Lore City: Alkahest—or simply Alkahest—is a free indie visual novel video game that lets you play as an alchemist trying to save a colleague. Developed by Split Fate Studios, this 2D interaction fiction game cleverly features strategy gameplay with its dialogue options and potion-brewing minigame.

Similar to Augma II Arc I, Lore City: Alkahest offers a long but vivid thriller narrative about the corruption that permeates a “dungeonpunk” world full of magic and mischief. Take note that the story and art contain adult themes such as violence and murder so it’s not suitable for young players.

Everything comes with a price

In Lore City: Alkahest, you play as Mello Kurosol, an unlicensed alchemist who’s used to creating all kinds of potions and concoctions for dirty money. One day, your business partner Logan comes back—and you discover that he’s now being possessed by a malicious entity. Suddenly, you find yourself being threatened to create a special brew for this intruder, or else he’ll kill you.

The world of this game is a mixture of dark fantasy and urban technology. Clocking at over 70,000 words, the writing and dialogue are phenomenal—easily immersing you into the conflict of the story thanks to the chemistry of the characters. However, it’s also fond of throwing in genre jargon so those unfamiliar with “dungeonpunk” may get easily confused. There are 6 endings available in this fairly long VN.

Gameplay-wise, it’s split between two mechanics: straightforward dialogue options and a point-and-click alchemy minigame. You must try to probe your enemy for secrets in order to gain the upper hand while also stalling for time with the four potions you have to make. Throughout the game, you can unlock 10 beautiful CGs, which you can check out in its Gallery by accessing the Extras menu.

A good introduction to dungeonpunk

All in all, Lore City: Alkahest is an interesting story-rich visual novel wherein the stakes are high as you negotiate for your life. While some terms can confuse players who aren’t used to reading about this genre, you eventually get a clearer picture of the setting as you play on and explore the lives of various characters connected to the protagonist and the villain.