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…
Reviews
- Engaging crafting and management mechanics that allow for creativity in potion making.
- Charming art style and aesthetic that enhances the overall experience.
- Satisfying gameplay loop with opportunities for strategic planning and resource management.
- Frequent crashes and bugs that disrupt gameplay and progress.
- Poorly designed tutorial that overwhelms players with information and lacks clarity.
- Limited space for expansion and management, leading to frustration in optimizing shop layout.
- gameplay54 mentions
- 28 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the potion shop management game is characterized by engaging mechanics that blend resource management, crafting, and customer satisfaction, offering a challenging yet rewarding experience. However, players have noted significant bugs, a steep learning curve, and a repetitive late-game loop that can detract from enjoyment. While the core mechanics are well-designed and provide depth, many users 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 I had less idea what to do than before.”
“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.”
- graphics33 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their vibrant, hand-drawn 2D art style that beautifully complements the magical potion shop setting. Reviewers highlight the charming visuals and whimsical designs, which enhance the overall experience and immersion in the game. Despite some gameplay criticisms, the aesthetic appeal remains a standout feature, making it a recommended choice for fans of the genre.
“The game's unique blend of shop management and potion crafting, paired with a charming 2D art style, offers a fun and engaging experience for fans of the genre.”
“First and foremost, the hand-drawn graphics in this game are absolutely stunning.”
“The 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.”
“In general, it feels like a very mature management game with decent graphics that are well-suited.”
“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.”
- story22 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 73 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The story of "Potion Tycoon" is set in a whimsical, magical world focused on potion-making, but it suffers from a lack of depth and engaging narrative. Players find the quest system overwhelming and frustrating, with many quests feeling tedious and unrewarding, leading to a sense of monotony rather than excitement. Additionally, the game's bugs and micromanagement issues detract from the overall experience, making it difficult to enjoy the story and its potential.
“Set in a whimsical, magical world, 'Potion Tycoon' focuses on the business of potion-making.”
“I love getting the quests, though I'd like to think that some of these quests aren't worth it.”
“The quests do come back around later, so you can prepare some potions in advance for when the quest comes back.”
“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.”
- stability15 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is heavily criticized, with numerous users reporting significant bugs that hinder gameplay, including issues with the tutorial, UI navigation, and core mechanics. Many players find the game unplayable at launch, leading to refunds, while some express hope for future improvements if stability issues are addressed. Overall, the game is described as a "buggy mess" that lacks polish and requires substantial work to reach a playable state.
“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.”
- music9 mentions
- 44 % positive mentions
- 22 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally praised for its charm and catchiness, with many players enjoying the pleasant, calming soundtrack that enhances the overall ambiance. However, some users expressed disappointment over the limited variety, noting that there is only one looping track throughout the game. Overall, the music contributes positively to the game's appeal, complementing its art style and gameplay experience.
“The soundtrack is really catchy :)”
“I wanted to like this game; the art style and music are great, and management games are totally my jam.”
“The calming background music adds to the ambiance.”
“Why is there only one looping background music track for the entire game?”
“Was very interested based on genre, art style, and music, so I bought it when it released.”
“There's a real charm to the artwork and music as well.”
- replayability6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Overall, the game offers high replayability due to its engaging basic loop, complex brewing system, and varied gameplay elements like potion crafting and shop upgrades. The introduction of a custom game mode and dynamic systems encourages creative experimentation, while interactions with VIP customers and special events provide unique challenges. However, the reliance on random events can lead to inconsistent experiences, impacting the overall replay value.
“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.”
“Replay value is high; potion crafting, shop upgrades, and customer requests offer varied gameplay with room for creative experimentation.”
“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, but the overall replayability feels limited after a few playthroughs.”
“While the interactions with VIP customers and special events add layers to the gameplay, the lack of significant changes in subsequent playthroughs diminishes the overall replayability.”
- optimization4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -25 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The game's optimization issues appear to stem from its programming rather than gameplay mechanics, with significant improvements needed in production line management and commodity features. While players can unlock optimization tools, they often feel it's too late in the game to engage with them meaningfully. Overall, the game is currently stable with no major bugs or crashes, but it remains in early access and requires further 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.”
“This game is still in early access and needs further improving and optimization in terms of placement and certain commodity features.”
“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, 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 before quitting.”
“This game is still in early access and needs further improvement and optimization regarding placement and certain commodity features.”
- atmosphere3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is characterized by a charming, hand-drawn art style that enhances its magical and gothic elements, creating an inviting environment for various customer types. Players can customize their shop's ambiance and potion offerings to appeal to different clientele, further enriching the immersive experience.
“Tailor your shop’s atmosphere and potion selection to attract different types of customers, from adventurers to VIP clients.”
“Hand-drawn art that complements the magical shop atmosphere.”
“This has a strong gothic atmosphere and elements in the game.”
“This has a strong goth atmosphere and elements in the game.”
- humor2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is light-hearted and charming, with players enjoying the whimsical naming of potions, such as "frog anti stink spray," which adds a personal and playful touch to the experience. Overall, the humor contributes to the game's cozy atmosphere without relying on sarcasm or complex jokes.
“I love making awesome potions and naming them funny things, like 'Frog Anti-Stink Spray' after a friend, lol.”
“The humor in this game is delightful and adds a unique charm to the cozy experience.”
“The witty dialogue and playful interactions keep me laughing throughout the game.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization system in the game is limited, offering few opportunities to earn currency, which is primarily used for hiring, advertising, and boosts. Players express frustration with the lack of engagement and enjoyment in managing their in-game business, feeling disconnected from the overall 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.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be overly tedious, citing excessive micromanagement as a major issue. Specifically, the need to constantly adjust worker settings for greenhouses and mushroom boxes detracts from the overall experience, as it forces players to repeatedly manage priorities rather than focus on production.
“Grinding feels like a never-ending chore, with excessive micromanagement required for basic tasks. Every time I hire someone or build a new greenhouse, I have to manually adjust their settings to ensure they focus on production instead of farming.”
“The grinding in this game is tedious and frustrating. It requires constant attention to micromanage workers, which detracts from the overall enjoyment.”
“I find the grinding aspect to be overwhelming. The need to constantly manage worker priorities for simple tasks makes the gameplay feel more like a job than a fun experience.”
