Potion Tycoon
- October 4, 2024
- Snowhound Games
- 18h median play time
Get on SteamJOIN OUR DISCORD About the Game Raise your very own potion shop in this witchin’ management simulator: Create & design potions, manage their production and sell them to rich wizards, humble guards and other folks in need. Try out new recipes, expand your business and become a tycoon of the potion industry in the Magical Lands!Features Build and grow your own potion shop Manage productio…
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Engaging management sim with a charming aesthetic and fun potion crafting mechanics.
- Offers a variety of customization options for potions and shop design, allowing for creative expression.
- The game has a solid foundation and potential for future updates, with active developer support.
- Frequent crashes and bugs make the game frustrating and unplayable for some users.
- The tutorial is overwhelming and poorly designed, leading to confusion about game mechanics.
- Limited space for expansion and poor task prioritization for workers hinder effective management.
- gameplay108 mentions
- 28 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Potion Tycoon" features engaging mechanics centered around potion crafting and shop management, offering a blend of challenge and creativity. However, players have noted significant bugs, a steep learning curve, and a repetitive late-game experience that can detract from enjoyment. While the core mechanics are well-designed, many feel that the game requires further polish and quality-of-life improvements to enhance the overall experience.
“The gameplay involves carefully balancing production, ingredient sourcing, and shop upgrades to keep up with the competition and grow the business.”
“With its easy-to-learn mechanics but challenging resource management and crafting system, 'Potion Tycoon' offers hours of engaging gameplay.”
“The interactions with VIP customers and special events add layers to the gameplay, offering replay value and unique challenges.”
“When you need to completely overhaul your entire potion offerings every hour of gameplay, you will then spend most of your time clicking the UI to do this, just because the game is not able to do the normal thing which is to just use any available machine.”
“After making it through the very, very, very in-depth tutorial and surviving the bombardment of all the mechanics the game has to offer, I felt like having less idea what to do than before.”
“That's harsh, but it's hard to tolerate a title that doesn't respect my time with a bedrock of gameplay that just doesn't work to begin with.”
- graphics66 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 62 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their vibrant, hand-drawn 2D art style that beautifully complements the magical setting of a potion shop. Reviewers highlight the charming visuals and whimsical designs, which enhance the overall experience and immersion in the game. While the aesthetics are a standout feature, some players note that the gameplay may not fully meet expectations despite the appealing graphics.
“The hand-drawn graphics in this game are absolutely stunning.”
“The charming 2D art style brings the magical world of potion-making to life with vibrant colors and whimsical designs.”
“Its charming hand-drawn visuals and strategic depth make it a standout choice for fans of tycoon games.”
“This is a decent idea with cute graphics that unfortunately does not deliver in the gameplay area.”
“I think the issue is that a lot of people forget that behind the cute aesthetics of this game lies the complexity of a full city management simulator.”
“In general, it feels like a very mature management game with decent graphics that are well suited.”
- story44 mentions
- 7 % positive mentions
- 84 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The story of "Potion Tycoon" is set in a whimsical, magical world centered around potion-making, but it suffers from a lack of depth and engaging narrative. Players find the plot boring and the quest system overwhelming, with frequent requests that often feel unmanageable and unrewarding, leading to frustration rather than enjoyment. Despite the potential for interesting character interactions, the execution leaves much to be desired, with many quests feeling tedious and poorly balanced.
“Set in a whimsical, magical world, 'Potion Tycoon' focuses on the business of potion-making.”
“Not only did I finish all the in-game quests in 26 hours, I also completed 100% of the Steam achievements, something that I have done with literally zero other games.”
“And you will need these character quests in order to ensure that more customers come to your store and actually make your shop profitable.”
“I didn't even reach the end of the 'main' quest before the game became unplayable due to the bugs.”
“Good enough for 20-30 hours, but the plot is so boring.”
“A lot of the quests early on aren't possible to complete, yet they keep bombarding you with requests that'll punish you if you fail, and sometimes you can't really refuse even if you can't afford the penalty.”
- stability30 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game is plagued by numerous bugs and stability issues, making it nearly unplayable at launch. Players report significant problems with the tutorial, UI navigation, and core mechanics, leading many to seek refunds. While the underlying mechanics show promise, the lack of polish and persistent glitches hinder overall enjoyment and progression.
“Some really obvious bugs made it into the final release, not to speak of the messy and oftentimes buggy tutorial that doesn’t teach you about basic game functions. There’s just no polish to it; everything technically works but it’s not quite right.”
“The game is buggy and unplayable on release; most people are unable to progress at all.”
“This game needs a lot of work; I have refunded it for now because I just can't deal with how buggy even the tutorial is.”
- music18 mentions
- 44 % positive mentions
- 39 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally praised for its charm and catchiness, with some users noting its pleasant, calming qualities reminiscent of Harry Potter. However, there are criticisms regarding the limited variety, as many players expressed disappointment over having only one looping background track throughout the game. Overall, while the soundtrack enhances the ambiance, the lack of diversity in music may detract from the experience for some players.
