Sheryl ~The Alchemist of the Island Ruins~

About

"Sheryl ~The Alchemist of the Island Ruins~" is a game where players explore the ruins of Abyss, an island chasm, to gather ingredients for alchemy and make a living. As the titular character, Sheryl, players will encounter various intelligent species, monsters, and ancient civilizations. The game combines low-stakes slice-of-life exploration with high-stakes drama as Sheryl uncovers a conspiracy and becomes entangled in a web of deception.

Genres & Tags

Role Playing

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Sheryl ~The Alchemist of the Island Ruins~ screenshot

89%

Audience ScoreBased on 94 reviews

story18 positive mentions

music3 negative mentions

Engaging gameplay that combines real-time combat with a deep crafting system, providing a fun and immersive experience.
The art style is charming, featuring high-quality CGs and pixel art animations that enhance the overall aesthetic of the game.
Offers a variety of quests and multiple endings, ensuring high replayability and a rich narrative experience.

Gameplay can feel repetitive, with many fetch quests and unskippable cutscenes that may detract from the overall enjoyment.
Technical issues such as lag during combat and a poorly implemented crafting menu can hinder the gaming experience.
The requirement to download an external patch for adult content is inconvenient and lacks proper disclaimers.

story
116 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
16%
82%
3%
The story of "Sheryl: The Alchemist of the Island Ruins" is a blend of adventure, crafting, and slice-of-life elements, featuring a protagonist who must manage an alchemy store while navigating a world filled with quests and moral dilemmas. While the narrative includes dark themes and a variety of quests, some players find the character development lacking and the quest structure repetitive. Overall, the game offers a compelling experience with a mix of lighthearted and serious moments, though translation issues may occasionally hinder clarity.
- “Set against the backdrop of Altona, a quaint town perilously perched on the rim of an enigmatic chasm known as the Abyss, the game combines elements of adventure, crafting, and a slice-of-life narrative with a dash of mature content that enriches the storytelling experience.”
- “The game's innovative mechanics, coupled with a compelling storyline and well-designed world, make it a standout title.”
- “"Sheryl the Alchemist of the Island Ruins" offers a compelling blend of action, crafting, and storytelling, reminiscent of the beloved "Atelier" series but with a distinctive, mature twist.”
- “Unfortunately, there isn't much of a story and a lot of content is non-consensual, tricked into or from defeats and traps.”
- “The quest can be rather mundane as it is mostly just delivering alchemy-made items.”
- “Story is... there, I guess, and the characters are as memorable as a brick in the Great Wall of China, but those are small complaints.”
gameplay
64 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
56%
16%
The gameplay of "Sheryl the Alchemist of the Island Ruins" is a blend of engaging real-time combat and crafting mechanics, offering players a variety of strategies and customization options. While some players find the experience repetitive due to unskippable cut-scenes and grindy elements, the game compensates with its artistic design and a compelling narrative. Overall, it provides a solid and enjoyable experience, particularly for those who appreciate a mix of action RPG and alchemy-focused gameplay.
- “Overall, a solid 10 hours of mostly enjoyable gameplay.”
- “The game’s engaging mechanics and depth in crafting, combined with intense real-time combat, make it a standout choice for RPG aficionados.”
- “Gameplay-wise, it's a solid game that gives players a good variety of strategies to follow, whether you go the melee route and smack enemies on their heads and deflect magic attacks, use your trusty spells to blast enemies away, or attack them from a safe distance.”
- “In terms of gameplay, it feels repetitive and has some repeating unskippable cut-scenes, which gets old pretty fast for me.”
- “Grindy gameplay, lame characters, and a 'thanks for playing' ending.”
- “Some players have reported technical issues such as lag, especially when closing menus or during complex scenes, which can disrupt gameplay.”
graphics
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
61%
17%
The game's graphics are highly praised for their adorable Japanese anime art style, featuring polished character profiles and vibrant sprites. The visuals blend traditional CG art with pixel art for specific scenes, maintaining a cute and non-lewd aesthetic. Overall, the graphics are considered attractive and well-executed, appealing to fans of the genre.
