Potion Permit

Recently, especially on the Nintendo Switch, farming simulators and slice-of-life romps have become a dime a dozen. The market is oversaturated, and there always seems to be a new one coming. It’s insane, but I couldn’t be happier. I’m always ecstatic about the notion of creating a character and infusing myself with them. In Potion Permit, I decided to be a woman. Their designs are usually superior and easier on the eyes. I promise my choice has nothing to do with being a degenerate, th...

Potion Permit is the sort of cosy, welcoming game we can find ourselves playing for hours on end, its satisfying gameplay loop never getting old or repetitive. It won’t be for everyone, but if you love games like the Atelier series and Stardew Valley, and can somehow imagine a marrying of the two, you’re going to find yourself right at home here.

Potion Permit has you go from unwelcomed guest to belle of the ball. This doesn't feel like other life-sim game in a couple of ways. The handful of mini-games, the romancing, and the gifting feel different, in some good - and sometimes only decent - ways. The pixel art looks great, and load times on the Switch were a breeze. I would have liked more of an overall challenge; the game never feels hard or very difficult. Potion Permit works best when throwing on some headphones and listening to a podcast.

Potion Permit makes an effort to implement engaging minigame mechanics through potion brewing and patient diagnosis, but outside of that, a lack of challenge and a feeling of repetition means it struggles to stand out in the vast field of life sims. Still, it presents a fun and enchanting experience which gets a massive shot in the arm from excellent presentation in both the audio and visual departments. Potion Permit fits the bill for something to pick up now and then and pass a few hours, and there are certainly enough quests for you to sink your teeth into and keep you entertained for a whi...

Potion Permit runs incredibly well on the Steam Deck out of the box. The recommended settings do add a bit of battery, but the game shines on its own, especially with the vibrancy plugin.

Potion Permit is a hard game to pin down. It manages to give a refreshing take on the genre, but some of the mundane tasks often felt like bashing my head into a wall over and over again. Potion Permit feels like a nice cup of hot chocolate on an unseasonably warm day. Sure, it tastes good and the thought of it is great, but in practice maybe some things need improvement for it to truly be great.

If you'd like to cure a town and settle into a new cozy and charming pixelated world then here's the delightful Potion Permit.

Potion Permit mixes interesting gameplay and an intriguing story, but it doesn't manage to make the most of a wonderful setting.

Potion Permit throws a bunch of ideas together, but nothing really sticks as a true standout. It forces players into heavy grinding sessions for materials and other progressions at its worst. This makes it feel more akin to an MMO or GaaS than a fitting single-player experience. However, the actual aesthetics and characters are great and can be enough to tip things to some people’s liking.

Potion Permit certainly has its own unique charm as you continue shaping the fortunes of Moonbury and its citizens. Unfortunately, it can get fairly monotonous later on.

Potion Permit is the latest in the slew of cozy indie games coming out this year and it is sure to get compared a lot to games like Stardew Valley and other farming sims. However, it is focused on resource collecting to brew potions and serve patients at a clinic bringing a different formula to the cozy game category.

A cosy game of potion manufacture, healing, and friendship set in a delightful isometric world, that’s let down by its grinding repetition and some serious bugs.