Happy new year everyone, may all your game wishlist be bought happily this year. Last week, I had a chat with @macchiata about Stardew Valley, and it brought back memories of a similar pixel art game I used to play on my phone. Allow me to reintroduce an enchanting farming-slash-community simulator with gorgeous pixel art Potion Permit.

Officially, this game has actually been released since 22 September 2022, with feature updates and storylines that are updated regularly by the developer. One of the things that makes this game unique and different from other pixel simulator games is the role you play as a doctor who has the main task of providing education and healing city residents who were affected by an accident several decades ago. Let's explore more!

Gameplay

At the beginning of the game you will be a chemist or herbalist as the main plot, a jobdesk that is almost rarely found in farming simulators today. Instead of being a healing expert, you will be a fresh graduate shaman who doesn't have a licence to mix expert medicine, but calmly you have been equipped with the knowledge to diagnose patients.

One of the interesting gameplay offered in this game in my opinion is how to mix the right potion for patients who come to your clinic. Yes, that's right, at the beginning you will be given a tattered clinic that is almost collapsed on the side of the city. Which you can slowly upgrade with money and quest progress.

In general, I think the gameplay is quite solid because you are given the opportunity to explore the forest while collecting many suitable materials to make medicine that you can later give to patients so that they can quickly recover and get better, interestingly you can reject patients and not give medicine or even not examine them at all. However, this will have an impact on the progress of your story.

Materials can be obtained by collecting step plants in the forest area, or can also be obtained from the drop of monsters that you fight in the forest, for this the drop will be random and not all monsters will have the same drop. It's actually one of those collecting, crafting, and curing cycles that's both satisfying and rewarding. Along the way, one of the things I felt was that I could build meaningful connections with the townsfolk, making every task feel personal and worthwhile.

Features and Quests

Potion Permit has many features and a very varied gameplay that makes the gameplay more interesting. One feature that is always available in simulator games like this is the bulletin quest board that will always be updated every day. Each quest feels purposeful and contributes to the overall charm of Moonbury.

MTo be honest, the main jobdesk when playing this game is quite honourable, which is making medicine that is suitable and in accordance with the patient's complaints so that it is. Making potions is also made as interactive as possible with mini puzzles that combine many ingredients that we have managed to get from harvesting plants in the forest or defeating monsters.

In fact, the mechanism of defeating monsters is also quite unique, we can use several agricultural tools to kill monsters, namely hammers, sickles and axes. At the beginning of the game it will be enough to spend a lot of effort killing one monster. After I did some research, it turns out that this equipment can be upgraded to a higher level to make it easier for us when collecting materials and killing monsters.

I think a farming simulator like potion permit is incomplete without developing relationships with villagers who have their own unique stories. The interesting thing is that when you have improved their hearts, you will be given gifts by them personally and their dialogue will change to be warmer when you greet them. Just like in the real world when we get to know the person better, many stories emerge.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

Unique Elements That Keep You Enjoy

• Interesting Pixel Art: I think this first point is always an attraction in itself, the visual style is very pleasing to the eye combined with pixel art that makes us nostalgic.
• Making Potion via Tetris: Making medicine is not boring because we will be invited to play tetris mini games from each material that we have collected from the forest.
• Interesting backgroud story: As I wrote above, each person in Moonbury Town has their own unique story that you can trigger when you communicate frequently and give gifts to them.
• Adorable Loyal Companion: I think what makes this unique is that the dogs we take care of will be able to help us later find the NPC we need to complete a quest,

My Final Thought

I think Potion Permit is a very interesting and relaxing game. Starting from concocting medicine from various ingredients that we get in the forest. Then trying to get close to the townspeople and reveal their stories one by one makes this game not feel boring.

If you are looking for a game that relaxes without pressure and has a good story plot, I highly recommend playing this game. Potion permit is a game that has a complete combination and is perfect for you to play at the beginning of this year. Don't forget to always give gifts and communicate with Moonbury citizens.