Graphics are nice, and I like the combining elements game, but was pretty disappointed to find out that the whole challenge can be circumvented just by spamming 5 of the same element for each of the elements to pass the levels

I do think this fits the theme really well!
Going back and forth between researching and managing resources is a really cool idea.

However essentially making two games instead of one might have been a bit ambitious.
Most games that I've seen that work like the research game only let you use each symbol once and then tell you how many of your guesses are right, they also give you a limited number of guesses so you have to make each one count. Unfortunately changing those two mechanics resulted in me just going through the motions of trying each sybmbol on each position until one worked.

thanks for review. I think i decided to make too much stuff and as a result, none of them works perfectly.
I don't have much ideas how to make research system better(maybe adding guess count like you said, but will it work?). I tried to make grow-like research game (you can find some examples on eyezmaze.com), but i think i failed.
Also maybe i added too much elements and in final version most of them are useless.

Good Idea, but the whole setup is not really motivating. I just kinda stared and the whole periodic table, clicked a couple of things and then closed the game.
Maybe others will find this entertaining, but for me it is too sciency to enjoy, sorry.

It was a pretty fun game. I'd suggest a little more direction on how the game works, though.
Also, maybe a bit of animation to add some extra SPICE to the game.
Other than that, over all, pretty good game. Goodo Jobo Buddyo. ;-) ;-) ;-)

gameplay is a bit boring .

When I first saw the periodic table I nearly went mad…I'm not such a chemist guy. Then I found that all I need is to use the table to find out the right solutions. That's much less frustrating ;) But I don't quite get it. I had Mo and Zr and still can't make Ag. Maybe I need more than 1 of them?

However the repeatly mouse clicking is kinda a nightmare to me. It would be much better if I can do this with fewer clicking and less mouse moving, Like by putting the periodic table directly on the wall and moving the pot higher, I guess.

@wizcas there is a bug that you have to use exact element position in the pot, like with zirconium you can't use Cr and Zn, you have to use Zn and Cr (i will fix it soon, but it will take a lot of time becouse of bad code), and no, you need only one 1 of each element to make others. I like your idea about putting table above pot, but i think i have to change whole table to do that(it's too big). overall, thanks for feedback

The fact you can first check all recipes then find a way to make gold and apply it is maybe too straight.
To use money you could have done it this way :

• each research step cost money ( incremental) also make you want to finish your research faster or even giving up on some research if step cost went to high.
• you then need to stop research and try to make money by buying cheap ingredient and morpth them to better one in order to sell them and earn money
• stock is aimless right now. recipe should take form : 10 Ag + 50 He = 1 Au, so players will have to farm some ressources instead of just going from one atom to another.

@benjamin i will change whole crafting system soon, and i don't like that you have to buy steps in research, however i can change research system, that it will use elements, it will work too. i also have an idea of adding some sord of automation and upgrades that will cost money.

Nice puzzle game. It took me a while, I need to to use the research book and not the caulrdon at first. Adding soundeffects would have added a nice gamefeel.
Solid entry!

For some reason, when I first dicovered the mechanics, I got frightened I'd have to discover dozens of formulas and convert elements for hours! It was pretty reassuring that it only took ~8 reseatch steps to figure out gold.

While the presentation was lovely, the mechanics felt like they had limited interest, with the research part being an okay guessing game, and the rest being just a click fest. I didn't use buying/selling mechanics at all either. So there might be some balancing & tweaking passes to be made - the suggestions by @benjamin for instance are sound and could make the game more fun with more involved decisions to make.

In short: pretty graphics, unfulfilled potential!

Jam version

Looked at the book, it is empty. This is where the elements I've found are probably catalogued, went through my head. How wrong I was. Spent many minutes trying to combine elements in the cauldron… Nothing works!? Lead isn't even an element! How am I supposed to make gold without that?

Looked at the book again. Aha, there are tiny bookmarks on the side. Reseach! I see. A code-guessing puzzle? Ok, fine. Blasted through them all, made gold. Easy and trivial, as such boring…

The annoying bit is that there is no way to create an element without researching it first. Nothing happens when combining Zn + Cr, if Zirconium hasn't been reseached. Supposedly you just need to put them in the pot and magic happens, but no.

Post-Jam version

Holy Molybdemum! There are a lot of elements. Doesn't really make that much sense, the later elements were discovered in the 1960s? Pretty modern alchemy this. Also taken that these elements have already been discovered before why can't I buy all of them? Surely I should be able to directly buy the elements needed to create gold? I have a lot of money by the looks of it.

The research system is more complex now, and it even costs an element to use which is good. Adds a distant fail state, running out of money (it is not enough, but it is a start.) The 8 aspect system is complicated enough to highlight a GUI problem though. There is a whole lot of unnecessary clicking. If I already know that Air goes to the first slot, then I shouldn't need to click on it again. It should automatically to go the right slot once discovered.

Tried creating gold again, but on the forth research element I got an error.

FATAL ERROR in
action number 1
of Draw Event
for object obj_controller:

Array index must be positive
at gml_Script_resdecoding

That was that. The graphics are fine, but taken that there is no audio you should have opted out of the audio category.

Lastly, I'm sad to say, but you haven't made a game. You've made a puzzle. There is nothing else here, but deductive problem solving and as such I'd prefer you to be upfront about it. A puzzle about combining elements to make gold, would be a more accurate description setting player expectations in the right place.

Solid work. If only the interactivity was more interesting. Extra challenge would be appreciated too.

O 5, G 8, A 1, G 3, O 5, T 10

Interesting game. I included it in my Alakajam #1 compilation video series, if you’d like to take a look. :) https://youtu.be/-pQ9tgCeUug