Is Potion Permit a Failed Experiment... Or Not? - Switch Review

[@gretchengerot8374]

I’m about 4 or 5 hours in, and so far i’ve been enjoying it for what it is. Its an easy, cozy game that could use some polishing. I do think the minigames could be harder as well as the combat to make resource gathering more rewarding. But overall i like it and hope they continue adding to the game

[@strobo308]

By the way, I would love if Matheo (the witchdoctor) had more protagonism in the story, but he doesn't appear whatsoever in the rest of the game, you literally have to go to his home to go look for him. He didn't even appear in the clinic once during my 23 hour playtrough. I thought the character didn't even live there until I found his house all the way down the map. Lost potential everywhere.

[@MidoriTheAwesome]

Oh no! He was gonna be my love interest

[@emilyn9851]

I’ll probably wait on this game, it’s unfortunate that the story is short, but I think it’s still charming looking. Thank you for the honest review. 👍🏻

[@chizuruyukimura6132]

this game feels unfinished to me, i heard that there is no raining, no seasons and no festivals and just dating and not marrying is boring for me , hopefully there will be future updates!

[@JoshGamingGarden]

There used to be rain, but the framerate dropped so much on the Switch, they just removed rain from the game. 😅 I didn't record footage of the rain but it was awful. This definitely would benefit from some updates!

[@xxcamelia]

There is dating but no marriage

[@daniswara1164]

Let's just support the game so the developer can update and fix all the issue. I honestly love the idea of alchemist game. Let's just wish that with enough support the developer could make the second series which fix all issues from the first issue.

[@dweebicusmaximus]

@@daniswara1164 You shouldn't buy a game with the expectations of it being fixed and having the things you want in it just to 'support the devs'. You're buying the product as-is and there are so many indie games being made that you don't have to settle for a product you don't want just to support one.

[@hazard6300]

So you want a stardew valley clone

[@PlayfulDead22]

I've been very excited for this game, and honestly the simple mini games is a big plus to me as I see this as a cozy game, and if those sorts of things getting overly difficult will just frustrate me and I'll stop playing. Might wait to see how the Switch quality is after release before grabbing, but will definitely be grabbing it!

[@michalovesanime]

Ashame that it was a bit... Disappointing ... I already bought it 😅 so I just hope that the postive aspects stands out. Even if not, I don't regret giving my money to a small team either way..

[@whereismyharem]

hi it's me, a small team

[@sereneshireen]

unfortunately, i got the same mixed-to-negative impression from the demo! it's a bummer that such a beautiful game is so tedious and shallow. thanks for your honest thoughts! this confirmed that i will be skipping unless the team does some dramatic updates.

[@marzettik]

This was a great and interesting review. I appreciate your honesty. I plan on picking up this game for some of the reasons you don’t like. Because it’s repetitive, that makes it easy and cozy. I usually end up putting games down once they get to hard because I have cognitive problems from a health condition.

[@mink9186]

I’ve just about finished the game. I wish there was more! Everyday in game is the same, the townspeople say the same things, I wish there was more to do. It’s still relatively new so I guess I can’t complain just yet. I haven’t had any issues with bugs or crashing.

[@Chris-re3lv]

You know, Stardew Valley also had problems with periodic pauses and sudden crashes on the PS Vita version of the game, but I still fell in love with the game. I thought it was too bad it stopped getting patches, which is why I moved on to getting it for the Switch instead, where so much content for the game was added. So seeing the sudden pauses and crashes in your review reminded me of that. Given what I see, I do believe I will enjoy Potion Permit quite a bit. I don't need it to be anything more than a relaxing jaunt anyways.

[@victoriaun4174]

Hmm I’ve been wanting this game, but I’m a little worried that there isn’t much gameplay for the price point. I wonder if they plan on continuing to expand it so that it became well… more.

[@sterlingdennett]

The only problem I ever had with Potion Permit was with the demo version - every time I tried to cook anything with corn in it, the game would hang - the cooking action simply wouldn't complete, and nothing else would happen. I had to Ctrl+Alt+Del to shut down the game, as I could not exit the action any other way. I am happy to report that the full version of the game has fixed this problem, and I have cooked with multiple ingredients, including corn, multiple times, without any problems. Also, I have had NO performance issues with the Steam version on PC.

[@arcanumelite4853]

you get the fishing rod by going to the fishing shop early in the morning after a certain stage in the game... the pirate girl will give you one when you run into her on the pier...

[@strobo308]

I deleted my savefile on accident because the devs put the delete button right beside the select one. Like, X for select your savefile and C for deleting it. No confirmation screen whatsoever. So yeah, don't delete your 23 hour long savefile my dudes.

