Intro
There are many elements to a cozy game that add a sense of relaxation and comfort to the player’s experience. Elements such as relaxing music, a cozy atmosphere, and comforting tasks to complete are all aspects that make this sub-genre so attractive. Cozy games often create a world where the player can accomplish tasks and enjoy the atmosphere of a game without becoming mentally or emotionally exhausted. One such game that reflects this is Potion Craft. Potion Craft is an alchemist simulator that takes creating “potions” in your backyard as a kid to a whole new level.
You act as a medieval town’s potion master, and it is your job to sell various concoctions to the townsfolk in hopes of solving their various problems. Create potion recipes, foster friendships, and rise to the top as the town’s alchemist as you mix your way to being the talk of the town. Decide who you help and who you won’t within this magical world of knights, spellcasters, and herbalists.
This game is a fun and addictive way to pass the hours as you improve your potion prowess. We’re going to dive into the main facets of this game to provide you with this product’s particular points in order to give you the proof you need to decide if you should play Potion Craft (ok no more P words).
As always, these articles act as a guide to help you decide whether a game is worth playing for you or not. The different facets and aspects of the game are not necessarily good or bad but rather things to keep in mind to help you decide whether YOU will want to play a game or not. Sound like something you’re into? Then keep on reading.
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Story
The story of Potion Craft is a simple one. You have just arrived in a nameless village and have taken to living in an abandoned shack to start your business as the town’s new alchemist. As you progress through the game you will get different kinds of patrons with a myriad of needs. Who you choose to help and who you choose to turn away will affect your reputation. Will you sell a potion to a wife who wants to help her husband when he hunts? How about a nameless customer in need of poison and for you to not ask questions? These scenarios and more will be put in front of you as you form the kind of clientele you want to sell to.
While the story is a simple one it acts as a nice backdrop to your life as a potion provider (I lied there’s more) for this little nameless town. As you level up your skills you will get more complex potion requests as well as more customers. Helping customers grows your reputation and will get you different vendors as well who will come to you to sell their goods. Cultivating relationships with these vendors will maximize your business as they will bring you better ingredients and equipment to purchase.
While your choices have some consequences there is not much that you could do to greatly harm your future gameplay. You can pretty much tell if a choice is going to have a negative outcome or not when it is first presented to you, so you don’t need to stress over that aspect of the game. That said, if you’re a person who is looking for story driven gameplay and deep connections with NPCs you might want to consider looking elsewhere.
Gameplay
The main aspect of Potion Craft is the gameplay. Your are tasked with solving your patrons’ problems by selling them potions. Sometimes they will ask you for a specific potion but often times you will have to craft a unique potion to fulfill their needs.
How you create potions in this game is through a unique mapping process. Each ingredient and step to creating a potion takes you in a different direction on the map behind your caldron. You need to use the proper ingredients and steps to be able to make the journey to the potion you need. Here’s the kicker though, from the start you are only taught how to make two potions. The rest you must find out on your own.
This is not a random process, but it does require some trial and error to be able to discover how to make certain potions. Even how much you grind an ingredient in your mortar and pestle will affect how far it goes on the map. Pay attention to the steps you take and remember to save recipes to your recipe book for quick brewing later.
One really forgiving aspect about this brewing process is that you can use different types of herbs and methods to be able to create the same potion. This adds more to the creative process and causes the game to be more of a puzzle process. This is sometimes a life saver as if you run out of a particular ingredient you might be able to fenagle another recipe.
If you like throwing things into a pot to try and create different potions, then this may be the game for you. However, you do have to have some ingredient management in order to be able to find new potions and serve your customers. This is a tightrope you will have to walk so if you’re not the type of person to play businessman and scientist then this game may not be the one for you.
Pros
- Unique potion crafting.
- Interesting visuals.
- Relaxing atmosphere.
- Room for creativity.
- You get to feel like a witch or a wizard.
Cons
- Trial and error process in potion making.
- Not very story driven.
- Ingredient management.
- You may have to say “no”.
Conclusion
Finding games that are relaxing but appeal to your sense of wonder is always a win. While Potion Craft is not a big epic fantasy adventure, sometimes it’s fun to relax and play the town alchemist. Potion Craft facilitates the need for a puzzle like story game with a creative twist. If you’re looking for a more story driven game or hate the thought of telling others no, then this may not be the game for you. However, if you love a cottage core medieval cozy game where you get to solve problems while running your own magical business then consider checking out Potion Craft.
You can grab Potion Craft for Switch here
Or you can grab it for PC here
