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Alchemia


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Rating: 4.7/5 (262 votes)
Comments (74) | Views (15,197)

JayAlchemiaAlchemia is an absolutely gorgeous new animated point-and-click adventure from Springtail Studio (Tomas K. and Julian Winter). You might remember Tomas' previous work with the Haluz series.

In Alchemia, you play a little hero (the same one from Haluz) after he shoots from the sky a bizarre looking creature. He sets off on an adventure to figure out what happened and to help his unfortunate new companion. Brilliant and imaginative puzzles, illustrations and music abound, and some puzzles will require lateral thinking and problem solving rather than just simply clicking in the right areas and in the correct sequence. An inventory is used for only a very few items, and you will have to drag an item from the inventory to where it belongs in the scene to progress.

Analysis: One cannot help but compare the work here to Samorost, with its surrealistic landscapes of photorealistic images and art as well as even some of the animations and techniques with which some of the scenes are reused. And yet even with all the similarities, there is enough here to appreciate on its own merits. One area that I feel Alchemia falls short in is with the story telling. Most of the dialog presented is banal and unnecessary. I would prefer to leave it up to my own wild imagination as to what is being said instead. Perhaps an option to turn on the dialog only as a 'hint system' would be a nice compromise.

An extended version is promised, although not expected to be free. If there's to be even more gorgeous artwork, illustrations and music, mixed with several new and original puzzles like this first part, then I can't wait!

Play Alchemia

Walkthrough Guide


(Please allow page to fully load for spoiler tags to be functional.)

Alchemia Walkthrough

Gearbox

  • Click the tractor so the gearbox shows up.

  • Turn the starter key (flashing red light)

  • Press the clutch (Leftmost pedal)

  • Press 1 in the gearbox

  • Use the right pedal to drive forward.

  • Get the brick that was under the tractor.

  • Press the clutch and put the tractor in reverse (R), and then press the gas pedal to reverse.

  • Put the tractor back into "1"

  • Drag the brick into the gas pedal.

  • Click the small lever left of where your guy is hanging.

Inside

  • Click the bucket beside the platform you start on.

  • After you fall down click on the nose on the right face.

  • Once the platform falls down enter the cave.

Fridge

  • Click the wheel on the right

  • Take the small metal object he gives you.

  • Click on the small house to the left.

  • Click ont he metal plate to examine it better.

  • Use the arrow keys on the house to move the cogs to the correct code is displayed and then enter it on the keypad.

  • The code is:

    Triangle pointing up, Upside down L, -, Hollow square.

  • After the fridge opens, grab the sausage and leave.

Sausage

  • Toss the sausage in the right bin

  • Hit the nose on the face to the right, quickly jump into the bucket on the left or the dog will eat you.

Sundial

  • Jump across the gap on the top of the crusher

  • Click on the mechanism next to the windmill.

  • Click the blinking light to make the sundial work.

  • Turn the sundial by clicking the exposer gear on the right.

  • When the shadow is pointing to each time on the bottom, mark the symbol.

  • The symbols are:

    6:00, is the + with the four dots around it, 15:00 is the symbol for Male (The circle with the arrow coming to the top right), and 20:00 looks like the number 24 if it was mashed togehter.

  • Take the key out of the right lute.

  • Compare the armor of the first three knights and figure out what the fourth knight should look like.

  • Observe how each of the first 3 knights are composed of different colors for each of their 3 parts.

  • Now count the colors used, there are actually 4 different colors.

  • Using only those colors, create a 4th knight such that all 4 use different colors for each of the 3 parts.

  • Solution:

    Blue helmet, Red shirt, Yellow pants.

Bridge

  • Click the button next to the upper elevator.

  • click the button on the elevator above you again.

  • Once the man disturbs the bees and closes his window go to the lowest floor.

  • Your guy will walk around to the bridge, and a panel will open up.

  • Click the blinking button, and use the arrows to match the face.

  • Turn the knob that appears.

Homonculae

  • Click the basket. The goal here is to make the basket heavy.

  • Click the button next to the little guy, and stop when the earth is in October.

  • Let the apples fall off the tree and put them into the basket.

Pendulum

  • Click on the blinking button next to your guy.

  • Click on the knob in the top right corner of the click to boil the water.

  • The goal is to get the clock to 10 am when the night shift ends.

  • While the creature is wiping off the glass change the time to 10.

