Alchemy of Beasts - Prototype
A downloadable game for Windows
ALCHEMY OF BEASTS is a game where you will be cursed by a God of Nature to slowly turn into a creature of its realm. It's up to you to find a way to stop, slow it, or adapt to this curse.
Luckily, you found a grimoire with precious information to how to make Alchemy to help you in your journey.
THE CURSE
The curse inflicted on you by the God of Nature is a tricky one. Instead of sending their faithful against you, they decided it would way more fun to make you join them... whether you like it or not.
In this version : The trickster god will will put you under one of the 3 curses possible in this demo. Discover which one it is as time pass by.
THE FOREST
The forest is a myterious place where a lot of legends happened. A lot of them telling how people got lost in these woods. But it is also filled with treasure of the nature which would certainly help you in your journey.
In this version : Explore luxirious and dynamic maps within the forest and discover how to resolve its mysteries and exploit its ressources.
THE CRITTERS
Living in the forest, these critters all seem quite normal at first. The Grimoire do talk about all of them. However, it is quickly clear that this list isn't just about what lives between the trees.
In this version : No animals in sight.. except one helpful little guy. The curse is certainly linked to those, but which one ? Only one is now linked to you.
THE ALCHEMY
All these ressources must be some kind of key to escape this place and the curse put onto you. Fortunately, you will come across some ruins with abandonned alchemy materials and tools. Why would the forest let you discover that ? Is this just a game ?
In this version : Crush materials into powders and mix 2 of them into the cauldron to create potions which will help you gather, move, change the landscape and maybe, slow down the curse.
FAQ :
How many endings the game currently have ?
There is 5 endings for now.
A lot of things aren't explained, I'm lost :
Your little Bat friend should be able to help you understand how to get you started !
If not, be sure to explore and try to fill up your Grimoire recipes by trying different potions !
I have trouble with understanding the cauldron :
First you need some water to fill up the cauldron. Then, add one powder, stir it, and repeat with another one. After this, the cauldron should quickly reset (fail) or spawn a potion if the mix was succesful.
Some animations seems... weird...
Indeed, the animations linked to the curse still need some work on the synch side.
I encoutered a bug/crash !
Be sure to report it in the comment and will look into it. Do join the discord and send a bug report. You will be able to see if I'm working on it !
I got stuck / I want to retry without quitting the game
Press F5 to reload the game
Can I suggest features/content ? Yes, but there is no guarantee I will add them.
Be sure to join the discord to suggest them directly.
This is my first game, so please be kind and patient on any problem you encounter, thank you !
OFFICIAL DISCORD
Download
Click download now to get access to the following files:
Development log
- Alchemy of Beasts - Patch 3Apr 01, 2024
- Where is Patch 3 ?!Feb 26, 2024
- Alchemy of Beasts - Patch 2.1Dec 12, 2023
- Alchemy of Beasts - Patch 2 + DiscordDec 07, 2023
- Alchemy of Beasts - Patch 1Dec 03, 2023
Comments
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hey so is the game still being developed? it's been like, more than a couple months since the last update.
Hello! Yes it is still in development but I have less time to work on it than previously so it's way slower
Sorry about that !
If you're curious though, there is a special version which was released with ShifterCon2024 which adds some little clues here and there about future features.
See the download page for this !
Yep, this is gonna need multiple playthroughs to figure things out -- Great job, you got me interested! I'm excited to see what comes next!
Glad to hear :)
The popup for the recipe of Wild Summon shows the wrong ingredient, I believe? (Not saying which one because there's no spoiler function here.) It's correct in the grimoire, though.
You are right !
This is an oversight when I changed the recipe :)
Thanks ! Will fix that soon.
Is there a way to speed up the curse? Also what does the secret do? (If there's more than one, I mean the one you get after the game ends from the timer reaching the end)
Currently the only way to speed up the curse is to get caught by the pink mist roaming the map.
There is plan to make potion affecting time in the near future.
For the secret, there is a total of 4, one for each curse you encounter, and reaching an ending.
You can tell them to the bat... if you didn't annoyed them of course :)
This can be used to check if you got the same curse as previous run, to avoid you losing time if you're going for a different one.
version : 303
severity : mild
type : visual
1. when entering cauldron, tf(ear reveal) happen (may exact timing?) visual bug happen : head with fox ear placed in the middle of cauldron and MC have normal head. this visual bug return to normal when exiting cauldron.
2. when final tf(ending) come while gathering(middle of bar progress), ending dialogue is placed on top of screen instead of middle(paper layer). this include 'thanks for' dialogue. things return to normal when roadmap appears.
Thank you for the bug report :
1. Hopefully, this is fixed alongside the changes around the cauldron in the next hotfix.
2. This is.. a weird one... Gathering shouldn't impact windows position. Will check that, thank you !
+2. i think any interaction not stopping timer can cause same situation. such as : reading a story paper on blocked well.
I was able to trigger it even without gathering or reading a note, so there is something else. Still not sure why but I will try to force the reset for endings in the meantime.
how do i close the grimiore
help
X or Escape should do the trick.
