Sulphur Memories: Alchemist
- August 9, 2024
- Spellweaver
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io Store"Alchemist" is a turn-based roguelike game that follows a chased alchemist who has made a Faustian deal. Instead of combat, the game focuses on crafting and problem-solving using raw items and alchemy. To progress, players find and read books, then assemble their knowledge for greater power, making the most out of every item found as there is no "useless loot."
Mac OS
PC
Windows
Linux
Reviews
- Unique take on the roguelike genre with a strong focus on alchemy and potion crafting.
- Great atmosphere and music, enhancing the overall gaming experience.
- Intuitive ingredient system that encourages exploration and strategic gameplay.
- Early game can feel stale and repetitive, with some tedious region transitions.
- Control scheme is awkward, particularly with keyboard movement options.
- Limited variety in enemies and areas at this stage of early access.
- story5 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The story is engaging and enriched by player choices that can influence the narrative, alongside a backdrop that enhances the overall experience. Players appreciate the integration of knowledge gathering and skill advancement, as well as the addition of new content, such as dungeons and chapters, that further develop the storyline.
“I enjoy reading books and gathering knowledge to advance my skills, and I appreciate the background and setting in which the story takes place.”
“This Steam Early Access adds a third tier, including a full set of dungeons, potions, ingredients, and the next chapter in the story.”
“I like that you have choices to make that may or may not affect the story.”
“I enjoy the background and setting that the story takes place in.”
“This Steam EA adds a third tier, including a full set of dungeons, potions, ingredients, and the next chapter in the story.”
- music4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The music in the game is highly praised for its quality, contributing significantly to the overall atmosphere with a great variety and complexity. Players appreciate the ambient sounds as well, noting that they enhance the experience without becoming tedious during restarts after death.
“The ambient sounds and music are nice too.”
“Great music.”
“Love the atmosphere, the music and sounds, great variety and complexity, and huge bonus for not being a tedious beginning when you need to restart after death.”
“The music is repetitive and lacks variety, making it hard to stay engaged.”
“I found the soundtrack to be uninspired and forgettable.”
“The audio quality of the music is subpar, which detracts from the overall experience.”
- gameplay3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The gameplay is reminiscent of a roguelike, focusing on character growth through the collection of unique potions and equipment to overcome various challenges. Players engage in a loop of gathering ingredients, managing potion usage, exploring new areas, and unlocking progressively harder content, which has provided many hours of engaging play even in early access.
“Mechanically similar to a roguelike, but the entire character growth is through the acquisition of new potions and equipment that each offer something unique to dispatch enemies, obstacles, and other dangers.”
“The gameplay loop involves gathering potion ingredients in a manner similar to Elder Scrolls, trying to hoard potions, avoiding death from not using enough potions, exploring new areas, unlocking harder areas and better potions, and repeating the process.”
“I got dozens of hours of gameplay before the Steam Early Access, back when there were only 2 tiers of gameplay.”
“The gameplay loop involves gathering potion ingredients in a manner similar to Elder Scrolls, trying to hoard potions, avoiding death from insufficient potion use, exploring new areas, unlocking harder areas and better potions, and repeating the cycle.”
“Mechanically similar to a roguelike, the entire character growth relies on acquiring new potions and equipment, each offering unique ways to dispatch enemies, obstacles, and other dangers.”
“I spent dozens of hours before the Steam Early Access, back when there were only two tiers of gameplay.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised, with users highlighting the engaging music and sound design, as well as the variety and complexity that enhance the experience. Additionally, the absence of a tedious restart process after death contributes positively to the overall ambiance.
“Love the atmosphere, the music and sounds, great variety and complexity, and huge bonus for not being a tedious beginning when you need to restart after death.”
“Great atmosphere.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game can become repetitive, especially during resets and region transitions, leading to a sense of tedium. However, the overall atmosphere, music, and variety in gameplay help mitigate some of the frustration associated with grinding, particularly as the game avoids a tedious restart process after death.
“The beginning can start to feel stale reset after reset, and moving regions can start to be tedious.”
