The apothecary opens in this adorable game about brewing potions, grinding herbs, and selling wares. However, Potion Craft: Alchemist Simulator is more than meets the eye. Beyond the quaint illustrated art style and charming exterior belies a deep complex crafting system.
Potion Craft: Alchemist Simulator takes crafting and mixing to the max, encouraging players to interact with tools and herbs of a bygone era. Let the people journey back to medieval times when the most they had to worry about were the plagues and pestilence rampant in the Middle Ages. Players will be in control of a shop, inventing new recipes, bringing customers through their doors, and experimenting to their heart's content in hopes that the town survives the harsh winters and illnesses.
10 Time Waits For Only One
Players will be happy to learn that Potion Craft: Alchemist Simulator relaxes on time constraints when playing. Progress in the game is dictated by the player moving forward when they want to.
When a customer arrives at the store asking for the player to procure a certain potion, players have all day to figure out the recipe. This is extremely helpful if it is a concoction that a player has never created before. Clocking in and out is on the player's timeline.
9 Potions Or Portents
An apothecary, like all shopkeepers, is not beholden to its customers, and neither is the player. When interacting with a customer, a certain amount of role play goes on. This is a crucial time for people to figure out whether they want to sell this person a potion.
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Not all customers are trustworthy. Sometimes they may ask for a potion, or deadly poison, which can be innocuous or nefarious depending on that customer’s intentions. If a player rightfully declines the sale of their wares, they can boost their reputation and find themselves in the graces of their other customers.
8 A Map To Avoid Medical Mishaps
When creating potions, the game innovates the process by applying a mapping system (sort of like an RPGs skill tree). This map helps players create new potions with diverse effects, and if certain criteria are met on the map, then players will be able to net experience points along the way.
During the potion-making process, how a player navigates this map can be the difference between a failure, standard, or perfect potion. The map contains many boons and many dangers. These range from whirlpools that can suck away the mixture if bellows are over-utilized, to danger zones if the player goes off the beaten path. Therefore, players will find it helpful to use skill points early on. These will fill out the map as much as possible to avoid the alchemical pitfalls.
7 Going Through An Experimental Phase
How would discoveries be made without experimentation? Failures and successes are equally a part of the alchemical journey. Players should feed into the experimental nature of Potion Craft and the mechanics in play. There is a wide range of alchemical reagents, from herbs to gemstones, for the player to tinker with. The alchemy map encourages the player to experiment with said items, by opening more of the map with each successful experimentation.
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As the game progresses, rarer ingredients become more accessible (via the visiting merchants in town). Experimenting with them opens up more complicated pathways as the player uses each ingredient.
6 Capitalism and Concoctions
The more players get well-versed in potion crafting, the stronger the potions become. With each star added to a potion's ranking, the more potent the effect. There are three categories to potion strength: weak, standard, and strong. They are developed in accordance to how accurately the player mixes their ingredients together.
The more a player aligns their potion with the points on the map, the better the potion will be and the more it will sell for. This can be a game changer in the early hours. However, that is why creating better potions is so difficult. There is little room for mistakes and any deviance can result in only a standard, or even weak, product. So de-fuse the situation and don't bellow too hard!
5 A Guide To The Horticulturalist's Haggle
Where there is a merchant, there is money and a penchant for mitigating costs. If players are gifted with gab, then it should be obvious that offers on sale can be negotiated for a fair price. Players should look out for these discounted items (indicated by a downward green arrow), especially on the rarer ingredients, as they can be pretty expensive.
Also, haggling is a two-way street. A player should buy low as much as they sell high. Make sure potions sell for a higher price than their starting costs to accrue more spending for future ingredient purchases.
4 Planning For Panaceas
For those who aren't RPG hoarders just waiting for the perfect moment to use potions, players will realize that potions can have multiple effects when applied. In accordance with their strength, the potency of each position is indicated by how well-brewed they are. Weak potions will have one effect, while strong one may have up to three.
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The player should set out to make the strongest potions possible, as in the end, the ultimate alchemical goal is to create a Philosopher's Stone. No half-cut healing will make it here. Keeping potion strength in mind at the start of the game isn't the most important aspect, but it will serve players well in the long run.
3 A Real Page Turner
Once a potion is brewed, a player will have the chance to document their findings as a recipe on a Magic Page. This is somewhat of a shortcut for brewing as it allows a person to look at the potion and brew it instantly without having to go through the mixing process again.
The number of Magic Pages within the game is limited, so players should be cautious about which potion they choose to save. Some may be tempted to save their strongest potions, however, they might find it more useful to save the ones that are in the most demand, to expedite their supply chain instead of having to focus on the non-important mixtures when they're experimenting with other alchemical combinations.
2 Flora and Fungi
Potion Craft: Alchemist Simulator provides many avenues for ingredient distribution, such as the merchant. However, there is also a chance to stretch that green thumb from time to time. There will come a time when players are granted access to a garden under an enchanted tree that can be used to procure bases such as Terraria, Firebell, Waterbloom, and Windbloom for their potions.
Players will want to check daily, in-game, as new plants appear at the start of each day and if they are not picked up within the allotted time then they will disappear. Make sure there is time set aside for the harvest.
1 Alchemical Expansion
Potion Craft is still in early access, with the developer adding new features and expanding upon parts already included within the game. Players may find it helpful to check back occasionally to see what is coming down the pipeline. Forthcoming features include:
- Legendary Recipes
- Upgrades for the garden and equipment
- Diversifying customer base who want more complex potions
With a team of just five people, patience is key. Updates will roll out when they can, and players will need all the help they can get to craft the Philosopher's Stone!
Potion Craft: Alchemy Simulator is out now on PC.
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