The Magical Mixture Mill

About

The Magical Mixture Mill is a single player casual simulation game. It was developed by Glowlight and was released on March 27, 2024. It received positive reviews from players.

"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.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

84%

Audience ScoreBased on 300 reviews

story14 positive mentions

grinding57 negative mentions

Charming art style and engaging sound design create a cozy atmosphere.
Satisfying gameplay loop with potion crafting and resource gathering.
Great potential for automation and exploration, making it enjoyable for fans of the genre.

Progression can feel slow and grindy, with limited inventory space and resource management issues.
Lack of clear tutorials and guidance can lead to confusion for new players.
Some features and content are missing or incomplete, leading to a feeling of being unfinished.

story
78 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
78%
4%
The game's story is generally considered simplistic and formulaic, with a thin plot that often relies on cliché elements like memory loss. While the side quests are described as cute and engaging, many players find them repetitive and uninspired, primarily revolving around fetch quests. Overall, the narrative lacks depth and character development, leaving players wanting a more immersive and rewarding storytelling experience.
- “The story was also fun and cute, with nothing that will blow your mind but certainly enough to keep you interested in what will happen next.”
- “There's tons of crafting, tons of exploration, mining, and a really cool story with tons of missions to do.”
- “I really like that all the heroes have different needs so I have to plan which potions I'll be selling in the shop, and the quests in general have kept me very busy.”
- “While this game has some great graphics, models, sound effects, and concept for an automation game - it's not very rewarding in the lore department; the characters are dry, the plot is thin (you have a cheesy cliché memory loss backstory and that's it, which is just lazy writing in my books), there is no future goal to work towards or feel of progress other than more machines that feel like a chore swiftly.”
- “The main story mission ended abruptly with a bridge buildable in the bog that I am unable to reach.”
- “Game is well put together but ends up feeling like fetch quest on fetch quest.”
gameplay
58 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
41%
54%
5%
The gameplay is characterized by a satisfying and engaging loop that combines simple mechanics with depth, allowing players to explore, gather resources, and manage automation in a cozy, visually appealing environment. While the game offers rewarding progression through weapon upgrades and side quests, some players note a tendency towards repetitive grinding and a lack of diverse gameplay paths. Overall, the mechanics are enjoyable and accessible, making it a relaxing experience, though some players express a desire for more complexity and variety.
- “Weapon upgrades are smooth progression-wise and rewarding to unlock, side quests are cute and fun for the most part, and genuinely the gameplay and little story are both extremely solid.”
- “The gameplay mechanics are simple to grasp but offer enough depth to keep you engaged for hours on end.”
- “A satisfying game loop combined with simple automation mechanics make this a great title for when you want to decompress from a long day, but still might want to engage your brain a bit.”
- “However this game is real life time gated, a decent amount of processes and gameplay elements are tied to waiting.”
- “90%+ of the currently available gameplay consists of resource grind, which soon becomes tedious.”
- “Most of your progress feels far too one-tracked, and independent from other mechanics and gameplay.”
grinding
57 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The grinding aspect of the game is a polarizing feature, with many players finding it both satisfying and tedious. While some enjoy the extensive resource collection and the sense of accomplishment that comes from automating processes, others feel that the repetitive nature of grinding can become overwhelming, especially in the late game. Overall, the game appeals to fans of grinding mechanics, but may frustrate those seeking a more streamlined experience.
- “You will be going to the same areas and farming the same items for another 50 hours.”
- “This game gets really tedious, especially in the end game, that I ended up quitting from the sheer grind.”
- “90%+ of the currently available gameplay consists of resource grind, which soon becomes tedious.”
graphics
48 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
34%
6%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their charming and cozy art style, vibrant colors, and attention to detail, creating an aesthetically pleasing experience that enhances gameplay. Many reviewers highlight the beautiful world design and engaging animations, which contribute to the game's overall appeal, despite some criticism regarding character depth and plot. Overall, the visuals are considered a major strength, making the game enjoyable and inviting for players.
- “The art style is adorable, it's cozy and fun, the sound effects are brilliant and I found both figuring out potions myself and using walkthroughs both enjoyable ways to play the game.”
- “Amazing art, cozy graphics, interesting mechanics, tools, and story.”
- “The 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.”
