Having inherited your uncle’s potion shop, which it turns out is saddled with ridiculous debt and is in terrible condition, you’re tasked with turning things around before you lose everything. To do that is going to require you quickly coming up to speed on how to effectively concoct desirable potions, source your materials, maybe romance up some folks for help, and survive sometimes intense negotiations with your clientele. Trying to balance so many of these aspects at once, Potionomics does a surprisingly good job for the most part.

On the business side of things, you’ll need to manage quite a few variables. The ultimate key to your financial success will be winning a series of high-stakes competitions that occur every 10 days. While normally these sorts of sims are built on a backbone of more leisurely play, in this case you’ll be on a schedule and it can feel quite tight at times. Learning how best to make the most of the materials you have, and fashioning potions with just the right attributes, can take some work and persistence. While it can feel a bit trial and error at times, the upside to that is the fact that there’s at least a little room to experiment rather than everything being pre-dictated, so whether it’s a positive or negative will come down to taste.

The more fun side of the game is definitely the mix of trying to build a little romance into things, especially since the reward will often be new perks and cards for your deck. While I know some folks out there will roll their eyes at the mention of another game with deck building elements, the way it is applied here is actually quite fun and sensible. Rather than having traditional battles, you’ll be setting yourself up for success in your fight to haggle effectively with your customers, trying to squeeze them for every piece of gold possible. Really I found these negotiations to be one of the best aspects of the game, they just feel fun, allow the game to really demonstrate some personality, and helps to reframe something familiar in a new way that is fresh.

So, are you ready to tackle a game that really has quite a lot going on? Be warned that this isn’t your typical cute and cozy sim, the challenges and even the haggling itself can be a bit stressful at times while you try to dig yourself out of a financial sinkhole. While the gameplay itself is varied and can be fun, I really think it’s the game’s personality that comes through in the dialogue and interactions that sets it apart. If you’re down for something a bit different, it may be a recipe for fun.