Philosophers Egg

  • Use the buttons on the crane to pick up the metal and put it in the train.

  • After you get the metal in the train, and the train comes to a stop, click on the panel in front of it.

  • Use the buttons on the panel to move the machine lower and to the right. then hit the red button.

  • Keep hitting the red button to keep the furnace going.

  • Jump in your friends new body and escape!

You win!

74 Comments

Great interaction! I wish I could play more games like this!

Reply

If you liked Samorost, Haluz and Blue Beanie, you will really like this game. :D

Reply

Okay, I'm stumped on the first level....

Reply

I was too. You have to

get the brick onto the pedal at the right moment...

so your guy will get lifted up by the hook when he goes past it

Reply

need help with tractor

Reply

Guys I can't work out the

sundial.. I'm sure I've put the correct symbols by the times on the bottom but nothing happens, and I can't click off the clock screen either ):

For the tractor:

Make sure it's in the original position, put the clutch on (leftmost pedal), put it in first gear, then chuck the brick onto the accelerator pedal (rightmost).

Reply

Nevermind, power of posting.

Didn't realise you had to turn the light on.

Reply
tinyflames September 7, 2009 8:41 PM

What do I do with the sausage!? I keep dying? -.-

Reply
tinyflames September 7, 2009 8:42 PM

Nevermind! Figured it out.

Reply

Stuck on

sundial stage

For some reason, when I solve it,

the music begins to play and the figures move but nothing becomes clickable.

Any help?

Reply

@niphette Oh, the rightmost pedal? I was trying it on the middle one XD

Reply

What a wonderful little game. Didn't need the walkthrough at all, which is unusual for me, but quite nice. I enjoyed the atmosphere and artwork very much.

Reply

the sundial stage has a keyhole. Where is the key?

its in the right banjo thingy.

Reply

@paul:

When the figures start playing their guitars, look closely at the guitar on the right. You should see something protruding from it that will help you.

Reply

Paul:

There's a key hidden behind the musician/angel/statue on the right, drag it to the lock. <3

Just finished, such a sweet little game!

Reply
Patreon VIP Chiktionary September 7, 2009 8:57 PM

Superb.

Reply
Patreon VIP Chiktionary September 7, 2009 9:05 PM

Actually, I should probably elaborate a little:
Wonderful graphics, lovely little story, great puzzles, very nice soundtrack, it all fits together more than nicely to create the best point and click game since both Samorost and both Haluz games. Five out of five 'shrooms.

Reply

I can't seem to figure out the bridge level...the only thing that's clickable is the bee-things...I'm not too sure where to go from here...

Reply

Alchemia Walkthrough

Gearbox

  • Click the tractor so the gearbox shows up.

  • Turn the starter key (flashing red light)

  • Press the clutch (Leftmost pedal)

  • Press 1 in the gearbox

  • Use the right pedal to drive forward.

  • Get the brick that was under the tractor.

  • Press the clutch and put the tractor in reverse (R), and then press the gas pedal to reverse.

  • Put the tractor back into "1"

  • Drag the brick into the gas pedal.

  • Click the small lever left of where your guy is hanging.

Inside

  • Click the bucket beside the platform you start on.

  • After you fall down click on the nose on the right face.

  • Once the platform falls down enter the cave.

Fridge

  • Click the wheel on the right

  • Take the small metal object he gives you.

  • Click on the small house to the left.

  • Click ont he metal plate to examine it better.

  • Use the arrow keys on the house to move the cogs to the correct code is displayed and then enter it on the keypad.

  • The code is:

    Triangle pointing up, Upside down L, -, Hollow square.

  • After the fridge opens, grab the sausage and leave.

Sausage

  • Toss the sausage in the right bin

  • Hit the nose on the face to the right, quickly jump into the bucket on the left or the dog will eat you.

Sundial

  • Jump across the gap on the top of the crusher

  • Click on the mechanism next to the windmill.

  • Click the blinking light to make the sundial work.

  • Turn the sundial by clicking the exposer gear on the right.

  • When the shadow is pointing to each time on the bottom, mark the symbol.

  • The symbols are:

    6:00, is the + with the four dots around it, 15:00 is the symbol for Male (The circle with the arrow coming to the top right), and 20:00 looks like the number 24 if it was mashed togehter.

  • Take the key out of the right lute.

  • Compare the armor of the first three knights and figure out what the fourth knight should look like.