- “The visuals don't disappoint either, as they feature vivid and highly polished character profiles and still shots, eye-catching sprites, and nicely animated pixel art defeat scenes.”
- “Tremendously adorable JP HQ anime artwork.”
- “Graphically, the game is quite attractive, with anime style art and characters that are 'cute' with small bodies and slim builds, avoiding the lewd designs seen in other games.”
- “The screenshots you see on the store page have the main art style used in all of the game's CGs.”
- “Other scenes, especially those from falling in battle or getting caught in a trap, use a pixel art style.”
- “CG art style is more towards moe rather than lewd as well.”
music
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
50%
30%
The music in the game is highly praised for enhancing the overall ambiance and storytelling, effectively complementing the mysterious atmosphere of the island ruins. Players appreciate the variety of background music and sound effects, as well as the inclusion of collectible music, which adds depth to the experience and personality to the heroine. Overall, the sound design significantly contributes to the game's adventurous spirit.
- “The overall design, ambiance, music, and story bring out the mystery of the island ruins.”
- “Great story, music, and ambiance; it fulfills your inspiration to become an adventurer like Sheryl.”
- “The overall design, ambiance, music, and story brings out the mystery of the island ruins.”
- “The music was chosen to suit the environments.”
- “In terms of sound, the game also does a good job, as it has a variety of background music, sound effects, and even a certain amount of voice acting with some of the phrases the heroine says at certain moments, adding that extra personality to the heroine.”
humor
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its humor, featuring witty quests and amusing dialogue, such as selling 'seeds' to a character humorously named Baron Gay. Players appreciate the blend of cute aesthetics with funny and sometimes risqué content, contributing to an overall entertaining experience that keeps them laughing throughout.
- “However, I like the humorous quests (selling 'seed' of various species to a totally not closeted homosexual individual called Baron Gay, for example), slightly 'cute and funny' looks of our lovely protagonist, and the feeling of mowing down hordes of enemies (as it is easy to become OP).”
- “The main focus of the game is the atelier/alchemy gameplay which is filled with ridiculously funny elements.”
- “An atelier-like game with a cute UI, funny dialogue, cool mechanics, and pretty fun gameplay.”
grinding
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The grinding aspect of the game is described as initially tedious but improves over time, with some players finding enjoyment in farming and item collection. While some users express frustration with the grind and lackluster characters, others appreciate the option to purchase materials to alleviate the grind. Overall, opinions are mixed, with a few players finding the grinding experience rewarding.
- “Grindy gameplay, lame characters, and a 'thanks for playing' ending.”
- “If you're tired from grinding, just buy the necessary materials to clear any quests you have.”
- “Pretty fun RPG overall, a bit grindy at first but then it gets better.”
replayability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
17%
50%
The game offers significant replayability due to its extensive content, featuring over 180 quests and a wide variety of items to create, along with the option for new game plus (ng+). This combination encourages players to revisit the game for new experiences and challenges.
- “Extensive content, including over 180 quests and a vast array of items to create, ensuring high replayability.”
- “Some replayable values with new game plus (ng+).”
- “Some replayable values with NG+.”
- “[td][b]Replay value:[/b][/td]”
- “Some replayable values with NG+.”
character development
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
25%
25%
Character development in the game is praised for its depth and maturity, contributing significantly to the narrative and enhancing the overall experience. However, the mature themes may not resonate with all players, leading to a uniquely compelling yet potentially divisive gameplay experience.
- “This multifaceted approach to character development enriches the game, making each playthrough uniquely compelling.”
- “The mature content, while handled with care to add depth to the narrative and character development, may not appeal to all players.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game's atmosphere is predominantly peaceful, creating a serene environment for players, but this tranquility shifts dramatically when taking a tram, introducing a contrasting element that alters the overall experience.
- “It's a game of peaceful atmosphere until you take a tram.”