Master of Alchemy HD is an absolute treasure of a puzzle game. It’s inevitably going to be compared to Enigmo but where that game involves much precision and delicate placement, this one is far more forgiving.

The game involves placing a number of alembics in 2D space to carry elements from a metal faucet to a collecting vessel somewhere else in the environment. Elements can be solid, liquid or gas and you can use the alembics to change the properties of the element in order to complete the puzzle. You have to complete the level within a certain time, and if you’re good you can obtain various bonuses. Three types of bonus are awarded; purity, meaning you have to keep each coloured element in its own container; time, if you’re quick on a level; and particle loss, if you don’t waste too much of the elements that you’re collecting. Depending on how well you did, you’ll get a bronze, silver or gold badge to display in the level select screen. Furthermore, some levels may contain gems which can earn you a points bonus if you go out of your way to collect them.

When you begin, objects that you place will include coils that convert gases to liquid, or crucibles that will turn liquids into gases or solids to liquid. Later on you will find different objects in the environment that you can interact with, such as funnels that will only accept certain types of element from either the top or the bottom, or walls that break when touched by enough of a single element. You also get access to more advanced equipment, although this is unlocked slowly so that the game isn’t too overwhelming to begin with. Such equipment can blend elements together, fuse them, split them or even propel them at speed towards their target.

The controls work seamlessly and exactly as you would expect; pinch to zoom helps if you need to have a closer look at the environment (though it’s largely unnecessary on the earlier stages), and equipment can simply be dragged out from the drawer on the left and rotated by sliding your finger on the rotation circle for equipment that can be rotated (some, like the crucible only work in one orientation). Double tapping returns tools to the drawer, which has a habit of automatically closing itself once you have a tool; we think it should be available all the time or at least only dismissed when you close it yourself.

The particle physics used here really help bring the game to life; brightly coloured specks dart around the screen in real-time, and you can manipulate them at a whim. It helps too that your tools can be moved around in real-time and used more than once in a puzzle, though sometimes it seems like the timer is a little redundant; once you’ve worked out a puzzle you can simply retry and claim the gold easily.

It’s definitely a lot of fun, but Master of Alchemy is not easy. Fortunately, its linear 60 level campaign allows you to pick from three different levels each time you complete a new one; so you can be stuck on a couple of puzzles at any one time. You also get Crystal for high scores and achievements; and best of all, you can even choose a character to play as, with multiple save slots so that you and a friend can share the game.

Graphically, the game is easily up there with the best iPad games currently available. The steam-punk style of the game doesn’t feel like a facade or something that was chosen simply because it’s a novel aesthetic; steam-punk runs throughout the game itself, with large, over-sized equipment designed to do simple tasks at the very core of Master of Alchemy. Its menus are simply in another league to everything else we’ve seen so far for the device, and its soundtrack gels perfectly to the general atmosphere created here.

One thing we felt ran throughout this entire experience is one of pixel-perfect professionalism; Master of Alchemy HD is just so well designed from top to bottom, and easily commands that £2.99 price tag. What you get here is a challenging game with a large variety of different tasks, so it’s easy to get lost in for hours. It is a puzzle experience that is rich, deep, engaging and achingly beautiful; without a doubt one of the best iPad games yet.

Media gallery

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

More by this developer

Master of Alchemy, A

Review by Ben Briggs, August 06, 2010

Why not try...

---

• 

  Cut the Rope

• 

  Ragdoll Blaster

• 

  Tumbledrop

• 

  Angry Birds