[@JoshGamingGarden]

Oh no!😭I really hope that gets changed, sorry about your save file!

[@strobo308]

@@JoshGamingGarden thank you! So far I got the devs attention on reddit and they said they'll look into it so let's hope it doesn't happen to anyone else in the future :(

[@sammythehamster9093]

I enjoy playing the demo but hated the buttons pressing sequence game. Mixing the potion was really fun. Lately, quite a lot of games have issues on the Switch. I feel better play on the PC. I like the cute doggy. I have second thoughts about the game even though playing demo was fun. There's relationship decay if you don't talk to NPCs for while. I might pass or get on sale. Besides lots of other games releasing on 27th.

[@kirasant]

I was really excited to finally get this game and I'm super disappointed. It's so grindy and the minigames are dumb. After spending two days grinding fish for some dumb friendship event, I went and spent three more days grinding for resources to upgrade my rotting hovel of a clinic and got... fans? Fans. FANS. I didn't even get new sheets for my 2 grand and piles of crap. And then as icing I got the friendship event for the spa owner which was nothing but her berating a mentally handicapped man about the quality of his roasted CORN! At least in Subnautica the leviathans only want to eat me. This town is performing some weird psychological assault.

[@Jexxa.]

This makes me so sad. I was REALLY looking forward to playing this but there's multiple things in it that aren't my cup of tea, I'm awful at memory and rythme games unfortunately even if they are super simple I'd still mess them up. The art is absolutely beautiful tho

[@itsanniedee]

I’d been really excited for this at it felt like it was trying to be a combination of a Stardew style life sim & the Atelier games… looks a bit like they missed the mark on both counts :(

[@ib0093]

I really want this game but they need to allow for larger font. Even in the Steam Deck the font is way to small for my old eyes.

[@raulrojas9253]

The price will determine if the game lives or die, I did enjoy the demo a few months ago, but is a shame to know that the game won't evolve much.

[@ThePancakeJedi]

Great graphics. Good atmosphere. Gameplay is okay. Could do without the futile mini games. Fishing mechanic is nice... What bothers me though is the poor writing and dialogue diarrhea. It feels like getting life lessons from a twenty year old. Also I get the idea that this was supposed to be a 'doctor' sim, but then the creators realised doctors don't make their own medicine. But then again, what chemist treats patients?

[@The_amazing_dust]

I loved the new take on this kind of game, that you can can now be a doctor of some sorts. Really interesting concept. And I was obsessed with this game for about a week. But then it got really repetitive. The only real gameplay function is the gathering of materials, wich is just smashing a button over an over. It's a shame, because the townfolk was really well thought out and very engaging. I was looking forward too spending hours with them....but oh well...

[@faimynth6030]

I played potion permit! I honestly really truly loved this game but found so many elements lacking, i understand it's a passion project but Stardew Valley was also a passion product designed by 1 man so i do think it's fair to expect more fleshed out elements. I also have not been able to figure out how to fish, I found myself honestly dreading the hospital everyday due to how repetitive and boring it was, I honestly wish we had the ability to close the hospital if we wanted and patients would just go to Matheo instead maybe at a small fee of trust or matheo would request a fee for his services or even the ability to hire aid and train other alchemist in the town that would be cool i really loved the story and characters though but i wish there were more marriagable characters! I love the ones we have but i found myself desperately wanting a few other characters who were single!! I also wish the marriage elements were just... fleshed out... It's something i just expect at this point with games like this so i was disappointed that when i finally married Matheo it added next to nothing, well other than a super cute cutscene where he was defending me-- But i wish there was an ability to have children and them move in, i think it would be especially cool if you married matheo if maybe he would help out in the clinic and you two could work side by side... I just wish Matheo had more... content... For a rival he's really forgotten and pushed to the side after the first bit of the main story. I found the story very charming but honestly not very-- impending, I kinda wish some more characters who actually caused the incident were around helping you (yes i understand theres some story reasons as to why this can't be) but it really feels like no one actually cares about the incidents and the incidents really don't have much impending on the town other than wiping out a few plants. I also think the alchemy could be fleshed out a little more... i really did not find myself using it outside of the hospital and i found that some of the recipes that actually made money were to much of a pain to gather to just sell it. all in all i loved this game, would honestly pay for DLC (story dlc not just cosmetic which i did buy-), I want more content from the creators i believe they are getting there with making an amazing game they just need a slight more push and time to flesh out elements in this game.

