WHEW this game is so addictive!! I blasted through the game in the course of a snowed-in 3 day weekend and ruined my sleep schedule staying up so late to play it longer, 10/10 would do again!! The gameplay is really balanced, I ran into some difficult tasks but nothing felt impossible, I just had to adjust my strategy a little. The romances are fun, the characters are all really likeable (Salt and Pepper are my favorites <3), the story was fun and engaging, and they managed to pack quite a bit of world-building into it without it feeling clunky at all. I just bought the DLC, would LOVE to see a sequel or another similar game from Voracious Games!! :)

I have a gripe with this game.

Not because I dislike it, mind you. In fact, I think it's safe to say I actually really enjoy it!

The thing is it took me almost an year since starting my playthrough to actually finish it. Yes, you read that right. I bought this game last January 7th and only now am I beating it.

Why, you must ask? Well, a fitting question indeed! Dear reader, The fact is I suffered from a pseudo-phenomena that sometimes happens to us assiduous gamers. Even though I liked the game, knew I liked the game and had genuine interest in seeing it through, I just couldn't get myself to boot it! I always kept pulling away from it even though I knew I would enjoy my time with it.

BUT WHY, DUDE?

Well, it's not like I don't have my theories. As a matter of fact, I think I can pinpoint the exact reason: it felt like a chore. Well, not for me, you see, but for my brain. There were sessions where I I played this game for 9 hours straight and still not get even 20% of the MAIN STORY done. What the fu¢k? I'm not a completionist, you see. I'm not the kind of guy that hunts for achievements. But I am a terrible, terrible minmaxer. And this game does nothing to restrain me besides 'time blocks'. Nothing happens in real time, there is no clock ticking, so I could just take my sweet time to be as efficient as possible while wasting away an entire day and not even getting to a boss fight! There was even a time where I showed up to a fight with a potion so much stronger than the rival's that he just instantly lost! Get schooled, looooser.

This is not a critique, please don't get me wrong. I am well aware my problem with this game is a "skill issue", of sorts. As I said before, I love it to bits and am overjoyed to see that even now the devs are still working on it (the game was updated in october, far past it's full release) and actively listening to their community, as evidenced by the addition of an endless mode and difficult settings for people that found the game too hard or stressful.

The game mechanics are well fleshed out, the art style is charming, the cast is lovely and the soundtrack is not too shabby either! If you like management games be sure to give it a try, for Potionomics is one of those experiences that don't come across as often as they should.

Just be aware of the hole you're digging yourself into if what you read sounds relatable.

I love how expressive the characters are and their animations, the voice acting is great too and i love getting to know all of the different characters more and their personalities!
The gameplay is also very enjoyable and depending on the difficulty you choose, you can either enjoy the story without issues or have a real challenge trying to sell your potions and perfecting them while getting the best ingridients!
I highly recommend to check it out!~