A blog about casual gaming

31
Potion Panic 2

Potion Panic 2

Potion Panic 2 is an unusual but effective take on the defend-your-castle game genre.

Bookmark and Share
Published by Alex Kearns on 4th March 2010

I have played loads of defend-your-castle style of games. You know, where your castle (sometimes it is your home) is under attack by hordes of nasty things, usually zombies, monsters of some kind or enemy soldiers, and you have lob rocks at them (or shoot them, or fire arrows at them, etc, etc) to prevent them breaking in and killing you.

Game of the Day: Potion Panic 2, game review, Casual Girl Gamer
Game of the Day: Potion Panic 2, game review, Casual Girl Gamer

Potion Panic 2 - an unusual but effective take on the defend-your-castle genre of game.

Classics in this genre include The Last Stand by Con Artist and xGen's Defend your Castle (the game that started the whole genre off). Some developers have tried to spice up the genre by using unconventional themes (Black Sheep Acres, for example, has you killing cute bunnies rather than vile monsters) or adding innovative game play mechanics. In some games, rather than chucking things at the enemy hordes, you might pick them up and throw them away.

More polished offerings also include RPG-style leveling and purchasing systems that allow you to upgrade your weapons or powers after defeating each wave of enemies.

But, largely, all the games in the genre pretty much play the same. There's nothing wrong with that. If it ain't broke, as the tired old cliche goes, don't mend it. Still, it is always refreshing to find a game that takes an established genre and gives it a new twist. That is exactly what Potion Panic 2 has done to the defend-the-castle style of game.

Yes, you still have a castle to defend, yes, you still have a huge enemy horde to ward off and, yes, you still have to kill the monsters by lobbing things at them. But where Potion Panic 2 stands out from the competition is that it has turned the process of choosing a weapon into a mini-game in itself.

Rather than selecting your weapon from a list, as is the standard practice in defend-your-castle games, you create your own weapons - or concoctions - by mixing together ingredients. You see, in Potion Panic 2, you don't kill the enemies using guns or arrows or anything as prosaic as that. No, you kill then using potions that you have created yourself.

You make potions by mixing up to three different ingredients. The effect of a potion changes depending on how much of the three ingredients you put into it. Add two dollops of yellow stuff, one of red and three of blue, and you may end up with a potion that burns its victims. Put in more blue than red, and the potion might infect them with a horrible illness. Other potions might emit noxious gases that suffocate nearby enemies.

Game of the Day: Potion Panic 2, game review, Casual Girl Gamer
Game of the Day: Potion Panic 2, game review, Casual Girl Gamer

After you have defeated a wave, you can use the cash you have earnt to upgrade your potions or strengthen your defences.

Part of the fun of the game is working out what potions are most effectve against the different creatures that are trying to break into your castle. Some potions work particularly well against flying creatures. Others do much more damage to ground-based monsters. But you can't spend too long experimenting with the ingredients, because the whole time your castle is under attack. Spend too long on your potion and you won't have enought time to use it (by firing it out of a cannon at the enemies). But at the same time, if you don't put enough thought into a potion, it might prove to be ineffective and will do little damage to the hordes.

In short, this is a weird fusion of classic defend-your-castle action game and cooking. Perhaps surprisingly, the combination works remarkably well. Happy cooking! Play Potion Panic 2 here.


Bookmark and Share

Add comment

Submit

Follow us

  • Twitter

    Be the first to hear about new posts by following us at @casualgirlgamer

  • Facebook

    Alternatively, you might want to become a fan of our facebook page, which you can find here.

  • RSS

    Subscribe to Casual Girl Gamer’s RSS feed here

  • Email

    Enter your email address below and we’ll keep you posted when we have new articles.

    Go

Game reviews

  • Lume

    State of Play's new puzzle adventure title Lume might be made out of cardboard cutouts but it is in no way a one-dimensional game.

    Read more
  • The Tiny Bang Story

    Beautiful hand-drawn graphics, nicely balanced and creative puzzles and a great sound track, The Tiny Bang Story delivers on all fronts.

    Read more
  • Castaway 2

    Robinson Crusoe had it lucky. He was only stranded on a desert island once. Things are not so easy for the hero of RPG adventure game series Castaway.

    Read more
  • ClubWorld

    If the idea of running your own nightclub gets you excited, then Tapulous's latest iOS game might have you dancing around with joy.

    Read more
  • Insectonator

    If the only good bug is a dead one, then you will be doing one helluva lot of good work in this cheery insect massacring game.

    Read more
> More game reviews

Popular articles

  • Top 10 Puzzle Games

    Puzzleophiles rejoice. We have collected together ten brilliant puzzle games - all of which you can play for free in your browser.

    Read more
  • Best point-and-click games of 2010

    A bit early maybe, but we think our point-and-click-obsessed readers are going to love this: the best point-and-click games of the year.

    Read more
  • Top Ten Platform Adventure Games

    Turn off the TV, put down your book, stop whatever you are doing, and come play the ten best platform adventure games we could find on the web.

    Read more
  • Top 10 RPG Games of 2010

    We left no cave unexplored, no chest unopened and no corpse un-robbed in our quest to bring you the ten best casual RPG games of the year.

    Read more
  • Top 10 point and click games

    Stunning artwork, brilliant story lines and captivating characters have given the online point and click genre a new lease of life.

    Read more
> More popular articles

Developer spotlights

  • Jake Elliott

    You won't find any resource-management or mindless slash and dash games in Jake Elliott's portfolio. What you will find are thought-provoking games that encourage you to ponder on the human experience.

    Read more
  • Con Artist Games

    Chris Condon of Con Artist Games has a reputation for developing some of the most polished games on the web. Casual Girl Gamer speaks to him about his gaming philosophy.

    Read more
  • Gregory Weir

    By combining great story-telling with imaginative game worlds, Gregory Weir has created some of the most thought-provoking games on the internet.

    Read more
  • John Cooney

    Armor Games' head of game development John Cooney - or jmtb02, as he is better known - is one of the most prolific and imaginative game developers around.

    Read more
  • Evan Miller

    In ImmorTall, indie developer Evan Miller created one of the most emotionally moving games to grace the internet. We speak to him about his gaming philosophy and plans for the future.

    Read more
  • Mateusz Skutnik

    Mateusz Skutnik is a rarity: a gifted artist who is also a skilled coder. He is responsible for some of the most beautiful casual games on the web.

    Read more
> More spotlights