[@xxcamelia]

I don't remember where but I read that the mini games were more difficult and lots of people with anxiety or disabilities weren't able to do them so they couldn't play the game, this is why they reduced a lot their difficulty

[@Xxsorafan]

They could have just included an accessibility setting that removes it rather than have a few peoples issues affect the rest of consumers

[@dweebicusmaximus]

Well, I played the demo at first and they were exceedingly simple so I don't actually think they changed them? Also it's lazy accessibility to just simplify things for the entire game-different settings are important, and if that's all they effect even an indie dev can handle it. Especially since they already made both difficulties (allegedly)

[@xxcamelia]

@@dweebicusmaximus They changed it in the demo too!

[@AuntTassid]

Anyone know what the empty house is about, I've completed the story & literally nothing was mentioned throughout about that useless house!

[@mtbrains]

I can't say that I thoroughly enjoy the game but it does provide me a moment of mental respite while I'm at work. It gives me something to do and it's not a high impact game that requires more attention than I have to offer. It fits a specifically category that you may like or not like.

[@ryanjames78]

Not another ‘crashy’ game! I was interested until I saw that dreaded screen in your review. I had enough of spending a small fortune on Two Point Campus and getting that every half hour … it’s a no from me for now. Thank you for saving me!

[@Lassy089]

It's not a farming sim but Nino Kuni and Nino Kuni 2 are AMAZING games. Also I hope you check out Fae Farm!

[@daveincognito]

So it won't rock our world, but it's fun while it lasts? I'm ok with that.

[@chaosordeal294]

My reaction was nearly identical to yours. Everything is fine, except the gameplay is flat, and often tedious, with no high point to hang your hat on.

[@marcosdheleno]

1:04 people arent tired of pixel art, they are tired of atari looking pixel sticks being sold as PIXEL ART, when they are in fact, mediocre atari looking games.

[@catscanhavelittleasalami]

I had fun playing the demo, that is until a game-breaking glitch happened and I had to start all over again...no thank you. Anyway, the game is fine, best quality is the art ofc, it looks amazing. Gameplay is enjoyable as well. But there are a lot of little issues with it. It start with the NPCs, they trust us way too quickly which gave me whiplash since they hate us very fiercely when we start the game. 2nd problem is the dog, he feels useless and needs to eat way too damn often (also the relationship with that dog starting at 0 when we're supposed to have had it as a companion for a while makes no sense). 3rd is the choice of love interests, I wish we could date more people in town. Last, not being able to marry is a big turn off for me. I don't see the point in being able to date and not going further, it feels incomplete. So unless they add more content, I won't be buying. It's a shame because this game had a lot of potential.

[@melissa9734]

I've only played a little back and forth so far and I liked it a lot. I do hope more updates come out as it has been a while since release, but it's a cute game.

[@rans0927]

I played the demo and I liked it a lot. But I guess I'm not gonna buy it with full price. It's not gonna be on my "must have" list. I may get it when it's on sale, or if someone gives me a steam/eshop gift card.

[@eternity449]

Thank you for sharing your opinion on the game Josh! I find it hard to relate to other reviewers who only lay out the game mechanics without sharing their own experience on the game (maybe they didn't feel that strongly about it... not sure!)

[@sayamnadeem9227]

I agree with all your points butt i will say I did still enjoy the game, it was a short and sweet game(aside leanos quest oml that killed me with the amount I had to fish), but otherwise it was a nice game to play after my job where im tired and dont want a challenge, just a little easy mode and no time restrained gameplay compared to stardew valley.

[@dawndusk1007]

They should have the cauldron in the clinic....

[@JackTwoFingers]

It looks surprisingly good ngl. Pixel art animation and the overall art style are right up my alley. I think most of the performance issues will be ironed out in the final version of the game. I don't like that the seasons doesn't seem to change this is something they hopefully will introduce in an update though. Also there is no marriage but at least it has dating elements in it, unlike Harvestella, and a better interaction with other characters. Socializing and feeling like a part of the community is VERY important for me in a life sim game. The gameplay reminds me of Atelier combined with stardew valley and rune factory. A great mix though. 20 bucks price tag for switch version also seems reasonable to me. Im looking forward to it!

[@jaymochi]

Aww, its a shame about the game because I've been following it for a while and enjoyed the demo but from your review it does seem kinda empty. I played the pc version and I remember the controls being a bit wonky (you couldn't use the mouse for example). I definitely got the fishing rod somewhere in the demo but couldn't figure out the fishing minigame anyway, so there's also that. I'll keep my eye on it still, if it gets some updates I'll definitely be willing to give it a chance. Thank you for your honest thoughts Josh :3

[@stephm4411]

Thank you for your honest review .. I almost got it today but decided to wait for reviews. I'll just watch gameplay from other for now..thank you!.