“The calming background music adds to the ambiance.”
“I love indie games and this game has a really amazing art style, a very nice and easy to navigate interface, and some really pleasant, Harry Potter-ish music that I really enjoyed.”
“The background music is amazing and the graphics are fun; I like the feel of the game and will be playing this for a long time!”
“Why is there only one looping background music track for the entire game?”
“The soundtrack is really catchy, but it gets repetitive quickly.”
“I was very interested based on genre, art style, and music, but the music didn't live up to my expectations.”
- replayability12 mentions
- 8 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The game offers high replayability due to its engaging basic loop, complex brewing system, and opportunities for creative experimentation through potion crafting and shop upgrades. The introduction of a custom game mode and dynamic events enhances the experience, providing varied gameplay and unique challenges, although the reliance on random events can lead to inconsistent experiences. Overall, fans of management simulations will find plenty to enjoy and explore.
“The game’s dynamic systems and potential for creative experimentation ensure replayability, and fans of management simulations will find it both entertaining and fulfilling.”
“The progression is driven by random events, which keeps the replay value high but also creates an inconsistent experience when things are too heavily skewed in one direction.”
“The basic game loop is fun and satisfying, the brewing system is complex enough to get creative, the overall look of the game is very cute, and the new custom game mode gives it some replayability.”
“The interactions with VIP customers and special events add layers to the gameplay, offering replay value and unique challenges.”
- optimization8 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The game's optimization issues stem primarily from its programming rather than gameplay mechanics, with players noting that significant production line improvements are unlocked too late in the game. While there are no major bugs or crashes reported, the game, still in early access, requires further enhancements in placement and commodity features to improve overall optimization.
“Unlocks at the end of the tree give you the ability to optimize your production lines, but at this point, the game is basically over, and I felt no need to fiddle with the optimization and then quit.”
“I think a lot of the optimization problems and manufacturing cycle issues arise from how the game is programmed, unrelated to anything about potion manufacturing or selling or shop management.”
“I think a lot of the optimization problems and manufacturing cycle issues arise from literally how the game is programmed, unrelated to anything about potion manufacturing or selling or shop management.”
“Unlocks at the end of the tree give you the ability to optimize your production lines, but at this point the game is basically over and I felt no need to fiddle with the optimization and then quit.”
“This game is still in early access and needs further improvement and optimization regarding placement and certain commodity features.”
- atmosphere6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is characterized by a charming, hand-drawn 2D art style that enhances its magical and gothic elements. Players can customize their shop's ambiance and potion offerings to appeal to a diverse range of customers, creating a unique and immersive experience.
“The hand-drawn art beautifully complements the magical shop atmosphere.”
“This game has a strong gothic atmosphere that enhances the overall experience.”
“You can tailor your shop's atmosphere and potion selection to attract different types of customers, from adventurers to VIP clients.”
“This has a strong goth atmosphere and elements in the game.”
- humor4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players appreciate the humor in the game, particularly through the whimsical naming of potions, such as "frog anti stink spray," which adds a lighthearted and cozy touch to the experience. The humor is straightforward and endearing, enhancing the overall enjoyment without relying on sarcasm.
“Make awesome potions and name them funny things (like frog anti-stink spray) named after a friend, lol.”
“That's it, no sarcasm, just an endorsement for a great cozy little game.”
- monetization4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization system in the game is criticized for being limited, offering few opportunities to earn currency, which is primarily used for hiring, advertising, boosts, and research. Players feel disconnected from the business aspects, finding the management tasks tedious and unengaging, contributing to an overall sense of dissatisfaction with the monetization experience.
“You use it for hiring, advertising, boosts, and research, but there aren't a lot of ways to earn very much of it.”
“Aside from indulging in the game's bizarre kleptomania with its room decor balanced with a depressive workforce constantly sobbing and never having enough space for every piece of furniture I need, I grew to realize that I did not feel like this was my business on any level, from employee wrangling, inventory management, to product work beyond the bizarrely anal but joyless work of choosing the bottling and advertising the potions you make.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious due to the need for constant micromanagement. Specifically, managing worker assignments in greenhouses and mushroom boxes requires frequent adjustments to prevent inefficiencies, which detracts from the overall enjoyment of the gameplay.
“Grinding in this game is a very hard one: there's a lot of useless micromanagement. The greenhouses and mushroom boxes can be operated by anyone by default, so every time you hire someone or build a greenhouse or a box, you must enter their menu and disable almost all workers except for the greasers. Otherwise, they will prioritize farming over production.”
“The grinding aspect is frustrating due to excessive micromanagement. Each time you expand your operations, you have to manually adjust settings to ensure that workers focus on production rather than farming, which feels tedious and unnecessary.”
“The game requires constant micromanagement for grinding, making it a chore. You have to repeatedly enter menus to limit worker roles, which detracts from the overall enjoyment and flow of gameplay.”