  • Observe how each of the first 3 knights are composed of different colors for each of their 3 parts.

  • Now count the colors used, there are actually 4 different colors.

  • Using only those colors, create a 4th knight such that all 4 use different colors for each of the 3 parts.

  • Solution:

    Blue helmet, Red shirt, Yellow pants.

Bridge

  • Click the button next to the upper elevator.

  • click the button on the elevator above you again.

  • Once the man disturbs the bees and closes his window go to the lowest floor.

  • Your guy will walk around to the bridge, and a panel will open up.

  • Click the blinking button, and use the arrows to match the face.

  • Turn the knob that appears.

Homonculae

  • Click the basket. The goal here is to make the basket heavy.

  • Click the button next to the little guy, and stop when the earth is in October.

  • Let the apples fall off the tree and put them into the basket.

Pendulum

  • Click on the blinking button next to your guy.

  • Click on the knob in the top right corner of the click to boil the water.

  • The goal is to get the clock to 10 am when the night shift ends.

  • While the creature is wiping off the glass change the time to 10.

Philosophers Egg

  • Use the buttons on the crane to pick up the metal and put it in the train.

  • After you get the metal in the train, and the train comes to a stop, click on the panel in front of it.

  • Use the buttons on the panel to move the machine lower and to the right. then hit the red button.

  • Keep hitting the red button to keep the furnace going.

  • Jump in your friends new body and escape!

You win!

Reply

I LOVE IT

Reply

Congratulations! Just perfect. Beautiful, fun, short, great music, the best point'n'click game in months.

Reply

Well, I liked the atmosphere and such, but I really felt like the inventory and text sort of ruined and genericized it. Anyone can make a story with dialog and an inventory, but it takes a developer to make a quality game without any of those.

Reply

This is such a beautifully strange game. That alone would be enough to win me over, but it also has an excellent level of difficulty and variety of puzzles. Very well done!!

Reply

I really enjoyed the mood this game set, but I can't help but feel that a lot of the puzzles seem to be there just for the sake of being there. For example:

Why does a door require you to mess around with a sundial? I get that they don't want strangers barging into their city and getting the elixir, but there are way better ways I can think of for keeping people out than a strange puzzle involving a sun dial.

And then there's the calender that causes the apple tree to change with the seasons. Very cool effect, but why is there a door that requires you to throw apples into a basket? How does that make sense?

Now I understand that these sorts of puzzles are a staple of the genre, but I prefer a game where everything ties together in an organic way.

I'm being unduly harsh on the game, which I really loved. It's just, I think sometimes developers get lazy with making a world that makes sense and instead just settle for a world jam packed with 'clever' puzzles to stump the player.

Reply

Beautiful, simple, and I really like the length as it is. I love being able to play through a game in one (short) sitting!

Great job.

Reply

Complaint:

The robot building part of the sundial puzzle is really brutal for people with color blindness. I had a lot of trouble differentiating between the "green," and "yellow," and "red," colors used. More extreme color contrast would have made this a lot less frustrating.

Reply

Loved it! I liked the whole style, along with the music. It created a wonderful place. The story was quirky, but actually kind of sweet at the same time. The puzzles were challenging, but they never left you thinking "Well, how was I supposed to figure THAT out?!" I could always get there because the puzzles were logical. And there was a lot of them! I enjoyed that too. It never got frustrating or annoying, the music probably helped with that. Great way to spend about 20-30 minutes, kept me very entertained!

Reply

It's slow on my eeePC, but using the direct version, you can make the window smaller - this speeds it up a lot.

Reply

Tremendous!

Reply

While I enjoyed the music and atmosphere (which were really well set up), I think that the dialog and inventory degraded it a bit. I mean, anyone can make a story with dialog and an inventory, but it takes skill to make a story without those conventions (this author is capable of that, see haluz). In my opinion, it genericizes the game, perhaps to appeal to a wider audience. Indeed, the inventory was used rather half-heartedly (a total of two to three items in it, depending on how you count).

Reply

So I got the solution to the knight puzzle from the walkthrough, but I still have no clue what the pattern was supposed to be. (How I was supposed to figure it out on my own.) Anyone care to fill me in, or is it simply a guess-and-check thing?

Reply

Oh my God, how divine. We really are spoilt with the likes of Haluz, Samorost and now Alchemia. If only Alchemia was about 2 hours longer!!! HEAVEN!!!! How lucky we are to have such good game designers as we have got e.g. Amanita and Springtail.

