Potionomics is a hectic game about balancing your time, flirting with the locals, and successfully running a shop. This may sound overbearing, but strangely, it isn’t. Everything runs smoothly and organising your life is much easier than you’d imagine. However, this doesn’t mean that it’ll all be plain sailing, as there are plenty of hurdles to overcome and weirdness in this fantasy game.
This magical shop simulator was developed by Voracious Games and published by XSEED Games. Moreover, it is a beautiful single-player game that has some incredible animations. If you love wacky characters and plenty of twists and turns, this is the game for you. Think of Harvest Moon, Stardew Valley, and your favourite puzzle and dating sim games and mix them all. The likely result would be Potionomics!
Potionomics is a game about a tainted start.
The passing of a loved one is a tough time. Yet, if you chuck in the odd curse and mountains of debt, things take a miserable turn for the worse. This is exactly what happens in Potionomics. The hero has inherited a shop from her potion-loving uncle. However, he has no heir and hands the reins to you. This sounds like a bargain, but his shop is laden with debt. Moreover, a witch holds all of the cards, and you must appease her or feel her wrath.
The story is a little absurd, and the financial pressure is somewhat unfair, but you quickly forget about these issues. Instead, you focus on the zany characters you meet and the potion-brewing competitions that unfold. Each of these events moves you closer to financial freedom and the accolades that come with it. As such, you must spin many plates as you search for new ingredients and master new potions.
A simple concept.
There is plenty going on and loads to keep you busy. However, Potionomics has a simple core concept. Each day is broken down into chunks of time. Every activity takes a small chunk of your day, and you must choose your tasks wisely. Do you spend time brewing potions or haggling with your customers? Alternatively, do you shmooze with the NPCs and improve your relationships? Either way, you mustn’t forget the end goal of winning the competition.
The shop element revolves around potions of different qualities and contents and a deck-building battle. You must way up your customer’s patience, defence, and desire to buy your product. As you interact with each NPC, you discover new cards to help you on your way. With limited AP to use, you must decide the best approach and cash out before it is too late.
Explore the world.
Though the shop element is key, there are plenty of ways to skin a cat. As such, you can get cosy with the heroes’ guild and be rewarded with plenty of rare and expensive resources. On the other hand, you can keep things simple and buy basic ingredients to keep your shop stocked up. Either way, you must balance your money and your goods if you wish to succeed.
Keeping each NPC happy was an enjoyable albeit challenging task. It was tricky to spend time with your favourite people, and time disappeared far too quickly. Consequently, you must decide whom you wish to impress and stick with a solid game plan.
Potionomics looks amazing.
Visually, “sim” games are somewhat lacking. Though Potionomics isn’t a simulation experience per se, the shop-keeping element is the core concept. Accordingly, I was blown away by the striking colours, exceptional character models, and impressive 3D animation. Additionally, the world is fun, unique, and interesting to explore.
The audio has a sense of mischief and naughtiness. This fantasy edge was great to listen to. What’s more, I loved the nonsense of the bartering system and the silly accompanying sound bites.
Excellent controls.
Potionomics does a great job of explaining its key ideas. The tutorial overcomes every hurdle with ease, and I loved how easy it was to play. Though it took a while to master the haggling and the potion-making, the effort was rewarding.
Replay value and longevity are reasonably limited. Yes, you can improve different relationships, and each haggling opportunity is unique, but the core concept is the same throughout. As such, it would take a lot for me to keep playing this repeatedly.
Potionomics is fun, interesting, and a little crazy.
I love it when a game surprises me. When I read about a deck-building shop sim, I screwed my nose up. However, I’m glad I gave this my full attention. The action is crazy, and the characters are fun and memorable. Moreover, the gameplay is interesting and balancing everything is just about challenging enough. Accordingly, this is unusual, but I recommend buying it here! Can you clear your debt? Fill the shelves, master new potions, and haggle for the best price.
