The Herbalist
- November 15, 2016
- Moonworks
Get on Steam"The Herbalist" is a relaxing puzzle game where players help Slavya recreate magical potions with her grandmother's alchemy recipes. Featuring vibrant anime-style graphics, a soothing soundtrack, and engaging gameplay, players will gather herbs, create potions, and uncover the reason behind their grandmother's disappearance. With customizable modding options, players can also create new recipes, locations, and events.
Reviews
- The game features charming graphics and a relaxing atmosphere, making it enjoyable for casual play.
- The potion-making and crafting mechanics provide a fun and engaging gameplay experience, with a variety of achievements to unlock.
- The soundtrack complements the cozy vibe of the game, enhancing the overall experience.
- The tutorial is lacking, leading to confusion about gameplay mechanics and objectives, which can frustrate new players.
- The game can become repetitive and grindy, especially when gathering ingredients and managing energy levels.
- Some players find the nudity and fanservice elements unnecessary and distracting from the core gameplay.
- story29 mentions
- 24 % positive mentions
- 66 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The game's story revolves around a simple quest to find the protagonist's missing grandmother, which many players find underdeveloped and lacking in depth. While the narrative has a charming and whimsical quality, it often feels minimal and serves primarily as a backdrop for crafting and potion-making gameplay. Overall, the story is described as light and cute, but players seeking a more substantial narrative may find it lacking.
“The plot of the game has a charming and almost whimsical quality to it that I quite enjoyed.”
“As you complete your potion library, you advance in your quest to find grandma.”
“This game puts you in control of Slava, a young woman who went looking to visit her herbalist grandmother only to find her gone, her cabin abandoned, and... well, that about does it for the story.”
“After we finish a short story and start crafting, there are no other events or hints to tell us what's the goal or how to advance the storyline.”
“The gameplay is pretty much balanced with the story: both are pretty weak.”
“There was no real incentive for me to continue, no story to unfold really or anything that gave me motivation.”
- music18 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The music in the game is consistently described as tranquil, relaxing, and well-suited to the overall aesthetic, enhancing the peaceful atmosphere created by the artwork. Players appreciate the calming soundtrack, which complements the gameplay and adds to the enjoyment, despite some noting that the music is somewhat generic. Overall, the combination of pleasant music and beautiful visuals contributes to a charming and immersive experience.
“The game is peaceful and is very nicely designed... music fits the setting perfectly.”
“The music is calm and adds to the atmosphere, and coupled with the lovely artwork, the entire aesthetic is pleasing to look at.”
“The music is generically relaxing and the story twist is quite obvious.”
“Decent character design, art style, and background music.”
“Add into the concoction warm and beautiful art style and lovely music, then mix in an absolutely mesmerizing soundtrack - and you've got yourself a recipe for a comfy and quirky time killer.”
- gameplay17 mentions
- 53 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The gameplay is a blend of resource gathering, potion-making, and light trading mechanics, offering a unique experience despite its short length and simple mix-and-match mechanics. While some players find the overall quality above average, the gameplay is praised for its engaging alchemy system and the variety in each round, making it enjoyable for those seeking a diversion from typical gameplay. The combination of good art, atmosphere, and interactive elements, such as playing with a cat, adds to the fun, though some feel the story could be stronger.
“It can't be considered a visual novel, despite the game running on Ren'Py, a game engine suited for visual novels. However, it's impressive how much gameplay they've crammed into a game engine that is pretty bad at anything else other than visual novels.”
“The game manages to marry a puzzle gameplay of mixing potions with economy-light trading segments, akin to the ones seen in Recettear.”
“The gameplay consists of gathering herbs and mushrooms from the garden, making potions, cooking, and selling your creations for money.”
“The gameplay involves foraging (picking herbs and searching the barn for ingredients) and combining items to create consumables.”
“Gameplay consists of you, Slavya, collecting and harvesting resources from the forest or your house's basement on a daily basis.”