More please.

Reply

I'm stuck.

I'm on Sundial and I followed the directions on the walkthrough, but I see no key on the right Lute. What am I doing wrong?

Reply

Paul, Just follow what the walkthrough tells you and put the symbols in at the bottom for 06:00, 12:00 and 20:00. Yes, it's confusing but I just followed the walkthrough. Once the three windows have got the right symbols in, the players at the top start strumming and there is a key on the right hand instrument.

Reply

The little puzzles were my favorite parts. Loved that I had to

fog up the clock window.

I'm looking forward to the extended version; but I agree, I'd like it better without text.

Reply

I'm just curious, but what is everyone's problem with the text? It's not like there's that much of it and I don't understand how it hurts the game to have characters who talk to one another occasionally.

The review calls the dialog 'banal', but I really don't see what makes it such.

I'd understand if the game drowned us in text or if the dialog was really over the top, but it didn't feel to me like it did either.

Oh well, I guess to each their own.

Reply

I have the correct code for the fridge, but after I solve it, I can't back out of the dial screen.

Reply
Gina O'Sickey September 8, 2009 6:50 PM

I just played and I agree with Jay. I'd rather have skipped the chat. The game, however, was great. Thanks Jay for finding us this little jewel! Looking forward to the real deal.

Reply

yeah i figured it out. turns out:

i thought it said by moving the wheel on the lower right,you move it to the appropriate icons stated in the walkthrough,but it turns out you have to move the windows at the bottom.

it just wasn't written clearly is all,but i figured it out. sorry.

Reply

I agree with Jay on the dialog. The game was fantastic though!

Reply

Yeah, the dialogue is definitely the weakest part of this otherwise great game. Are the maker/s native English speakers? Some of it seemed stilted in a badly translated way, which might explain the relative banality. I reckon all dialogue in games should be skippable though - sometimes you replay a game but don't want to sit through the story.

Beautiful game though, and the puzzles felt more logical and less hotspot-hunting than Samorost or Haluz, at least to me.

Reply

meh. too much superfluous visual information, intended to make the game pretty- a surplus of cute red herrings does not an interesting puzzle make.
and yeah, the dialogue was completely unnecessary.

Reply

Ax: For a game like this, I prefer when it doesn't try to make sense - which is why I didn't like the text so much. Inventories can be useful; they kept it to a minimum in this one, thankfully.

Reply

I also thought the dialogue was visually ugly--the little boxes did not at all blend with the rest of the art.

I'm definitely not anti-dialogue in general, but I'm with Jay on its implementation here.

Reply

(My previous post was in response to an older comment...)

The puzzles in this game were logical, yet still mildly challenging. The text, as has been stated, was basically patently obvious stuff (except Einstein-lookalike's explanation and threat).

Reply
Cheddarius September 9, 2009 1:26 AM

I thought the story was a little weak. For example, I found myself wondering why the man was being so helpful to a gigantic, monstrous mecha-bird that ate his friggin' wife. And why he just sort of takes everything in stride - personally, if some ancient beast consumed my spouse whole, then fell into a death spiral by being hit with a tiny (relative to its body size) axe, emitted a ghost, and asked me to help replace it, I'd be a little shell-shocked.

Reply

Is it just me, or is the very first puzzle the most illogical and difficult? It looks like you should be able to walk right into the cave. And if you've never driven a standard transmission or watched a movie where they dispose of a vehicle, you'd be clueless.

Yes, the authors are Slovakian, not native English speakers. I suspect the dialog is stilted and uninteresting in Slovakian, as well. In fairness, it is hard to be good at art, programming, and writing, and most native speakers write really cliché games as well.

Reply

Cheddarius, dude, it ate his roast chicken, not his wife!

But I agree, unless the robot gizmo gave me a good apology, I'd just let his spectral butt float around forever.

Reply

A bit to easy, but I have enjoyed the game. Can't wait to play the extended version.

Reply

Thumbs up! But I agree with some of the previous comments and the puzzles were more difficult in the beginning. Maybe I figured out the basic logic behind them as I went because the later puzzles were easier I thought.

Well produced game though and yes very much looking forward to the extended version and hope it will be posted here soon.