[@spacecadet1248]

Damn I already pre-ordered the digital version. Wish I could get my money back😢

[@RachelRoseMitchell]

I was thinking of picking this up because the other elements looked interesting but wow, that diagnosis minigame looks atrocious lol

[@revealednew]

the creator might inspired too much with medic on octopath

[@cloudy7971]

that serum minigame reminds me of the mecha customisation in solatorobo. Not sure if there are any other games that do a similar thing.

[@willowkaiser4036]

Was going to do life in willow dalle but haven't seen any one so I am wait and pick this up and try willow dalle comes out on 30th

[@andraes9684]

In its current state, the game isn't worth the price. I hope the devs don't sleep on it.

[@ah_lai]

I played the demo before and agree that the minigames are too easy. They should have given players the option to choose difficulty. I was hoping for the game to offer more beyond the sample we got. It has potential if they ever wanted to build on it though.

[@yaoi4evandnevayuri]

This reminds me of the atelier series just simpler.

[@edwardtan1354]

shh but don't tell them that but yes this plays out earily similar to any true atelier game if they added some form of urgency... now its a very TRUE ATELIER they just now need a barrel gag

[@Lo-Fi-_-Gaming]

Man, I wish there was a monster hunting game with this beautiful pixel art. I miss topdown/asymmetric pixel art action rpg games

[@marcosdheleno]

4:05 those minigames look dreadfull. i was tired of playing simon says when i hit 5, and each time im forced to do it in a game i get more and more tired of it. who in their right mind thought it would be a good idea to make the minigames around simon says and dance dance revolution shouldnt be surprised if it flops.

[@WarmMukwa]

I had a hard time with the minigame for the clinic. Played the demo on pc.

[@SaberisloveSaberislife]

Another disappointment after Kitaria Fables. I hope Roots of Pacha does much better. Haunted Chocolatier can't come soon enough.

[@louderthenvisual]

Disappointed. I was going to get this game but since you can't marry anyone... there is really no seasons.... no rain!? :( man I thought this was gonna be a good game to get. Thank you so much for your review.

[@Caigul]

probably end up getting it though its gone down on the list alittle

[@jdhlsc169]

I love pixel art & want to play this game, but no mouse and unrealistic keyboard movement is a NO for me.

[@rhiannonmackenzie2527]

I played the demo a while ago and really enjoyed it. I was given a fishing rod during the demo, so I know it was once possible to get one

[@jaynescott3253]

Got it on bith my swith and pc and tbh prefer the switch....On my laptop i do not use a joypad and the controls are the worst ever. The switch version does pause every so often n ot had a crash yet but spent a god few hours just gathering and exporing where i can. Do not expect a STV (over1000 hours in that on 3 machines) BUT its still better thatn Rune Factory 5 :) Short, sweet and nice looking game. Oh and it had a Doggo, extra point for that.

[@vanessabarnes2869]

i dont think easy is a bad thing or insulting to a game the best games i found are really easy and the worst pride themselves on challenge this game looks awesome from the pc demo the only conern i have is the peformance but we'll see but i put 150 hours into rune factory 5 and every farming youtuber ive seen loathes that game so who knows thanks for the review but i disagree with it i will play the game for myself love your content nontheless

[@JoshGamingGarden]

Easy is definitely not a bad thing, it all depends on what you're looking for! And I loved Rune Factory 5, even though it had a few flaws, as most games do!

[@vanessabarnes2869]

@@JoshGamingGarden ye true i didnt mean to come off as aggressive sorry bout that

[@tiffanymarie9750]

Gonna be playing it so hopefully they get the performance issues fixed quickly 🤞

[@eddieyong5316]

thought LGIO remade his old account. Hello new Josh

[@packers12to80]

Hey Josh can u try to get a review out for hokko life on switch. That would be amazing. Thanks for this review saved me from buying digital and physical like I do alot.

[@freya1548]

I think this will be a buy when on sale game for me.

[@alpacacokelat]

can't wait to buy this game on steam

[@Cibbic]

Good game but many missed opportunities

[@luna_wolf_gaming_twitch]

I Had 0 problem with this demo on PC

[@gtomanga]

marriage, is there marriage/dating in this game? it looks like its supposed to have one of those.

[@laz0rw0lf1975]

The pause in gameplay is auto save taking place

[@JoshGamingGarden]

Hmm that's odd! I thought the game only saved while sleeping. When the game crashed I always had to start the whole day over.

