JUDGES’ VERDICTS:
I really think there is a solid concept here. Unfortunately the grindiness, the trial and error and needing a PhD in Mathematics sullies the experience. The original art is very cute and is a fun enough incentive to play. But I found that being thrown out into the world with somehow both too much and not enough information at the same time. A lot of places and things but a lot of telling, not much showing. The beginning feels very overwhelming as you only have a loose idea what you need to do and not enough breadcrumbs to get you started. Its a solid concept, it really is, but not an overly accessible one or one thats easy to find entertaining unless you’re one for grinding, guesswork and numbers. Would love to see a more refined version of this experience and this world, especially with such fun characters.
I hate to say it but I enjoyed this one the least compared to failmuseum’s previous efforts. While this game had the usual trademark ingenuity and flourishes indicative of this developer’s style, it felt like it had taken on too much, ladening the gameplay loop with design choices that felt claggy and burdensome, marring the experience overall. This wasn’t the only potionmaking entry of the jam but it was one the one where I struggled to acheive even that simple endeavor. In this game more than others did one feel the limitations and constraints of the RPG Maker engine with its laborious menu navigating.
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The positives were in the presentation and in the characters present, which helped sell the world
and premise admirably. I also thought the overworld map traversal was really nifty! This entry doesn’t want for fans so it’s clearly hitting some targets correctly, but this game doesn’t pull any punches and expects a lot from the player. An accessible game this is not, sadly.