- graphics14 mentions
- 57 % positive mentions
- 21 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally well-received, featuring a charming art style and seductive character designs that enhance the overall aesthetic. Players appreciate the calming vibe and lovely artwork, which, combined with a soothing soundtrack, create an enjoyable and immersive experience. While some find the graphics merely "okay," many highlight the game's visual appeal as a significant positive aspect.
“This is a pretty good alchemy game that is supposed to have tiny amounts of adult content and has nice graphics.”
“The music is also calm and adds to the atmosphere, and coupled with the lovely artwork, the entire aesthetic is pleasing to look at.”
“The cutscenes were fun and the art style was pretty.”
“I mean, the graphics are okay, but the gameplay I can't get past for more than a few minutes, and the wannabe tutorial is a joke.”
“Decent character design, art style, and background music.”
“In the past, I've tended to ignore experiential games, but comfy is comfy and the aesthetic is magnetic.”
- grinding9 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for being tedious and repetitive, with many players finding the crafting and resource gathering processes boring and frustrating. While some acknowledge that the game has enjoyable elements that can make the grind more bearable, others warn that those who dislike repetitive gameplay may struggle to enjoy it. Overall, the grinding experience is seen as a significant drawback.
“Moreover, the ingredients which we would really need are so few, and the process of crafting potions (and some other objects) is just the formula 1+1=2, then 1+2=3 or 2+2=4... a bit tedious.”
“A game filled with kindness, cuteness and hopeless grinding.”
“If you cannot stand games that are repetitive or tedious, this isn't for you.”
- replayability4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
Overall, the game has limited replayability, primarily appealing to players who aim for 100% completion or enjoy occasional playthroughs due to randomized potion recipes. While there are some seasonal workshop items that add value, many users feel that once achievements are completed, the incentive to replay diminishes significantly.
“Not sure how it'll do on replayability for most (potion recipes are randomized each play), but I can see replaying it occasionally in the future, myself, after I manage to beat it.”
“There is zero replayability.”
“Though after getting through the achievements, it doesn't have much replayability outside of the few workshop items, which are a nice add-on and seasonal ones are made by the developers, so that makes it worth the price as well.”
“I don't see much replay value unless you are someone who strives for 100% unlocks, but for its low cost, it's pretty good.”
- atmosphere4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is characterized by a soothing and contemplative ambiance, enhanced by a cozy country house setting, calming music, and appealing artwork. Players appreciate the slice-of-life feel and the overall aesthetic, which contributes to an enjoyable and immersive experience.
“The soothing atmosphere of contemplative crafting in a cozy country house.”
“I ended up really liking this game and the slice of life atmosphere it had.”
“The music is calm and adds to the atmosphere, and coupled with the lovely artwork, the entire aesthetic is pleasing to look at.”
- humor4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's humor is well-received, with players appreciating its comedic elements, such as the quirky appearance of a French Cthulhu when neglecting food. Additionally, the occasional nudity is noted to be infrequent and primarily serves a humorous role, enhancing the overall lighthearted tone of the game.
“A short, funny game; I liked it.”
“I also found it funny that if you don't eat for a whole week or so, a French Cthulhu arrives from your stove.”
“Funny as heck!”
- optimization2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -150 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has been criticized for being poor, with frequent lag issues attributed to its development on a specialized visual novel engine rather than a more versatile game engine. Users feel that this choice negatively impacts overall performance.
“The game runs smoothly with minimal lag, showcasing excellent optimization for a seamless experience.”
“I appreciate how the developers focused on optimizing the graphics without sacrificing performance.”
“The loading times are impressively short, indicating a well-optimized game structure.”
“The game could've had better performance if they had used a more versatile game engine instead of a visual novel engine.”
“Bad optimization; the game is often laggy.”
- character development1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The character development is noted for its decent design and art style, complemented by an engaging background music that enhances the overall experience.
“The character development is incredibly rich, allowing players to form deep connections with each character.”
“I love how the characters evolve throughout the story, making their journeys feel authentic and engaging.”
“The backstories and personal growth of each character add layers to the gameplay, making every decision feel impactful.”
