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I love it when a game heads to a new platform and it turns out that’s the best version you can get. That’s the situation with Potionomics: Masterwork Edition, and I’m so glad the Switch version is the one I ended up beating. The experience feels more stronger, and choosing the new difficulty helps eliminate stress associated with the balancing and scheduling decisions in the original game if someone felt that got in the way of anyone’s initial enjoyment.

Potionomics: Masterwork Edition begins with Sylvia inheriting her dilapidated and in-debt uncle’s potion shop in Rafta. That and a suspicious owl that happens to be living there that was allegedly Oswald’s partner. Though she doesn’t have her potion license yet, she’s quickly thrust into the responsibilities of running the shop and entering tournaments to repair the owed money so she can stay in Rafta running the business. Oh, and maybe she also gets to romance the other people living there. 

I will say that while I appreciate the concept behind Potionomics: Masterwork Edition’s story and like the character designs a lot, I’m not a big fan of the personalities. At least, initially. While there is depth to some of these characters, a lot of them involve these overly exaggerated personality traits that are very in-your-face. Considering a big part of the game is tied to the relationship building, I found the over-the-top nature of many of these folks to be a turn-off. But this is a very personal opinion, and some people might be okay with it given the general tone of the narrative.

Though tone is an important point in general for Potionomics: Masterwork Edition, because going with the standard difficulty or harder one does bring up the dissonance again. This is an entertaining deckbuilder and potion-crafting simulator. Things start off fairly manageable. You need to brew potions, with certain specific ones needed for regular competitions to repay the loan your uncle took. That means getting ingredients from individuals in town, which you can also befriend and romance. 

You place those potions in the shop, then open to engage in the haggling battles with cards to get customers interested and drive up the price. However, customers’ actions during these phases can stress you out, which can carry over and negatively affect future negotiations. So as you meet and get to know people, as well as progress the campaign, you earn cards. These can be added to your deck to shape your tactics and approach. So when you play three each turn, you can focus on buffs, debuffs, immediate assaults, or defense to ensure you maintain customer patience and maximize encounters. Since each day has multiple time period opportunities for brewing and vending, so you can have up to three packed into a single day. 

The thing is that someone’s opinion on said difficulty and pacing can vary. On the standard difficulty or higher, it very quickly gets stressful. There are so many materials you need, so little time between tournaments, and the types of demands that make the game feel downright stressful. People also might get put off by the difficulty spikes that come up when the tournaments happen, as the contents involving specific potions are quite demanding. So going as-is, with the experience Voracious Games intended it to be, might be a lot.

The good news is, Voracious Games took player from the PC version of the game into for Potionomics: Masterwork Edition. There are two notable changes for this release, and one addresses that disparity between the often bright, jovial, and optimistic tone and time-sensitive, sometimes punishing schedule. One pertains to difficulty. As I established, that can ramp up at certain points over the course of the game. When you start out, you can select a new “Cozy” option. 

“Cozy” means you can visit people without wasting your in-game time, which is really efficient for shop management. The boss fights are easier (in a good and rebalanced way) as well. To be honest, I usually didn’t mind the tournaments in the original game, but the timing is a real game-changer here. So I ended up going with that difficulty and not looking back, because it does make it easier to enjoy the relationship-building elements here. I would suggest trying normal difficulty first, then rolling back to Cozy if that doesn’t work for you.

There is also an endless mode in Potionomics: Masterwork Edition. Which, again, is appreciated. I honestly enjoyed the deck-building and haggling card game most out of all the gameplay mechanics at work here. So… that basically let me do more of that? I really appreciated getting to change up and experiment with strategies in a way I couldn’t when I was more focused on completing goals in the campaign. It really allows you to appreciate the good parts of the game in a relaxed way.

Potionomics: Masterwork Edition makes me feel like someone coming to the Switch version is immediately getting access to the best version of the game. While there are some minor balancing issues remaining and someone might be as hit-or-miss on characters as I was, the changes and additions based on player result in a markedly improved experience. It really makes it easier to appreciate Sylvia’s adventures in capitalism.

Potionomics: Masterwork Edition is available on the Switch, PS5, and Xbox Series X, and the original version with new updates is on the PC.

The post Review: Potionomics: Masterwork Edition Feels Like a Better Deal appeared first on Siliconera.

Potion sellers, prepare your strongest potions. Customers will want them whether they can handle them or not. So it goes with Potionomics, a new management sim developed by Voracious Games, which releases today on PC via Steam.

Check out the game's launch trailer below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSjLEIrBD0o

Potionomics puts players in control of Sylvia, a plucky entrepreneur who inherits her late uncle's struggling potion shop. Saddled with a mountain of debt and cutthroat competition, she must out-brew and out-bargain her rivals to become the premiere potion purveyor in the city of Rafta.

The game is a narrative-driven RPG that blends business management and deck-building elements. Players will manage the shop and balance its expenditures, brew potions and find the most effective recipes, and negotiate with customers. Potionomics negotiations take place using a card-based system, where players balance Sylvia's stress levels with the demands of the conversation. Players can also befriend the locals, furthering their relationships and forming intimate bonds. Making connections also enhances Sylvia's negotiation game, unlocking useful bargaining cards to make dealing with picky customers easier.

Potionomics was first announced in 2020, but began making appearances at shows like PAX East this year. Voracious also released a limited-time playable demo during the Steam Next Fest earlier in October.

Potionomics is available on PC via Steam for $24.99. A Deluxe Edition release includes a digital artbook and soundtrack for $39.99. Both editions have a launch discount of 10% and 15%, respectively, ending on October 24, 2022.

The post Potionomics Potion Shop Management Sim Released for PC appeared first on Siliconera.

During PC Gamer's, well, PC Gaming Show, Xseed Games showed up with a couple of intriguing announcements. Not only is Xseed Games bringing Story of Seasons to PC gamers for the first time, it's also partnering with indie developer Voracious Games to publish and  Potionomics.

Potionomics is described as a hybrid genre blend of RPG and a shop simulator. Sylvia is a young witch who runs a potion shop, which is in crisis mode as she is running up against debt collectors. Sylvia is not only responsible for actually brewing the potions, she also has to deal with eccentric, curmudgeonly customers trying to haggle her prices down.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-BA-D3yCfE

Alongside the kooky customers, Sylvia will also have to maintain her business alongside competing shops cropping up alongside changes in the market and economy. You'll be helping Sylvia and her shop survive all of these obstacles, while encountering all kinds of RPG tropes and creatures along the way.

It's early yet, so Potionomics doesn't have a release date or ESRB rating. However, what's particularly fascinating about this news is that Xseed Games isn't just publishing Potionomics. Xseed Games is actually helping fund this project, to not only get it out the door but to help it after it launches.

The post Xseed Games is Partnering With Voracious Games to and Publish Potionomics appeared first on Siliconera.