Potion Punch 2+

This is a fantastic game, probably the best time management game I’ve ever played. It has carefully crafted gameplay where everything makes sense on the screen, it’s so easy to navigate. Fun characters and great levels with the right amount of challenge. I love this game…but I wish I could play it!!! The first set of levels released was extremely buggy, all kinds of problems. Most of them were fixed through updates. But the game freezes fairly frequently, and I have had to uninstall and reinstall it many times. My iPad is only 9 months old, so that isn’t the issue. I never had an issue, until today. Yep, uninstalled/reinstalled and lost all data, first time that’s happened. Guess I gotta start over in Peakwood Potions. I had a great deal of coins and gems which I could use to get manna, all gone. PLEASE FIX!!

This game does have an interesting set up and functionalities. But, it gets way too easy, way too fast. After making your way through the first shop setting, you can easily go back to replay high scoring levels and quickly get the cash needed to upgrade the later shops. Each level requires some amount of “flames” to play, but within a few minutes of any session, it is practically guaranteed to get an infinity plays time period, and you can still collect the flames as prizes to pay when it’s not active. The shop assistants become extremely overpowered. As soon as you unlock the right combo for any shop, it just becomes a matter of clicking a few buttons during a level periodically rather than actually responding to orders. The first half of each shop’s levels are exceptionally boring because you can just prep all possible menu items at once and keep refilling. You have to replay levels three times to get all the stars. The patrons themselves are also very slow (plenty of warning), only up to four can order at once (but most of the time only one or two does), and since you can level up your relationship with each patron, their patient period becomes very long. If you like truly mindless games, this game can continue to be fun, but I like restaurant simulators that present a consistent challenge.

I love time management games, like these but hate being interrupted by ads. No ads here! Each new location has its own unique layout, offerings, and storyline, changing up the pacing and keeping gameplay from getting repetitive. The writing is cute and story cutscenes don’t overstay their welcome. The gachapon and upgrade system for adding new customers is a fun twist, though I think the cost for leveling them up increases too steeply, too quickly. I have the tokens, but not the coin! Not a big problem, as the game is, again, ad-free. Can’t wait for the next store to be added!