The creator of the daunting (and excellent) puzzlers SpaceChem and Infinifactory is back with a new game: Opus Magnum, in which you play an alchemist brewing potions and poisons.
It hit Early Access this week with a story-driven campaign, a puzzle editor and Steam Workshop support. Developer Zachtronics said it nearly skipped straight to a full release because the game is already “polished”, but instead it’s going to listen to feedback from players, make a few balance tweaks and then pump out the final version.
The premise is that you’re an alchemist recently hired by a wealthy household in a dangerous, ancient city. Alchemy is the main way to get one over on your enemies—and protect you and your friends. So, you slot together machines with mechanical arms and customisable tracks to solve a series of puzzles. You’ll create weapons, potions, remedies and gemstones that link to the game’s story.
You can easily export gifs of your finished creations at the end of each puzzle, which is a nice touch. And if the intrigue gets a bit too much you can distract yourself with Sigmar’s Garden, an in-game alchemy-based solitaire game.
Opus Magnum is £13.94/$17.99 on Steam, which includes a 10% launch discount.