A Potion for Chamomile is a Wholesome LGBTQ Fantasy

Last year, I played the game Tomorrow for Mar. It is a sweet story about magical students trying to complete potion ingredients for an exam. I got into it and wanted to keep supporting the development team. While I hope to play their game Heart is Muscle soon, Steam also recommended a queer visual novel from a small studio, Kyanite Heart, called A Potion for Chamomile. It was a steal for the price, and worth it for a few hours. I enjoyed myself and being able to just relax and play an easy adventure. To top it all off, the story is hella gay.

A Potion for Chamomile is a wholesome foray into the world of witches. It's more of a clickable visual novel than a game, as the characters do all the work for you, but it is very charming. I hope that Kyanite Heart decides to make an expanded version that involves quests and mini-games. Gathering ingredients is fun in farming sims and such, and I would like to see that used in a game with a story like this one.

A Quest for Truth

The story is that a young girl named Chamomile wants a potion that will change the human body permanently, as a temporary spell will only last 24 hours. Though Chamomile was assigned male at birth, she identifies as a girl. These potions are illegal, however, and pretty dangerous to craft. She goes to a grumpy witch in the woods, Lavender, who will make these potions in exchange for gems. Lavender doesn't get out much, but she knows how important this potion is to Chamomile. So they agree to go on a quest to make the potion and get Chamomile the body that she desires.

While Lavender says that she's just doing this for the money, as it will be at least double her usual rate, there are hints that it's not just for gems. She pays out of pocket for a few nights at a local inn and provides mountain coats for Chamomile. There is also the fact that she is breaking the law to help Chamomile with this personal quest. While Lavender says that she is a lone rebel witch by default, you can see her soften at various points as they get more of the ingredients, showing her warming to her companion.

We learn more about Lavender and Chamomile as they travel together, such as the fact that Lavender has low energy due to chronic pain. Gathering these ingredients takes a lot out of her, so as a result she can sleep anywhere, even on a hard inn floor, and she needs lots of rest. Chamomile meanwhile is estranged from her family, and despite her bright demeanor is scared about running into them again. She freaks out on seeing her grandmother, a town mayor, but takes a deep breath after her grandmother fails to recognize her. Chamomile seems to realize that she is truly free of the biases that governed her life now that she can be her real self.

A Short but Sweet Story

Why play this game? For many reasons! The art for one: there are some beautiful visuals to go with the story. The atmosphere is good as well – while a forest may seem quiet at night, it can also be eerie unless you have the proper campfire. We meet other memorable characters too, like a demon who is rather intimidating but also has a snarky sense of humor.

I would like to see more of this world, as there were a lot of interesting ideas presented in it. Why are these potions forbidden? Who forbade them in the first place? And what is the story of the other characters; for example, a goddess whose powers have been used too often? I would like to know about her as a character, as well as the background of what happened with her altar guardians.

A Potion for Chamomile shows a glimpse into a world where our quests and skills can make life better. It affirms gender identity and sexuality, both with magic and with kind gestures. What's not to love?

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