Alchemy Deck, a card-based video game about making and selling potions from indie developer and publisher Kajoo Games, has officially been announced. A new gameplay trailer shows off a variety of ingredients, enemies, and more.

In Alchemy Deck, players move beyond their apprenticeship to compete with other alchemists in a nearby village, collecting resources to brew and sell potions. You’ll contend with rats, upgrade your shop, and pursue the philosopher’s stone.

Alchemy Deck is currently slated to launch into Early Access sometime this year, though an exact release date hasn’t been confirmed. According to the Steam page, it’s expected to remain in Early Access for “six to nine months”.

The full version will add more cards, while improving performance and quality of life. You can watch yesterday’s announcement trailer on the Kajoo Games YouTube channel:

Alchemy Deck is a debut for Kajoo Games, so naturally, the reveal trailer can be a little rough around the edges. The art design is also filled with a lot of straightforward and familiar imagery. However, the visuals themselves are gorgeous, particularly the polished workshop.

Players might be interested by theme alone, following the likes of Potion Craft: Alchemist Simulator, which emphasized medieval artwork and thrived on the sense of discovery.

Alchemy Deck’s card-based twist seems to be less casual, with leaderboard rankings to earn and bandits to fend off. It also appears to lean into business management. Players will accumulate and pay apprentices and increase production speeds by upgrading tools.

This is a very ambitious debut. The Steam page mentions there are nearly 150 unique cards in EA, and thousands of unique potions planned for full release. The sheer volume of this content helps justify why Alchemy Deck wasn’t simply developed as a tabletop experience. And there’s plenty of room in this premise to evolve throughout Early Access.

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