Reply
Patreon VIP Chiktionary September 10, 2009 8:29 AM

wow - ppl can be friggin' picky. Those that complain about stilted dialogue and absent logic, have you ever created a free game for others to play and enjoy at their leisure?
Probably a sign of a greedy and consumerist world that doesn't appreciate the efforts of some to contribute something nice to it.

Reply
Patreon VIP Chiktionary September 11, 2009 8:24 AM

Jay,
my comment was not directed at you. It was directed at the multitude of complaints that I read through in the discussion thread. Constructive criticism is a good thing, and I agree that the dialogue in the game is 'banal' as you put it. I just find it annoying that people who are being served up free entertainment which is achieved by the creative efforts of others (and from a non-English speaking background) have to find fault with small things. Like I said, not your comments Jay, just the nit-picking ones.
PS: I would like to add that JIG is the absolute BEST games site I've ever come across. Intelligent and articulate games reviews, easy to peruse site and brilliant taste in games. Much appreciated. Thanks Jay et al.
:)

Reply

The game no longer loads for me for some reason. I get a 400 error in both IE and Chrome. It died half way through the game. =(

Reply

Hello...

Is there someone have seen the last picture in the follow page ?
http://www.springtailstudio.com/blog/

I play the game but I haven't seen the picture in the game? It's hidden?

Reply

To be honest here, I rather enjoyed the characters speaking, but I can't figure out why a machiene needs to eat a roast chicken in the first place or why the fox didn't come back for the sheep once he realized they were ungaurded. However, that's minor. I really liked this game and I thought the puzzles were not terriably challenging, but it was a good game to spend a half-hour on.

Reply

I really really liked this! Wow, I can't even begin to tell you how dream-like this whole game was - well, I wish my dreams were this vivid and imaginative. Loved the music, the mood and the puzzles - just wonderful! I too wish there were more games like this!

Reply

p.s. as for the dialogue on this game - I thought it was cool..it would have been even cooler though if here and there (not the whole game) when they did speak to one another, for example - the old, semi-frozen man with the empty bottle, that there was a funny sound to it..like..hmm.. like what it sounds like to talk keeping your mouth closed. Go ahead folks..try it. Blow your cheeks out, hold your mouth closed and say, "jay is games" ha ha ha ok too much time on my hands..yup!

Reply

Tara -- maybe the hero's wife keeps the fox away while he's messing around with the disembodied robot-spirit. The roast chicken, I can't help you with.

Reply

Games like these always have a certain charm about them. Still, I don't this one quite as good as Samorost and the Blue Beanie. The dialog was tolerable, but half of the puzzles were subpar and just rather annoying. In comparison to springtail studio's Haluz, the game quality has gone down.

However, this is nice, serene, and has a brilliant choice of music to keep the mood.

Reply

wow this game is great. (one of the few games i DON"T need a walkthrough for.) yet one disturbing fact is that when you leap accross the gap over the crusher, the dog barks, and when the crusher falls, it goes silent :o.

Reply

To Colorbomb: No, actually the dog still barks after the crusher falls - I did it on purpose, didn't want the game to be violent:)

Tomas

Reply

what are the symbols on the sundial?!!

Reply

symbols onthe sundial are ancient alchemic symbols that usually describe metals or planets

Reply

help! im new here and im stuck on the "fridge" level. can't seem to figure out how to pass it.

how do i match the symbols on the turning wheel to the ones on the metal plate? seems like no matter how many times i turn the wheels it never matches up exactly.

Reply

never mind i just got it right after i posted.

Reply

I'm having trouble with the fridge also. Did what the walkthrough said and I still cant get it right. The symbols are correct but I'm still standing in front of the wheels. How do I get back to the fridge. Ive tried everything over and over. Please help. Thanks you

Reply

I wrote the above comment back in Nov. and no-one ever answered me. I stopped playing for a while and just got back to it yesterday. I still cant get out of the spot where I the wheels are on the fridge level. I have the right code but cant go any further. Shouldnt there be a spot I could click to cont. on?? I thought it would auto. show the fridge but no luck.PLEASE HELP
Thank you

Reply

never mind. grandson showed me how.

Reply

It might just be on my computer but everything seems to take so long. It was a very cute game, but got frustrating because I had to wait all of the time, and overall took up much longer than I wanted to. And the text stayed on for ages, it would have been good if you could click and speed things along. However I still finished it, because it is good, interesting, and the art was really impressive, I just wouldn't spend money on another version.

Reply

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