I would definitely recommend Royal Alchemist to anyone who prefers survival/raising sims that are genuinely difficult. Because that's what this game is. Most of my time spent on the game was spent trying to figure out what stats to raise for a scene or two at a time---honestly quite exhausting, if anything. But I quite enjoyed the story, which was the saving grace.
The characters are, for the most part, interesting and have a decent amount of depth. Their relationships with the main character (Alexis) are well thought out and easy to engage in. Actually---I think I preferred Alexis over any of the love interests, since they're not at all a blank slate like most protagonists and have a very refreshing personality that works well regardless of gender. The game is very good at remaining neutral and you can tell that it was created by people who genuinely wanted to represent people, rather than adding in the option to choose your gender as an afterthought to draw in more players (you would be surprised at how many dating sims do this). Alexis' personality and actions remain engaging regardless of their gender, and there aren't any stuffy or ambiguous moments that point towards an "intended" gender (again, surprisingly common). This was very refreshing for me as a player.
At the time of this review, I have not yet played through Nazir's route, but I am, for the most part, satisfied with Serin and Aurelius' routes. The romantic dynamics are easily integrated into the game through engaging B-stories, and Alexis' cheeky disposition makes them all the more rejuvenating in comparison to the countless otome games focused on royalty---I very much enjoyed the main character being seen as either equal to or above the princes, and I think it made the romance much better and more digestible, since it wasn't bound by the typical tropes. Even with predictable love interests---the brooding but secretly caring, the eldest with too many expectations, and the irresponsible flirt---I didn't feel as though I was playing just another royalty otome. My two main gripes are: the characters do not seem to care about the A-story as much as they should, and the non-romance routes are severely lacking in quality.
In both Serin and Aurelius' routes, there is an overwhelming lack of reaction from either of the princes in relation to the plot twists. Aurelius' romance route features one (very sweet) scene, but it's very short and leaves much to be desired since his feelings are not actually explored, and following the climax he seems to not care /at all/. Serin's romance especially frustrated me, as he is the one who should've had the biggest reaction to some of the reveals made at the climax. Instead, he shows no negativity towards the offending party, despite information being revealed that should make everyone blanch. I spent most of Serin's route on the edge of my seat waiting for he and Alexis to finally kiss, only to be extremely disappointed with the actual scene as the game completely ignores whatever reaction Serin logically should've had to the plot twists in favor of he and Alexis' romance. I think his writing also suffered because of it, because I expected so much more from his route only for him to arguably have the least depth.
Additionally, I find the "friendship" endings to have a very... crude definition of the word friendship. Especially in Aurelius' case. His friendship ending makes me quite mad, because you can barely consider he and Alexis to be friends, and the lack of the aforementioned sweet scene in his romance route makes me very frustrated. But either way in both routes the general idea is that, because Alexis did not engage in any form of intimacy with the love interests (sometimes because of a lack of a certain stat), they are incapable of growing as close to them as they do in the romance routes. This is the part I dislike most about this game, as a lover of non-romance routes and a firm believer that most friendships are actually deeper than romantic relationships. The idea that you cannot achieve the the same levels of emotional intimacy in both friendships and romance is, frankly, absurd, and this game at times does perpetuate this absurdity.
But, I digress, my qualms with the endings are not enough for me to not recommend the game. The story and commentary are actually very well done, and I must admit the plot twists---especially the main antagonist---were done very cleverly. The clues were well integrated and I can't say the twist was "obvious" in hindsight. Perhaps I myself was lacking in proper investigative skills, but I truly believe it was all done subtle-ly enough that even if I had my suspicions on something, I would still be pleasantly surprised by the actual outcome. It truly was a whirlwind of emotions that left me wildly distraught for some time (as I actually processed the events and my conflicting emotions, unlike the characters).
I must also applaud the development of the side characters and the additional bonds Alexis forms outside of the princes. The exploration of the nobles, merchants, servants, and commoners' activities was very fun, as was the "daily life" system with the missions.
All in all, I really do like this game, though it is very frustrating at times. The simulation aspect is extremely difficult, even on easy mode, and at times the love interests' stories are lacking in a way that takes away from their character. However, the story is wonderfully done, with a wide array of characters that I am very much attached to. I've enjoyed myself thoroughly and will continue to do so in my next playthroughs! I find it very fun to expand on the characters in my head, as the game gives the audience enough to infer much about their characters without it having to be (completely) spoon-fed to us. I definitely recommend it to players who enjoy difficult simulations, like I said, but I also recommend it to anyone who wants a refreshing change of pace in royalty-based dating sims that still maintain the core aspects that appeal to players. The creators clearly put a lot of care into the game, irregardless of what it lacks.
