Potions: A Curious Tale, developed by Stumbling Cat and published by Hawthorn Games, is a charming fantasy adventure game that challenges players to use their wits.
Story
Luna is a young witch sent to study with her grandmother, Granny, to learn the art of potion making. Granny believes the best way to learn is to do so players immediately jump into learning how to navigate the world as a potion-maker, traveling through a land filled with fairy-tale creatures, some familiar and others brand new. Thankfully, Luna has what every good witch needs: a cat familiar to keep her company and snark at her (and thankfully for players, the devs let you pet the cat!!!)
Gameplay
The gameplay in Potions is fantastic. The intuitive controls make it easy for players to navigate Luna through the world. The game puts a major emphasis on exploration, and goes to the effort of ensuring players are rewarded for sticking their noses into every corner and cave. While exploring, players will of course gather ingredients for potion-making. Thankfully ingredients are easy to gather since they will respawn each time an area screen is reloaded. So if players go inside to explore a cave, when they come back out, all of the herbs and mushrooms will be ready to pick again. But so will the enemies!
Combat in Potions is more strategy-based than whack-em based. As Luna will be told, not every enemy should be attacked head-on. It is worth trying a softer approach in order to gather their feathers, eggs, and ice spikes. Players need to use the environment as much as the potions they craft in order to safely navigate the world. The environmental element elevates Potions from a straightforward fantasy adventure game to a thought-provoking experience that rewards players for their willingness to try something new.
Crafting potions is just as rewarding as exploration. While players will gather recipes for new potions, they are not limited to the recipes they know. Luna can mix any number of combinations and begin creating high-level, high-powered potions on day one. This means that players can feel confident about wandering into unknown territories.
And it’s a good idea to have a wide variety of potions in your belt because they are not just for healing and attacking. Potions are essential for extending a player’s exploration. Throwing potions at obstacles can help players access new areas, while throwing potions at just any random old thing might unlock a treasure.
The game does not have a traditional leveling or advancement system, as Luna is given everything she needs at the beginning of the game. Rather, it is players who level up! It might take a couple of tries to figure out how to get the ice hedgehogs to drop their icey spikeys but once players learn the trick, they have unlocked another of the hundreds of secrets the game holds.
And there will be lots of opportunities for players to try out their newfound knowledge, as there are plenty of side quests in addition to the overarching narrative.
Overall
10/10
Potions: A Curious Tale is a delight! A captivating knowledge-based strategy fantasy adventure with a relaxing story, intuitive gameplay, and adorable art.
Potions trusts its players to think, play, and get creative with the environmental mechanics, offering an enjoyable experience that will keep players saying, “I’ll just play five more minutes.”
Potions: A Curious Tale will launch tomorrow, March 7, 2024 for PC via Steam.
Related: Reviews by Michelle Jones
I'm a completionist gamer who just needs to find that one last object and clear that final dungeon. I love all video games, from open world sandboxes on a console to a mindless match three on my phone. In addition to gaming and writing, I am a graduate student working on a thesis about the ancient Icelandic Sagas. Feel free to ask me anything about Vikings.
More Stories
Blast Brigade vs. The Evil Legion of Dr. Cread Now on Prime Gaming
Echo Generation: Midnight Edition Review for Nintendo Switch
Drug Dealer Simulator 2 Review for Steam