If not, that might be a bug and would like to now how you managed it ! :D
oh thanks, it worked
It's "whether you like it or not" not "whatever you like it or not"
Really excited to see what you do with this! It's a really cool concept with excellent visual flair.
Noted !
And thank you :)
I'm looking forward to seeing what the WereWolf TF will be like, I am excited for the updates.
Hey Lacke, what is your pfp of if you don't mind me asking? I like how it looks, and I'm wondering what it is of?
Hi !
It's a pixel art I made of my eevee sona.
You can see it with evolutions here
i got a weird bug in which the animation of the curse hitting you in the intro stalled and came into affect when i talked to the guy who gives you the book making it look like it cursed me
Hello !
May I ask for more details so I can check that ?
Which exact animation are you refering to ?
The eye ? The screen getting glitchy ? Other ?
Of course it's not game breaking, but as you said, might alter the perception of the story, haha !
just wanted to say this game looks beautiful, if it's all your own spritework it looks great!
Thank you very much !
However, I have to give credit where it's due.
Artworks/UI and characters and their animation are of my own, but most of Tilesets are from Seliel the Shaper where I put my own twist on it by adding my own work.
Next patch will include credits about all assets used in the game to be more clear on that side as I wasn't able to do it before the gamejam timer runned out there ! :)
I wish there were more diverse maps. Of course, the current situation is also wonderfully well made. Don't stop!
Thank you !
A bit more maps is coming next patch.
However, i want it to stay soft for the prototype.
More maps is planned for the Alpha.
how do i go through pages in the grimor and are there more than the starting area and cauldron area to explore and if so how
Hello !
To use the grimoire, click on the tabs on the bottom left. Then you can turn the pages by clicking on the little corners at the edge of the pages.
There is currently only 3 maps for the prototype : Starting area, Forest area and Laboratory.
Basically, if you've seen the laboratory, you've seen all the map in this demo for now.
ok thx
The storyline and gameplay match the atmosphere very well. It is still in the development stage, so I expect more to come.
I don't understand the element symbol and imformation in the Grimoire, could anyone give me a little guide/explain?
I really enjoy playing your game and appreciate the creativity and effort you put into it. However, I noticed that there is always a sense of delay in the game operation, which affects the gameplay experience. I wonder if it is related to the game engine or some other factors. For example, it is annoyinghaving to walk a few extra steps to pick up materials after digging it, and have to drag every material one by one to the exact point in mortar. I think it would be more convenient and fun if there was a way to automate or simplify these actions into one click, as it is a game racing with time. Thank you for your attention
Hello !
These two points you quoted still can be modified and I will try to make it more fluid. (For example, the mortar, before, what quitting after each success)
Automation is a thing I thought about, but for now, I have yet to find how to integrate it in the logic.
However, if it touches menuing, this will be more difficult though as it's more linked to loading parts.
for some reason, i have a feeling there's a certain audience this game may or may not be designed to appeal to.
i am haunted by figures of what i hesitate to call myself. painful memories enter my head left by monstrous echoes of my inevitable fate. in my hand are notes i did not write, maps i did not draw. and yet above all, one word echoes through my head.
SAVESCUMMER
This is actually the first time I heard this word :o
Do you mean you're abusing the save system ? haha :p
yep, saving right after gathering materials and then making potions and reloading to jot down the combinations without wasting materials. i decided that this is echoes of unfortunate futures leaving notes in what looks to be your own handwriting.
i thought i would get another ending by speedrunning getting out of here before the curse had any chance to affect me, but i guess not?
i tried every combination i could think of but i can't seem to figure out the cure potion.
edit:nevermind. i got ending 1. i thought there was an actual cure.
There is no actual "cure" for now only slow down.
But there is some difference in text depending if the curse affected you more or less.
well i managed to speedrun enough to "cure" myself and leave before i got transformed at all.
How many ending are there in the game at the moment?
Love the game.
There is 3 endings for now as stated in the FAQ :)
And thank you !
Every update you make I'll make a Twitch stream and also... You took a big donation from me for your hard work.
Thank you very much !
It means a lot and will be sure to put it to good use !
I will be watching this with great interest. Also, will we be seeing any 4 legged curses?
It is planned but require way more work than 2 legged ones for now. As it require a whole new set of animations for the visuals, and I don't talk about the potential consequences in gameplay of not being able to reach the top of the chauldron :D
In short, expect it, but quite later on.
Excellent. Do you, or are you planning a Discord for future updates/support?
EDIT: Is the player character Male or Female, or will we have a choice?
Discord server is indeed something I planned for the release of the Alpha but might be done before if the community ask for it.
The player character has no gender as I wanted everyone being able to identify to it.
Character customization "might" happen, but it's clearly not a priority right now.
Cute game, but I'm sad to say its not very clear how is one supposed to progress.
I get that I gather items and must try to brew something?, but the brew mechanic is weird because I´m not sure if what I mixed is working or how I'm supposed to use it.
Will keep experimenting, but I feel like a small explanation would help playability.
Edit:
I managed to make a mushroom potion, I think, but it didn't seem to have any clear effect. Nothing else seems to work when brewing, I get some Sound effects after mixing, but no item, and if I try to add another powder the bar just resets, so I'm thinking its not supposed to mix?
