The Last Alchemist
- December 31, 2023
- Vile Monarch
- 27h median play time
Get on Steam"The Last Alchemist" is a third-person alchemy simulation game set in a vibrant, science-fantasy world. As the last alchemist, you'll craft your workshop, solve alchemy puzzles by extracting essences and fusing them together, and befriend the Agari folk. With various materials to find and use, you'll craft and expand your workshop while discovering the wonders of this charming world.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The alchemy puzzle mechanics are engaging and provide a satisfying challenge.
- The art style and character design are charming, creating a cozy atmosphere.
- The game offers a unique crafting experience that encourages exploration and experimentation.
- The game is quite short, leaving players wanting more content and depth.
- The inventory management system is clunky and frustrating, with no item stacking and limited storage options.
- Pacing issues arise from excessive waiting times for crafting and resource gathering, detracting from the overall enjoyment.
- story68 mentions
- 24 % positive mentions
- 72 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The game's story is generally praised for its charm and creativity, featuring engaging characters and a heartwarming narrative, though many players feel it is too short and lacks depth, particularly in side quests. While the art design complements the storyline beautifully, some reviewers noted that the plot feels rushed towards the end and leaves players wanting more content and exploration. Overall, the story is enjoyable but leaves a sense of incompleteness, with potential for further development.
“The story, art/design, and the characters really do shine and make the game worth it.”
“It's a fantastic game that offers engaging puzzles and a heartwarming, albeit simple, story.”
“I liked the story; it was very cute and while it felt at some points like I skipped something, it still was a very nice experience.”
“In one case, the quest text didn't even tell you where you need to go for the objective.”
“One or two quests per character with a small bit of dialogue doesn't feel fleshed out enough.”
“[*] Mid/end of story content felt very rushed.”
- gameplay43 mentions
- 44 % positive mentions
- 49 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The gameplay is generally praised for its charming art and engaging alchemical mechanics, providing a fun and immersive experience. However, players note issues such as bugs, awkward keybindings, and a lack of replayability, with some feeling that the crafting and decorating aspects are underdeveloped. Despite these critiques, many enjoyed the 16 hours of gameplay and see potential for further enhancements and additional content.
“The gameplay is immersive, and the alchemical mechanics are a joy to explore.”
“A very charming cozy game that combines essences of puzzle games for its core gameplay mechanic.”
“I love the story, the art design, the mechanics have potential for something great, and the alchemy system is really creative and in depth.”
“The gameplay itself could get a lot of improvements; some keybinds are weird, rotating objects is annoying, and storage doesn't feel valuable as you could just throw things on the ground and storage is very expensive.”
“Just don't expect replayability or 50 hours of gameplay.”
“There was not real context to anything with the gameplay physics and the tutorial explanation.”
- graphics32 mentions
- 44 % positive mentions
- 47 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The game's graphics are widely praised for their beautiful art style, cute character designs, and engaging animations, with many reviewers appreciating the originality that avoids typical pixel art. However, some players have reported issues with visual glitches and performance hiccups, particularly during fast-paced actions, which detracts from the overall experience. Despite these technical shortcomings, the visuals and accompanying audio elements contribute positively to the game's charm.
“The art style is done beautifully, and the story is sweet yet short.”
“The graphics are beautiful, the characters are fun.”
“I love the graphics/art style and appreciate that it's not another game in this genre using pixel art.”
“The visuals can be a little glitchy/jumpy, particularly when you're sprinting (however, it doesn't generally seem to crash the game or cause further issues than a brief stutter).”
“Graphics are decent.”
“The art style of the loading screen especially.”
- music12 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally described as cute and well-crafted, though some players find it slightly repetitive and not particularly memorable, with only a few standout tracks. While the overall sound design, including sound effects, is appreciated, the repetitiveness of the soundtrack and certain audio cues can detract from the experience for some players. Overall, the music contributes positively to the game's atmosphere but may not leave a lasting impression.
“The art style, music, and sound effects for the game are great.”
“Cute graphics, music, animations, sound effects, characters ^^”
“The art style, music, and sound effects for the game are great.”
“I remember only 1 or 2 musical scores that stand out, so for me, that was not as strong as the gameplay audio.”
“Soundtrack feels pretty repetitive, and the ringing for workshops having finished their job are damn annoying.”
“Music is cute and only slightly repetitive.”
- grinding12 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience; while the alchemy system is engaging, the constant waiting times (40 seconds for each action) and limited inventory create a frustrating grind. Farming is deemed unnecessary and cumbersome, with many players opting to skip it entirely, as gathering materials is often more efficient. Overall, while some elements feel grindy, the game maintains a generally well-paced progression.
“Getting anything done requires jumping through 15 hoops - getting materials (a constant battle with extremely limited inventory and no item stacking), grinding them up (40 sec wait each time), researching (another wait + a currency cost each time), combining (did I mention every action has a 40 second wait time?) and then doing that over and over again.”
“Lastly, farming is utterly useless and looks more like a hassle than gathering; I never did it once except for the mandatory one, and still had loads of everything in spades.”
“While the convenience of having a lot of the materials close at hand would have reduced the running around, the fact that you don't really get seeds or the sprays early enough really makes the farming seem like an afterthought.”
- emotional8 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by a heartwarming and charming story that, while simple, resonates with players. Many reviewers appreciate the wholesome ending and engaging puzzles, though some feel the game falls short by not fully exploring its potential. Overall, it is seen as an enjoyable experience that leaves a positive emotional impact.
“It's a fantastic game that offers engaging puzzles and a heartwarming, albeit simple, story.”
“Overall enjoyable and a touching, albeit simple, story.”
“Amazing and charming game, very cute and works your brain a bit; the ending is the most wholesome ever, would highly recommend.”
- stability6 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's stability is generally positive, with most users noting it is mostly bug-free but could benefit from some polishing and improved in-game ergonomics. While some players experienced minor bugs, they did not significantly detract from the enjoyable gameplay and mechanics.
“It does need a little polishing on the edges, but it's pretty bug-free.”
“A little buggy and could have better in-game ergonomics, yet an awesome gameplay and mechanics.”
“It doesn't seem too buggy, but I'm only a few days into playing.”
- replayability6 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The game offers some replayability through post-story activities, such as experimenting with alchemy, but overall, players feel it lacks significant replay value and extended gameplay, with many suggesting it is more suited for speedrunning than repeated playthroughs.
“This is a replayable game, just wish I could use my Xbox controller.”
“Just don't expect replayability or 50 hours of gameplay.”
“You can continue after the story to tinker with any alchemy you left undone, but there's no real replay value, except maybe to time how fast you can complete it.”