[@letsbeecozy]

Damn i already bought it :( was looking forward to it tbh now i dont know and i got the deluxe edition :(

[@GeekyMina]

I bought it (on sale) last year out of following some CC hyping the game. Should have never done that 🤦🏻‍♀️

[@ahmedfalahy9337]

Not sure why the review is very negative towards Potion Permit. The game is simple, easy and straightforward. Almost feels like Moonlighter in terms of gameplay focus and lack of various other things you'd find in lifesims like Harvest Moon. I think Potion Permit sounds fine if you just want to chillax, have a pleasant game picking herbs and brewing medicine, and playing doctor to help out the community. Medieval Doc Sim, if you would

[@sumbunniii8721]

Because it’s honest? nothing was negative in his review, just blunt honesty. He mentioned various “good” aspects of the game and what he liked about it. If u read the comments u will see that the same things he mentioned are the same things everyone else doesn’t like as well. Seems to be majority opinion. Of course there’s going to be a small niche majority who love this game and that’s great. But with so many titles out now and so many “farm” sim rpg life sims available, this one def falls short with so much competition in that genre. For many, life farm sims are already hard to stay attatched to after the main story line or relationship story lines are complete. Devs have learned for awhile now that making a farm sim too tedious/grinding is only going to bore and annoy people. So any game that’s super repetitive and tedious right away for the whole game is already doing a major no no which is known to drive people away. If there’s not much more to the game than the demo as far as gameplay then why am I buying the game? I feel at the very least they could have done so much more with the relationships and doctor part of the game. If they stepped outside of the box a little more which is what we were all expecting…I feel like rune factory fits my expectation of this game more than this game itself. Especially with the new rune factory around the corner along with coral island, and especially kitori coming out along with many other titles it’s hard to get invested into something so minimal in comparison.

[@Ninja40K]

I appreciate your honesty Josh.

[@empresscarrot5417]

Thanks for the review! I was looking forward to this game but now, I'm hesitant to get it. Seems repetitive and boring :(

[@elasmojones]

So....basically tedious game is tedious

[@kellybrowning3257]

Very sad about this one, was looking forward to it for a while but it felt so repetitive after a while. Decided to give it more time and experience the story but then had multiple dialogue bugs. :(

[@meph1570]

i've tried it and it feels bland after quite some time. i'm a bit suprised though because pixelated games tend to be so much fun because the developers doesn't have to put their focus on graphics too much and allocate it to make more fun (and possibly complex) gameplay system/mechanism. not this one, i guess, or at least not yet.

[@Fjuczers]

thank you for review!

[@KrazyCatQueen]

Ahhh i was waiting for this game. Too bad it’s a little janky. Hopefully it will get some good updates.

[@bryanlejano3775]

I think this game is for more 10-14 years old of age audience than 16-30. That's why there's no challenge for us young adults.

[@Shion.U27]

I would love to play this game but $22 Canadian is just too much from what ive seen and from what people have been saying. I understand it made by a smaller company but its too much for what the game is.

[@cinarynroll]

I would like another review on this game, I don’t think you gave it a chance. Check out A casual gamers review, very to the point and unbiased.

[@jarylquincina7866]

Very beautiful pixel art style. There are issues with gameplay which I think will be addressed. One is that the mini games are too easy. Perhaps they can be scaling in difficulty and rewards. Resources gathering is a bit grindy and the plants spawn in the same locations can be repetitive at times. I also wish there would be more patients to cure. Haha

[@JustAnOldStone]

"Some features like cooking and fishing feel unnecessary" In a soft life sim. Ok.

[@darkangel9551]

Ah damm I wish I saw this before I bought the game

[@vg2448]

The game will be so much better after release. New content, bug fixes, and optimization is added often. A ton of content is planned. I can hardly wait for this game. The Demo is good, but the Final version will be amazing.

[@jellaldragneel5983]

oh man switch performance issue again 😂

[@VTrucker777]

Any game that release on android All is the same bruh Free apk galore

[@seink9163]

How far does relationships go? Can we get married and have children like story of seasons?

[@BratzFelineDevine]

Pretty sure its just dating right now. However, I'm pretty sure I saw that they were thinking about implementing marriage, but that was a bit ago.

[@Tuinuiski]

I don't understand the appeal of pixel art. I appreciate the artistry involved but for me it's just looks dated. I do realise that lots of people like it though, it's just not for me.

[@dawndusk1007]

For some people graphics mean nothing if the story isn't great. For me the story has to be good or it wasn't worth playing.

[@blakefenslerjr4858]

Just don't play the switch version period