Have you ever thought to yourself, "I love those match-3 mobile games, but wouldn't it be cool if it was a physical board game?" Well, that's exactly what the creators of Potion Explosion have achieved. But they went a step further. The potions you're brewing also have effects that you can "drink" (metaphorically, of course don't go swallowing the glass) for special powers that can snowball, helping you finish even more concoctions in a single turn.
The centrepiece is a brilliant dispenser with five trenches filled with different coloured marbles. Each turn, you take a single marble, and if the ones left behind roll down and cause two or more marbles of the same colour to collide, they "explode." You get to take all those ingredients too! If that secondary collision causes another explosion, you take those as well. You then add these to the potions you have brewing on your lab bench. Complete three of the same type or five completely different ones, and you snag a "Skill Token." Once those run out, the game is over. It's super simple, super easy, and a proper bit of fun with more strategy than you might first think.
Nitty Gritty Stuff
Let's break the chemistry down a little more. You always have two potions on the go, each requiring a specific combination of coloured ingredients. Some are more complex and worth more victory points, while others are quick wins. You also have a little "ingredient pool" (your overflow) that can hold three marbles that don't fit into your current potions but might be useful for the next round.
The real magic happens with the potion effects. Each type of potion has a unique power once completed. For example, one might let you take ingredients from your pool and place them regardless of colour, another lets you steal an opponent's pool, and one even lets you pluck two different adjacent marbles from the trenches.
Each effect can only be used once (you "drink it and flip the tile over), but they are used in addition to your regular turn. This can make or break your strategy or your opponent's! Once the "Skill Tokens" (which act as the game timer) are all claimed, everyone tallies up their potion points and tokens to see who is the head of the class.
Potion Explosion is a fun and easy game that the whole family can get stuck into. There's nothing so complicated that the little 'uns couldn't play, but it has enough depth to ensure the big 'uns won't be bored. The artwork gives off great "cutesy mad scientist" vibes, and let's be honest: we all get a little thrill watching marbles roll down a ramp.
Tips and Tricks
There isn't a massive amount of hidden tech for this one, as a lot of it depends on what the player before you leaves behind. You can end up with a legendary turn where you're clutching a handful of ingredients, or a bit of a damp squib where you only take one. But here is my best advice:
- Don't be a hoarder: Drink your potions! There are no bonuses for letting them sit there full. They are there to help you chain actions together, so get stuck in.
- Deny the explosion: Try to leave the dispenser in a state where your opponent won't have an explosion to make, forcing them to just take a single measly marble.
- The Balancing Act: Don't over-focus on the massive, high-point potions. Try to have one big project and one smaller, quicker potion on the go at the same time to keep your momentum up.
- Know when to stop: There's no bonus for finishing a sixth version of a potion type. Once you've got your set of three for the Skill Token, try to diversify your brewing.
Final Verdict
Potion Explosion is a great game done well. It's challenging enough to keep everyone focused but light enough to be a perfect "opener" for a gaming night. It's also the ideal game to break out if you've had a few bevies already and the rulebooks of your more difficult games are starting to look a bit blurry. Fast to set up, fast to put away, and a literal blast to play.
