Review of Potion Permit Switch: a really strong blend
Our Verdict
Potion Permit is a cosy, magical experience that blends the best features of the RPG, adventure, and life sim genres into one soothing, medicinal brew. With plenty of puzzles to solve, potions to distil, and patients to heal, your time in Moonbury is as eventful and exciting as it is stunning.
Recently, the Switch has witnessed a deluge of cozy and family-friendly games that provide a range of creative ways to decompress, including assisting a bear in running a B&B or competing in dance fights with sentient vegetables. Although I'm delighted to enjoy the steady stream of relaxing atmospheres and agricultural simulations that are now available, it's difficult for any one game to stand out due to the excessive saturation of the genre. Fortunately, Potion Permit stands out—and for the greatest kinds of reasons.
With a hint of puzzle-solving, this cute little gem strikes the ideal mix between an adventure game, a life sim, and a traditional, open-ended pixel RPG. As an apprentice of the Medical Association, you are sent to Moonbury at the mayor's request, Myer, to work as a chemist. You see, his daughter is ill, and after running out of other choices, he seeks assistance in the capital, even though Moonbury has long-standing problems with chemists due to a disastrous incident in the past. Your new life officially starts when the mayor asks you to remain in Moonbury as the town's new resident chemist after you heal the girl's illness.
Potion Permit has a very serious message about prejudice, generalization, and fear of change below its adorable surface. The villagers are initially unfriendly and even hostile toward you, yet they nonetheless come to you in times of need, much as how medicine people and "witches" were treated in the early modern period.
But as the narrative goes on, you start to gain their trust and alter their viewpoints, enabling them to see beyond their prejudice and the wounds from their past. "Maybe we shouldn't write off a whole group because of just one person," Mayor Myer remarks.
The two primary components of Potion Permit's gameplay are treating patients and going on adventures. The adventure components have you exploring the environs of Moonbury, fending off monsters, and gathering resources for upgrades and potions. You may freely swap between your three distinct instruments—an axe, a sickle, and a hammer—based on the kind of material you're harvesting. When necessary, you can even use these weapons to repel adversaries.
The section devoted to taking care of your patients comes next. The first thing you have to do when a resident of Moonbury becomes unwell is assess them and make a diagnosis. In order to do this, you must examine the body area that is giving the patient pain. This will initiate a little mini-game on rhythm. The degree of patient satisfaction you achieve will determine how well you do in this area.
My favorite part of the job is when you get to make the potions after you've diagnosed your patient. In contrast to typical games, where creating, cooking, and making potions only entails collecting certain ingredients and mixing them, Potion Permit requires you to solve puzzles in order to brew your mixtures.
The components of each potion recipe are like jigsaw pieces that you must fit together to create a unique puzzle form. From now on, it's just a matter of swiping through your inventory and piecing together the many components that have transformed into jigsaw pieces to finish the problem. There is a maximum number of components you may use in each potion, and some even have limits on the kinds of ingredients you can use (e.g., fire, water, earth, etc.).
These challenges let you truly put your Tetris abilities to the test as you search for the most economical solutions since there is no "right way" to fill them in. Sincerely, I think this idea is fantastic and a pleasant and novel departure from the tried-and-true crafting methods we've become used to.
Your standing among the locals determines the rights you are granted. Regardless matter whether you're asking for help or just saying hello, if you hurt one of them, they all become upset, which hurts your reputation and makes others treat you quite coldly.
However, maintaining high patient satisfaction rates and effectively treating patients boosts your reputation, which leads to new business opportunities and upgrades for the town and its environs. Furthermore, contrary to popular belief, Moonbury is home to a diverse range of fascinating individuals, and cultivating bonds with them is undoubtedly a fulfilling endeavor. If you're searching for love, you could even find it.
You not only get to build the town and its amenities, such as the clinic, but you also get your own potion home that you may customize to your liking. Though it's nothing special, having a warm place to go at the end of the day is pleasant.
Potion Permit has a really beautiful, pixelated visual aesthetic. Every single square is brimming with charm and intricate design, and every sprite—from your dependable dog friend to the butterflies flitting through the woods—has a feeling of vitality and energy. The user interface is just as brilliant, providing all the information you want in a straightforward and simple way without taking up too much space on your screen.
Potion Permit's control scheme is well suited for the Switch. Everything seems really intuitive, natural, and responsive. In both docked and portable mode, everything seems cozy and simple to reach, whether you're swapping out equipment, dodging obstacles with a roll, or flipping through your notebook. I never felt as if I was being overloaded with controls or mechanics to keep up with. The Switch performs just as well, moving between locations with the same kind of butteriness.
Sincerely, I've been completely enamored with Potion Permit and can't imagine a better system to enjoy it on than the Nintendo Switch. It's a warm, enchanted encounter that blends elements of many different genres into one cohesive whole while using original mechanics to keep things interesting.
Its gameplay is captivating, its universe is enthralling, and its story is interesting. Really, what more could a person ask for? The next chilly fall evenings will be perfect for cuddling up with a cup of tea and a baggy sweater while I work to heal the people of Moonbury and maybe even heal a piece of myself in the process.