In Chemical Overload, the current Master Alchemist is set to retire, but has been preparing for this by training his apprentices for years. Sure, the Academy of Alchemy has been pretty brutal so far, but the end of the road is near. The final exam is going to be rough, but it’ll be worth it, if you manage to rise above your fellow students and win the title of Master Alchemist!
At the end of the final exam, you’ll be judged on the quality of your potions, which can be measured by how many Alchemy Points you’ve managed to accrue. Do this before the lab fills up with too many toxic fumes and the exam is called to a halt.

You and your fellow students will start with the same basic chemicals and flasks. You’ll be combining your chemicals with the flasks of the correct size to brew magical potions.

Each potion has its own effects and Alchemy Point values, and you’ll be able to use those potion’s effects throughout the game to help you gain more gold, alchemy points, more powerful chemicals, or even more powerful potions!

But some potions will also add to the amount of toxic fumes in the lab! There are several thresholds, that once passed, you’ll have to draw a toxin card and deal with those effects. So you’ll want to keep an eye on that track, because once the tracker hits the end of the meter, the test is over!

At the end of the final exam, the alchemist with the most Alchemy Points wins and is crowned the Master Alchemist!

Chemical Overload is a Deck Building game that has elements of tableau building as well. On your turn, you’ll have a hand of cards. Any flask cards in your hand can be played to the table and remain there until used to brew a potion. There are also potions that can be played to the table for ongoing effects.

As a bit of a twist on a classic deck building game, when a player gains new cards, such as new chemicals or a newly brewed deck potion, those cards go right on top of their draw pile. Any flasks or table potions gained can be placed immediately in the players tableau area. Players will be able to decide what unused cards in their hand they want to keep at the end of the round and which they want to discard, all with an eye on the cards they know they’ll be drawing next turn.

Chemical Overload is for 1-4 players and takes about 45-60 minutes to play.

—description from the publisher

Groves