Do you ever find yourself in need of a quick burst of gaming while you’re waiting for time to pass by? Whether it’s a mobile game or on the Nintendo Switch, you play a relaxing time filler you can always pick back up when needed. Potion Party is one of those games for me. Potion Party is a cute pixel party game where you run your own alchemy shop. It is available on PC (Steam), PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and the Nintendo Switch. This review is of Potion Party on the Nintendo Switch.Â
The goal of Potion Party is to run the alchemy shop smoothly by making potions for your customers and hitting the daily level’s quota. You can grow your own exotic fruit and synthesize them to produce different potions. The fruit colors are blue, red, and yellow, which you can combine to make other color positions or, add a dash of charcoal to make a black potion. A customer walks in to request a potion, but you don’t know what potion a customer will request until they’ve reached the counter.Â
One thing I’ve noticed in comparison to similar games like Overcooked, is that the customers aren’t as impatient. You still have to get them in and out of the shop as quickly as possible without the frantic energy games as Overcooked brings. The customers’ patience allows you to make gold easily, which can be used to make upgrades to the shop. I was particularly interested in the shop decorations that gave small benefits such as +1 gold for every potion sold, decreasing theft spawn times, or increasing the customer’s wait time.Â
Potion Party contains twelve levels, each adding on an obstacle you have to combat in making potions. Different enemies attack your store in an attempt to damage your business. Each enemy requires a different process to get rid of them, adding on a few nice challenges to the potion-making part of the game. An interesting factor to this is the ability to choose between twelve different characters. Each character has a specific ability that helps with the flow of the shop you want, whether you’re playing solo or co-op. A plus side is that you’re also able to upgrade each character’s abilities and max out their bonuses.
Unfortunately, Potion Party is only a couch four-player co-op with no online co-op available. If you’re like me and playing solo, there is a solo campaign available, but without a story, it can feel a bit repetitive even with the addition of new enemies or swapping a character. Potion Party is a nice filler game as a single-player game, but given what is available in the multiplayer modes, there is more available.Â
This colorful pixelated art style compliments the simplistic gameplay. Sadly, the game can become a bit stale if you try to play for long hours with the solo campaign. There are other features such as an endless mode where you have to keep the store open for as long as possible. The co-op has a special versus mode where you can play against your friends and compete for the best shop results.Â
Although you can decorate your shop, it would have been nice to see a change of space. The same setting, along with the same music, adds to the staleness of solo-player gameplay. In terms of accessibility, some of the mechanics should have been more obvious. Fortunately, the game mechanics can be figured out through trial and error. Another downside is the game’s single objective on a continuous loop. You make potions for your customers until you hit the quota.Â
Even with what little is given in Potion Party, it is well done and can be an addictive experience if you’re waiting on time to pass by. I found myself going back to levels to save up gold to get better upgrades or unlock different characters. I recommend this game for anyone who enjoys shopkeeper games, especially if you are looking to play with friends. It is a charming and colorful game for anyone looking for a less stressful Overcooked-esque game on the go or looking to stress themselves out with a couple of friends slightly.
