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.
Mac OS
PC
Phone
Windows
Android
Linux
Mobile Platform
Tablet
Reviews
- The game features a cozy and cute atmosphere, making it a relaxing experience.
- The crafting and potion-making mechanics are enjoyable and engaging, providing a fun gameplay loop.
- The art style and music are well-received, contributing to the overall charm of the game.
- The tutorial is lacking, leading to confusion about gameplay mechanics and objectives.
- The game can become repetitive and grindy, with limited content and random drops for essential items.
- Some players find the energy management system frustrating, as it restricts actions and progress.
- story58 mentions
- 24 % positive mentions
- 71 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The game's story revolves around a young woman searching for her missing grandmother, but it is described as simple and lacking depth, with minimal events or hints to guide players. While some players appreciate the charming and whimsical quality of the narrative, many feel it is overshadowed by repetitive gameplay and a lack of motivation to continue after the main story concludes. Overall, the story serves as a light backdrop to the crafting mechanics, making it more of a casual experience than a narrative-driven game.
“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.”
“It's great for chilling out though and the story is cute too.”
“There was no real incentive for me to continue, no story to unfold really or anything that gave me motivation.”
“The gameplay is pretty much balanced with the story: both are pretty weak.”
“This game puts you in control of Slavya, 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.”
- music36 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The music in the game is consistently described as tranquil, pleasant, and relaxing, perfectly complementing the peaceful atmosphere and beautiful artwork. Reviewers appreciate the calming soundtrack, which enhances the overall aesthetic and gameplay experience, although some note that the music is somewhat generic. Overall, the combination of lovely music and art creates a cozy and enjoyable environment for players.
“The game is peaceful and is very nicely designed... music fits the setting perfectly.”
“The music is also calm and adds to the atmosphere, and coupled with the lovely artwork, the entire aesthetic is pleasing to look at.”
“Add into concoction warm and beautiful art style and lovely and then mix in an absolutely mesmerizing soundtrack - and you've gotten yourself a recipe for a comfy and quirky time killer.”
“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, and then mix in an absolutely mesmerizing soundtrack - and you've got yourself a recipe for a comfy and quirky time killer.”
- gameplay34 mentions
- 53 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The gameplay features a blend of foraging, potion-making, and light trading mechanics, offering a unique experience despite its short length and simplistic design. Players enjoy the engaging mix-and-match mechanics and the satisfaction of crafting consumables, while the art and atmosphere enhance the overall experience. Although the story and gameplay are considered weak by some, the game is recommended for those seeking a diversion or fans of the genre, with hopes for future expansions.
“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.”
“Gameplay consists of you, Slavya, collecting and harvesting resources from the forest or your house's basement on a daily basis.”
“The gameplay involves foraging (picking herbs and searching the barn for ingredients) and combining items to create consumables.”
- graphics28 mentions
- 57 % positive mentions
- 32 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally well-received, featuring a charming and cute art style that enhances the overall aesthetic experience. Players appreciate the seductive artwork and character design, which contribute to a calming atmosphere, complemented by a soothing soundtrack. 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.”
- grinding18 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 process overly simplistic and boring. 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 find it frustrating. Overall, the grinding experience is seen as a significant drawback, detracting from the game's potential enjoyment.
“Moreover, the ingredients we 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.”
- replayability8 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 38 % 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.
“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.”
“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 addon 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.”
- atmosphere8 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is described as soothing and contemplative, set in a cozy country house that enhances the slice-of-life experience. The combination of calming music, beautiful artwork, and engaging gameplay creates a pleasing aesthetic that players find enjoyable and immersive.
“The music is also calm and adds to the atmosphere, and coupled with the lovely artwork, the entire aesthetic is pleasing to look at.”
“I ended up really liking this game and the slice of life atmosphere it had.”
“Soothing atmosphere of contemplative crafting in a cozy country house.”
- humor8 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its humor, featuring quirky elements like a French Cthulhu that appears if players neglect to eat for a week. While nudity is present, it is infrequent and typically serves a comedic purpose, contributing to the overall lighthearted tone of the game.
“A short funny game, I liked it.”
“I also found it funny that if you didn't eat for a whole week, a French Cthulhu arrives from your stove.”
“There is nudity, as the game tags indicate, but it's rare and often used for humorous purposes.”
- optimization4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has been criticized for being poor, with frequent lag issues reported by users. Many believe that using a more versatile game engine instead of a visual novel engine could have significantly improved performance.
“The game could've had more performance if they had used a general-purpose game engine instead of a visual novel engine.”
“Bad optimization; the game is often laggy.”
“The game could've had more performance if they had used a general-purpose game engine instead of a visual novel engine.”
- character development2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 100 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The reviews highlight decent character design and art style, suggesting that while the visual aspects are appealing, there is no significant mention of depth or progression in character development. The background music complements the overall aesthetic but does not contribute to character growth.
