Potion Permit: Complete Edition

Potion Permit is a step forward for the life-sim genre, despite some serious bugs holding it back.

Slightly above average or simply inoffensive. Fans of the genre should enjoy them a bit, but a fair few will be left unfulfilled.

Unfortunately, there are also a lot of bugs present in the game. Characters will glitch in and out of existence while you’re talking with them. Sometimes the whole screen will go black and your character will pop up in a different part of the map when fast travelling. It’s things like this that really stop Potion Permit from reaching its potential, and its charming visuals can only do so much to counter this.

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 while, even if it's not as catching as the best in the genre.

There's a lot of promise in the game's premise but it's still a glitchy mess that drags on from slow gameplay with minimal difficulty.

Despite failing and not delving adequately into some areas, Potion Permit still offers many enjoyable moments and is worth checking out, especially for those who enjoy social simulation elements and would like or are curious to see these aspects introduced in a non-farm title.

So how should we ultimately rate Potion Permin? It’s better than average, but it falls a bit short of the top games. That doesn’t matter, though—the beautiful atmosphere, the enjoyable medical activities, and hunting in the woods will keep you entertained long enough for you to get your money’s worth. Unfortunately, doing the same thing over and over again and sometimes having to take care of my patients in ways that seemed pointless at times got on my nerves, but I suppose I was expecting too much from such a simple game.

The streamlined mechanics of Potion Permit have simplified some genre staples to the point where they can feel like a grind. However, this game should still be fun for people motivated to learn more about Moonbury’s inhabitants — the town is a lively place where more than 30 individuals pursue daily routines. They interact with each other and the player in ways that suggest an established community, making it more rewarding when you earn that community’s trust.

In a nutshell, Potion Permit is a good game for all gamers who are simply looking for a simple game to relax a bit while gaming. The game is pretty and can be quite entertaining, but it also has a few weak points. Those who simply want to switch off a bit at the end of the day will have fun with Potion Permit.

Potion Permit is a fantastic RPG in the same vein as Harvest Moon and Stardew Valley. It is charming, fun, and rewarding thanks to the balanced and interesting core mechanics. Relax, save the locals, and knock down the walls of distrust.