- “We figured each hat would have a new ability by giving a special boost but the hats as of now are purely an aesthetic which we felt was a missed opportunity.”
- “The graphic style also reminds me of old school World of Warcraft which isn't unwelcome either.”
music
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
55%
30%
15%
The music in the game is generally praised for its cozy and immersive quality, enhancing the overall atmosphere and gameplay experience. However, some players note that it can become repetitive during long play sessions and express a desire for more diverse tracks to maintain engagement. Overall, the soundtrack is well-received, contributing positively to the game's charm and ambiance.
- “Excellent music, controls, flow between harvesting resources and building your automation chains, and sense of discovery.”
- “The world adventure with its above-average art style and gorgeous ambiance/music has kept it high on my list all year.”
- “The background music is wonderful and changes depending on where you are on the map.”
- “My only present 'gripe' would be that I'd like to see some more music tracks added from the composer of the present 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.”
- “My only present 'gripe' would be that I'd like to see some more music tracks added from the composer of the present 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.”
humor
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its clever and quirky humor, featuring witty dialogues and amusing character interactions that enhance the overall experience. Players appreciate the dry humor that playfully critiques the genre, alongside charming animations that consistently evoke smiles. Overall, the humor adds a delightful layer to the gameplay, making it a fun and engaging adventure.
- “The characters are also super funny with clever little dialogues to send you on your quests.”
- “Another thing I loved about the game were the funny animations - they always put a smile on my face.”
- “I love the concept, I love the style and the animations, it's got great humor and quirky characters.”
optimization
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
34%
33%
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with players noting significant performance issues and bugs, particularly for an early access title. While some commend its relative stability for its stage of development, many agree that it requires serious optimization to improve performance and reduce overheating. Overall, the game falls short in this aspect, impacting the overall experience.
- “The main draw of the game for me was collecting all the reagents to fill out the 'shroompedia', discovering new areas, talking with funny characters, and slowly optimizing my mixture mill until I had enough optimization to bulk produce any potion I needed.”
- “This makes the game fall in between the gap between the two genres of cozy farming sim and factory optimization.”
- “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.”
- “Otherwise, it seems the only magical mixture this game is all about is the mixture of terrible optimization and steamy, nutty brown horse manure.”
- “Optimization needs work; the game runs very hot, which it shouldn't for how it looks and plays.”
- “As with anything early access, it is going to need some serious optimization.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
The game's stability is a mixed bag; while it is engaging and fun, users report significant bugs, particularly with connectors and mixture combinations, leading to frustration and the need for external help. However, the developers are actively addressing issues, which offers some reassurance to players.
- “They fulfill all the promises; the game is engaging, fun, and bug-free.”
- “The connectors fail for stupid reasons and seem buggy when swapping out materials. They don't give you any recipes or explain the mixture combinations system. Some of the mixtures seem to be based on percentage chance rather than 100%, and I spent more time googling things, especially when things are blocked or broken, than actually playing.”
- “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.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its captivating art style, immersive music, and sound effects, creating an engaging environment that enhances the addictive gameplay loop of discovery and automation. Players express a desire for more exploration within this richly crafted world.
- “I love the atmosphere and the core gameplay loop of discovery and automation is very addicting.”
- “I really like the atmosphere and the music/sound effects!”
- “I love the art style and atmosphere (wish we could explore more of the world).”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
100%
The game offers a moderate level of replayability, appealing to those seeking a whimsical adventure rather than endless replay value. However, the focus on discovering effective setups may limit the incentive to replay, as players might feel compelled to optimize rather than explore.
- “The game does offer replayability to fix all that; however, the nature of objectively effective setups kind of defeats the main point of the game, which is figuring out the most effective setups.”
- “I would definitely recommend this for someone who isn't necessarily looking for a game that has endless replayability but scratches the itch for some whimsical adventure in the magical potions market.”
- “The game does offer replayability to fix all that; however, the nature of objectively effective setups kind of defeats the main point of the game, which is figuring out said most effective setups.”