You guys know how much I adored Strange Horticulture and, more recently, Strange Antiquities. So honestly, I guess it was preordained that I would enjoy The Totemist, coming this November on Steam. Give me a strange little shop, some funky objects, mysterious clientele, and a healthy amount of lore? I was SO SOLD.
The Totemist, though, isn’t just a game of finding strange items and selling them. There’s a whole process behind it. You don’t just find the items in your shop. You forage for materials, purify them, craft them, and THEN sell them.
After spending a substantial amount of time with the game slice available to me through Press Engine, I found myself settling into a comfortable groove. (And according to Steam, it’s been about seven hours.)
Day in the Life
Each day begins with drawing an omen card. These cards can give you a variety of bonuses depending on which you draw; maybe some extra resources from a forage run, or perhaps some extra customers during the sales phase of the day.
After drawing the card, it’s time to find resources. You can choose from four locations to go exploring, though it’s not exploration in the traditional sense. You pick where you want to go, and the game tells you what you’ve found.
You’ll then have a small mini-game where you purify those items before bringing them back to the shop, and then comes the fun part. Crafting!
The game starts with some relatively simple recipes for items, like some basic totems and talismans. Still, as you progress and earn more money from your shop, you’re able to purchase more intricate recipes for more items, including rituals. It’s a simple loop, but one that I found myself appreciating.
Story Time
What’s a shop without customers?
Some folks show up just to buy things, while others have specific requests. They’ll use certain words that correspond to certain qualities of items in your shop, and your reputation will improve with how good a match you make.
Others will come to your shop with an exact order: a particular object to make with certain powers imbued in them. I started noticing a pattern here, but I’m trying very hard not to say too much because so much of my enjoyment came from slowly figuring out what was going on.
I really enjoyed the game’s approach to the occult. A lot of research went into creating this world (more on that a little further down), and I really appreciated it.
It doesn’t feel like the occult elements were thrown in because they look cool. There’s history and meaning behind the things you’re making, and that gives the whole experience a much stronger vibe.
I will note that there’s a lot of reading here, and for me, that’s a plus, but if you’re looking for something fast-paced, The Totemist won’t scratch that itch. However, if you enjoy settling into a game, reading through rich conversations, examining details, and letting a story unfold at its own pace, there’s a lot to like here.
Give Me All That Backstory
The writing is another thing I don’t want to get into too far because again, spoilers. What I will say is that the main characters you interact with have this…aura about them.
There’s something about them that makes me want to know more, and it’s not necessarily just about what they say. Their actions, the way they interact with you, and the pieces of information you pick up along the way all contribute to this feeling that there’s more going on beneath the surface.
I love when a game can make me curious about characters without just dumping their entire life story into my lap. Slow-burn stories are some of my favorites, and The Totemist seems to understand the value of that kind of story.
A Game With Heart
There’s one other thing about The Totemist that made me smile, and it actually has nothing to do with the game itself. While looking into the game’s development, I came across a Reddit post from the developer explaining how it came to be.
It’s incredibly wholesome.
The dev had always wanted to release a game on Steam, while his wife wanted him to make something she’d enjoy playing. So, he started looking through her bookshelves for an idea.
He researched crystals, metals, herbs, and bones, spending months figuring out how it all connected and how he could work it into a chill game that wouldn’t be stressful. He built the world and characters around things he admired about his wife, using their personalities and struggles as inspiration.
Reading that post absolutely warmed my sometimes cold, cynical heart.
There’s something special about knowing that the weird little occult shop game you’re playing exists, at least in a small part, because someone wanted to make something their spouse would love.
And that affection absolutely comes through.
Keep an Eye on This One
The core loop is comfortable and approachable, the occult elements are fascinating, and the characters have given me more than enough reason to want to keep digging into their stories.
It’s also very clearly a game that wants you to slow down.
Gather materials. Make something magical. Talk to some interesting people. And then do it all again tomorrow.
For me, that’s a pretty appealing way to spend an evening.
If you’re a fan of games like Strange Horticulture or Strange Antiquities, I think The Totemist is absolutely worth keeping on your radar.
The Totemist releases November 12.
Keep an eye on this one, friends.
Thanks for reading! If you’d like to help out around the Cafe, I’ve started a Ko-Fi that I’ve been reasonably ‘okay’ with updating. It’s simple. You can donate however much you feel once, or monthly. Head over to https://ko-fi.com/theindiegamecafe to check it out!(And hey, I’m always open to ideas of different ways to make it better -Amanda