- The retro-futuristic atmosphere, along with the music and art style, creates a unique and engaging experience.
- Some players found the puzzle aspects enjoyable and appreciated the challenge of managing elemental damage and positioning.
- The game suffers from poor design and programming issues, including unsolvable puzzles and bugs that hinder gameplay.
- Many players found the combat repetitive and lacking in depth, with limited mechanics and a lack of meaningful progression.
- The randomization of encounters can lead to frustrating situations, and the lack of penalties for failure diminishes the challenge.
- gameplay8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The gameplay is criticized for its complexity and limitations, featuring a frustrating rage mechanic that restricts damage options and leads to random, often unwinnable battles. Players also find the repetitive tasks of repairing and managing pieces tedious, detracting from the overall experience. While the core mechanics involve strategic tile placement and elemental considerations, many feel it lacks the depth and variety found in similar games, leaving them disappointed.
“Third, the core gameplay consists of placing Tetris tiles inside a 'cube' as much as you can fit, then selecting enemies for attacks while considering their elements.”
“Take Heroes of Might and Magic as an example: you manage unit positioning, elemental interactions, turns, and initiative, but in Heroes, this is just something you do alongside the real gameplay.”
“Gosh, even the tutorial levels of Netstorm provide more variety and fun, both in terms of Tetris mechanics and from a gameplay perspective.”
“This is complicated by the rage mechanic, which means you can only indirectly damage each beast twice before it attacks you anyway.”
“Very limited mechanics; battles are random, which can result in you being dealt impossible-to-win situations.”
“Furthermore, the player needs to tend to a lot of repetitive mechanical tedium (repairing and putting pieces back), which gets old fast.”
- story5 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The story is primarily text-based and slow-paced, with a focus on a mission to eliminate enemies on an island, making the plot feel secondary and somewhat inconsequential. While some players appreciate the retro-futuristic atmosphere created by the art and music, others find the story and graphics lacking in quality.
“The story is text-based and slow.”
“And the plot is secondary, so it's sort of pointless to pick at it.”
“I personally didn't like the story and graphics as well; they look cheap.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
While the game offers interesting and innovative mechanics with randomized elements that can initially challenge players, many reviewers feel that the overall replayability is limited. Once players master the strategies, the game becomes relatively easy, reducing the incentive to replay.
“The game offers a unique experience with each playthrough, thanks to its randomized elements and strategic depth, making it engaging to optimize your approach.”
“With a variety of starting elements and diverse enemies, every session feels fresh, encouraging players to experiment with different strategies.”
“The innovative mechanics and randomization keep players coming back for more, as there's always a new strategy to explore and master.”
- graphics1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The graphics have been criticized for appearing cheap and unappealing, contributing to an overall negative impression of the game's visual presentation.
“I personally didn't like the story and graphics; they look cheap.”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere is characterized by a pleasant mood, enhanced by retro-futuristic art, resonant music, and a compelling story, despite some clunky animations.
“The overall mood is pretty nice; the art, despite a few clunky animations, the music, and the story resonated with me, creating a cool, retro-futuristic atmosphere.”
- music1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The music contributes to a cool, retro-futuristic atmosphere that resonates well with players, enhancing the overall mood of the game despite some clunky animations.
