Developer: Art Games Studio
Nintendo Switch Review
*Disclaimer: I was sent the code for this game for Nintendo Switch in return for a review, all opinions are mine and mine alone.
Alchemist: The Potion Monger is a game based around magical hybrid animals who cast spells and make potions. From the very start, you will be given character options, each has a perk and all are equally adorable, players will be able to name their character and their companion who is a cute little dog. The character selection is made of hybrid beings who walk and talk like any human would. As a magical girlie, I was curious to see what would be in store for me within this game, it looked simplistic enough with an element of fighting and exploration mixed with learning how to create potions to progress further.
Upon starting the game you will get a choice between playing as an Apprentice or an Alchemist, playing as an Apprentice offers an easier experience for the story and gameplay. Whereas playing as an Alchemist offers players no advantages or disadvantages giving you a fair balance when playing. Once you've finished this and the character selection you're thrown into the magical world where you find out you get your very own home that you're moving but first, you need to unpack. Each item has a place, choose where you want it and where it fits best, and you have plenty of room to choose from. Just as I was finishing up I was greeted by a new character called Eve, she is a shop owner in the local town and encourages you to make your way there.
Before I took on this task I wanted to get an idea of my surroundings. I left my home walked around and collected as many materials as I could carry, some of these were to make options with using my cauldron I had unpacked and others I would eventually need. Movement within the game is very slow, it takes up a lot of time and it gets very frustrating at times especially when avoiding enemies such as the slimes. There are two ways to go faster first is to choose a character who has a faster speed at the start of the character selection which is a pain for those going for the look of a character alone. The second is the potion of speed, this is your best bet to progress faster and to get tasks/contracts done before the sun sets.
Progress can be slow but unlocking portals is a huge help when exploring and getting to and forth to places before time runs out to complete contracts, these are great for making money and levelling up. Potion learning is important as is finding a weapon to defend yourself. I felt that potion-making and learning were the bulk of the game, the added elements such as helping townspeople, fighting enemies and exploring get repetitive but it comes with the added bonus, enemies drop supplies (not always) amongst other things and whilst exploring you will come across not only ingredients but also skill books, these come in very handy throughout your journey.
To me, the game is about trial and error, learning potions and how to put them together without causing explosions is important, it leads to wasted materials that you grinded to find and no one wants to do that. Luckily you don't have to keep guessing, early on you will be given a philosopher stone, it lets you know what motar to use for ingredients you're holding/other ingredients you need to grind down and put in the cauldron. For a visual person like me, this is important, I learn better when shown things rather than reading instructions. Changing parts of the world you're now part of with your potion brewing and alchemy skills opens it up to secrets, new NPC's and more ingredients.
Personally, I felt that Alchemist: The Potion Monger wasn't for the younger audience, some language used is far from appropriate for the younger generation even though it's rated as Pegi 7. However, developers brought magic to the game with the use of potion making which shines a different light on the magical world, it shows you can perform magic without having powers and instead with the use of ingredients you can find in the world around you. My only gripe with the game is the speed, this does in turn make gameplay longer but for some, they may find it to become a very sluggish gameplay, you will speed up though, I promise. Alchemist: The Potion Monger is available on: PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X and Series S, Microsoft Windows, Xbox One.
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