The Magical Mixture Mill
- March 27, 2024
- Glowlight
- 14h median play time
Get on Steam"The Magical Mixture Mill" is a potion-brewing game where players help run Griselda's shop for adventurers and heroes. By reaching 10K wishlists on Steam, the game plans to add environmental weather effects and pets to accompany players on harvesting trips. A fishing dynamic to acquire savory ingredients and a 20% launch discount are also promised upon release.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features charming graphics and a cozy atmosphere, making it visually appealing and enjoyable to explore.
- The gameplay loop of gathering resources, crafting potions, and managing a shop is engaging and provides a satisfying sense of progression.
- The game combines elements of automation and exploration in a unique way, appealing to fans of both factory-building and crafting genres.
- The automation mechanics are limited, requiring a lot of manual resource gathering which can become tedious and repetitive.
- Progression feels slow and can be frustrating due to inventory management issues and the need for constant back-and-forth between gathering and crafting.
- The tutorial and guidance for new players can be lacking, leading to confusion about game mechanics and objectives.
- gameplay41 mentions
- 54 % positive mentions
- 39 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
Gameplay is characterized by a blend of resource gathering, potion-making, and shop management, reminiscent of titles like Stardew Valley and Factorio. While the core mechanics are engaging and provide a satisfying loop, players may find the experience repetitive due to a heavy emphasis on grinding and limited progression paths. Despite some bugs and a lack of combat depth, the charming art style and relaxing atmosphere contribute to an overall enjoyable experience for those who appreciate casual gameplay.
“The game leaves you a bit puzzled at times about what needs to be done, gathered, or upgraded next, but when you understand where to find what, the gameplay loop is really smooth and relaxing.”
“A satisfying game loop combined with simple automation mechanics makes this a great title for when you want to decompress from a long day, but still might want to engage your brain a bit.”
“The gameplay mechanics are simple to grasp but offer enough depth to keep you engaged for hours on end.”
“Cozy gamers will be frustrated by the hostile environment and ARPG mechanics; ARPG players will hate the lack of real combat, and automation and shopkeeping players will get bored very quickly.”
“Main story questline bugs out so you get stuck after 10 hours of gameplay and cannot proceed.”
“90%+ of the currently available gameplay consists of resource grind, which soon becomes tedious.”
- graphics35 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 31 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received widespread acclaim for their beauty and charm, featuring a vibrant art style that combines elements of fairy-tale aesthetics with lively physics. Players appreciate the detailed and colorful environments, which enhance the overall immersive experience and encourage exploration. The visuals are described as both cute and engaging, contributing significantly to the game's appeal.
“I got pulled in by the game's overall innocent yet mysterious vibe and beautiful graphics that combine a cute fairy-tale aesthetic with action and the lively physics of nature and items.”
“The world is beautiful and the aesthetic is very pleasing to the eye.”
“Graphics are beautiful, the world is disgustingly pretty and will lure you in, the characters and art style are joyful and interesting, the biomes in the game will make you enjoy scavenging for resources.”
“The graphic style also reminds me of old school World of Warcraft, which isn't unwelcome either.”
“Graphics are beautiful, the world is disgustingly pretty and will lure you in; the characters and art style are joyful and interesting.”
“The art style and bright world instantly hooked me, but I now jump to today's early access release because the gist is the same.”
- story34 mentions
- 18 % positive mentions
- 74 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The story aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding the narrative basic and repetitive, primarily revolving around fetch quests for potions. While the characters are described as cute and engaging, the lack of a compelling, immersive storyline detracts from the overall experience, leading to frustration with quest bugs and limited content. Players express a desire for more depth in storytelling and better quest variety to enhance engagement.
“The characters are very cute even though the storytelling is quite basic.”
“A really good immersive story is a must for games like this, and it is something games often overlook.”
“There's tons of crafting, tons of exploration, mining, and a really cool story with tons of missions to do.”
“The main story questline bugs out, so you get stuck after 10 hours of gameplay and cannot proceed.”
“There's not enough story; you are just helped through learning to automate.”
“Game is well put together but ends up feeling like fetch quest on fetch quest.”
- grinding29 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed feedback from users. While some find the resource gathering and crafting enjoyable and integral to the gameplay, others describe it as tedious and overly repetitive, particularly in the endgame. Overall, players who appreciate a blend of cozy farming and automation mechanics may find the grind rewarding, while those seeking a more streamlined experience might feel overwhelmed by the demands of resource collection.
“90%+ of the currently available gameplay consists of resource grind, which soon becomes tedious.”
“This game gets really tedious, especially in the end game, that I ended up quitting from the sheer grind.”
“Unbearable amount of grinding, becomes worse by the fact that the potion systematization mocks your intellectual abilities, unless you write everything down yourself like in the 90s.”
- humor17 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its charming and quirky humor, with players enjoying the funny animations, witty dialogue, and amusing character interactions. Many reviewers highlight the game's ability to create a cozy and entertaining atmosphere, making it a delightful experience for those who appreciate lighthearted humor in gameplay. Overall, the humor adds a significant layer of enjoyment, enhancing the game's appeal.
“It may not be a flashy 4X, but it's a fun laid-back game with a great dash of humor.”
“I love the concept, the style, and the animations; it's got great humor and quirky characters.”
“Another thing I loved about the game were the funny animations - they always put a smile on my face.”
- music13 mentions
- 46 % positive mentions
- 31 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally praised for its cozy and magical feel, enhancing the overall atmosphere and gameplay experience. However, some players express a desire for more variety in the soundtrack to prevent it from becoming repetitive. Overall, the soundtrack complements the art style and gameplay, contributing to a relaxed and enjoyable environment.
“I appreciate a lot the cozy soundtrack and well-designed personality of NPCs.”
“The background music is wonderful and changes depending on where you are on the map.”
“Its really relaxed, the music is great, gameplay is solid and rarely bugs.”
“My only present 'gripe' would be that I'd like to see some more music tracks added from the composer of the current audio offering; it has a very magical feel, which I know is what they're going for... now they just need to add more music to keep it from being too repetitive.”
“They really need to work on the music; it's a bit lackluster for me at the minute.”
“The art, animations, and music all fit this style very well.”
- optimization6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is a mixed bag; while some users note that it performs reasonably well for an early access title, others highlight significant bugs and performance issues that need addressing. The game runs hotter than expected given its visual style, indicating that further optimization is necessary to enhance the experience.
“Additionally, being a developer who regularly works in both the AAA and indie space, this game is remarkably well optimized for its early access state.”
“This makes the game fall in between the gap between the two genres of cozy farming sim and factory optimization.”
“Which to the person reading this, seems like what you get to automate so you can focus on ingredients gathering and brewing line optimization.”
“As with anything early access, it is going to need some serious optimization.”
“Optimization needs work; the game runs very hot, which it shouldn't for how it looks and plays.”
“There are some bugs and the performance isn't great, but it's within reason for an early access title.”
- stability3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game is reported to be quite unstable, with numerous bugs affecting the experience. However, the developers are actively engaged with the community, which helps mitigate some frustrations, and players still find the gameplay enjoyable despite these issues.
“The game is very buggy still...”
“Honestly, it's super buggy, but the devs are very active in the Discord, and otherwise, the gameplay is very fun.”
“Buggy as hell.”
