Kongregate Day: Jacksmith

Every so often, I'll find myself on Kongregate.com. Apparently, I'm an achievement addict.
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Today, I will be playing Jacksmith, tagged as a "Time Management, Fantasy, Business" game.

Here's the given description of the game:

Man the forge and craft your best weapons for your warriors in Jacksmith! You’re a donkey on a mission that takes you across the land, but the trails are blocked by a variety of monsters — time to call in the local warrior clans for help! You’ll design swords, bows, shields, and other weapons in a completely hands-on blacksmith shop. When all of your soldiers are equipped, it’s off to battle to fight your way further down the path! While the warriors fight, you’ll need to gather loot and help out with your trusty cannon. Collect better ores and parts to make even better weapons, and keep making progress across the land towards the evil wizard Dudley!


http://www.kongregate.com/games/FliplineStudios/jacksmith?tab=achievements
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Quite different from the normal kongregate games I'm use to playing. Rather than the one doing the hacking and slashing, you are the one who are providing the weapons for the hacking and slashing.

So essentially there are two phases to the game; one when you set up shop, making weapons in a Cooking Mama fashion based on the demand of your warrior customers, and two is when the warriors take the weapons you make and bring them to battle against foes who seem to bleed gems and materials.

Making a sword. In almost a Cooking Mama way

 Making the weapons is pretty simple. The game provides in game tutorials for each weapon the first time you make it, and depending on what parts you use to put it together, you can make "epic" weapons, which boost the stats of your party.

As the game progresses, you get access more base weapons to forge, and more epic recipes to create.

Epic weapons boost your team's stats dramatically.

I know this game calls itself a time management game, but there isn't the same kind of rush that you get from a Diner Dash-type game. The faster you complete it, the more gems you get, but it really isn't a dramatic amount. Also, the customer's don't get angry at you if you take a long time, so there isn't a real penalty for taking your time. While time management enthusiasts won't get the same rush from similar games, I prefer the casual, laid back style that Jacksmith offers.

Taking multiple orders while customers wait patiently.

Ah. A happy customer who understands a blacksmith can't be perfect every time!

 There's not much to do in the combat phase. Depending on the grade of your weapon, the mercenaries will either steamroll the mobs, or your weapons will break and you'll watch your valiant heroes run away. As you level up, you gain skills to help them while in combat, like a cannonball to launch at your foes.

Gems and ores seem to bleed out of mobs

Fat loots at the end.

Overall, Jacksmith is an entertaining game that will definitely fill in some time. It offers simple gameplay and entertaining cinematics for the casual gamer, as well as a ton of loot and recipes to unlock for those who really enjoy the game.