I will try to make that more clear :)
For now, you need to stir each item added in the chauldron, so the bar reset is needed. And you need 2 items to mix to expect a potion.
Hope that helps a bit !
Really cool game!! I went and got all of the endings, not much to say for glitches other than some places where I could get out of the intended area and a weird amber powder that stayed on my screen the whole time. It'll be cool to see any new content this gets!
Thank you !
I heard multiple times about the Amber one and will try to find the cause !
May I ask where you were able to go out of the playing area ? :)
I got the glitch with silver
How do you get the endings
There is currently 3 ending.
One is easy to have as it happens at the end of the day.
Other twos will require some potion work.
When crafting potions, it sometimes will say I crafted something like nettle, or water. It doesn't give me those items, and i get no potion, so it just wastes ingrediants. It does tend to give me the potion if i do the exact same craft after without exiting though
If it does a little smoke, it means the potion failed.
However, the fact it gives you water is... really weird.
Water is not a craft receipe.
If you can reproduce the problem and tell me the step, that would be a lot of help ! Thanks !
This only happens on correct receipes. No clue how to replicate, but I have a save that if you go and craft morning wish will give you water 100% of the time, not sure what has caused it though. The items I have seen be given instead of a potion are nettle, water, Guareve powder, and vulpine. So it might have something to do with items that were recently gained?
Vulpine too ?!?!
Hm... I wonder if it's not just the text box bugging out and not the actual given item.
That textbox is indeed programmed to show the last item gained.
If possible, could you sent me that save file too ? (Via twitter, discord, how you wish)
I will try to send it through discord, just need to your discord username because the one on your furaffinty page is incorrect due to the discord name change sillyness.
That would be LackeDragon as everywhere else :)
What a shiny gemstone. I really love this type of game styles. hope to see a great jewel.
btw - there is some strange things(bugs?)
1 when preparing ingredient (crush)
| blank object may crushed with no output | or | visual is empty but last selected ingredient is still present and give output |
2 when preparing ingredient (crush)
output image does not discarded and stay in sight(visual blocking) - (save & load),(restart program),(go to other map) won't fix this problem. only (next curse proceed animation process) fix this.
Hello !
1. Yes, I am aware of this bug but wasn't able to fix it in time.
Hopefully will find the cause for next versions !
2. Can you describe how to reproduce this one ?
Thank you !
this is not accurate but i think it's matter of timing and i reproduced this bug 6times for sure by following steps.
when selecting ingredient select(click) just 1~2 frame before animation process end. then after process end, cursor is 'grabbing' while actually not grabbing anything. then release (unsure must be on bowel or anywhere okay) and crush as normal. this is how make something from nothing- empty bowel, no ingredient consumed, additional output(1time/active). can be done sequently.
hope this information may be help.
Thank you.
Will try to reproduce that :)
This game is performing exceptionally great! I’m thrilled to see such a high-quality TF game at the TF23 game jam. The pixel art style visuals leave a profound impression, delivering a visually stunning experience. The built-in systems in the game showcase tremendous potential, creating excitement. Plus, the fox is incredibly cute! And the orange fur is so …surprising? I can’t wait to see more creatures, materials, curses, and transformations in next version!
By the way,How many endings does the game have? I just tried out end 1 and end 2.
And eventhough I drink the potion which slow the curse, the game still overs at the end of the day, will I survive longer in next version?
And I just know how to slow the curse. Can I stop or adapt the curse in this version?
Thanks for you kind comment.
There is actually 3 endings.
Good job on gettings 2 of them.
Are you sure you only got the Ending 1 and 2 though ?
Since Ending 3 is linked to the end of the day, it's a little weird haha :D
There is only one day in this version (hence why the roadmap indicate "more days". Changes are also planned to be slower and in bigger number/mid steps.
Stop and Adapt are planned to be "end-game" content.
So not here yet :)
Oh, sorry. I mean end2(Burn the bush and Escape) and end3(Become a fox at the end of day), and I just want to find out how to get end1. I tried to escape very fast at morning but I still get end2. And I just tried to craft all potions,it seems that the order of the powder doesn’t matters. red + orange fire to burn bush. red + green double fruit. red + brown act faster. green + brown double herb. silver + brown slowdown the curse. green + reddish-brown(mushroom) double mushroom. Is that all? And what does the element symbol of the power mean?
Ha this is the most complicated one.
But I will say you were on good tracks with the potion :)
Oh sorry, I answered before your edit :)
Let's see...
Hm...
I will check that in a bit. You should have the end 1 by now I think. I will check if something didn't go wrong.
Order don't matter indeed :)
I'm not totally sure what you are refering to at the end there. Or more likely, I want to be sure we talk about the same thing ;)
Oh, I get the end 1 now. This game is REALLY great. And I can’t wait to play the next version of this game.
Good job and thank you ! :D
Looks like a fun game! Don't really understand a lot of it yet. But I can see the effort that you put into it!
I'm curious to see where this goes!
Thank you !
It is indeed quite mysterious... for now :)
I wanted people, for this prototype , to experiment and see what they can discover by themselves.
More explanation will come with future updates :)