Since Stardew Valley came out, dozens of developers have tried to imitate Eric Barone’s title. MassHive Media joins this list of companies with Potion Permit, a Stardew Valley, but with potions. Does it manage to innovate or is it more of the same? Here we tell you this and more.
Potion Permit It is available for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S│X, Nintendo Switch.
Raja from here, porteñito
Potion Permit He invites us to put ourselves in the shoes of an alchemist from the Federal Capital (well, no) who must travel to Moonbury, a small town in the interior, to cure the mayor’s daughter. The aforementioned fell ill and the local healer could do absolutely nothing for her.
What is the problem? That the people of the Capital are not well received in this town. It doesn’t matter how many people you heal or how many good deeds you do; everyone hates you
Over time, we will discover the reason for this intense hatred towards the inhabitants of the big city. Our mission? In addition to curing those who fall ill, earning the love and respect of the villagers and recovering the identity of the place.
The story of Potion Permit It’s not exactly memorable, but it’s okay. The problem, at this point, is the dialogues with the NPCs. The vast majority of them feel, at first, too similar; It seems that they all share the same personality. Although, with the passing of the hours, this matter, luckily, improves.
Farming and crafting, of potions!
Potion Permit part from a base very similar to the stardew valley –and all the simulation RPGs that came out after the Barone title–. That is, we must farm, farm and… farm.
Though, Potion Permit It is not just about farming and later crafting. Starting from the base, what we must elaborate are potions. The best? This creation is accompanied by a mini puzzle. Each potion has a specific structure and each crafted item has a shape. Our task is to manage to place the necessary elements in an adequate way until the structure is completed. Once you’ve brewed the same potion 4 times, you’re no longer prompted to do this step.
The MassHive Media title is full of minigames. For example, in our passage through Moonbury we can work in the Post Office, in the Church and in the Police Station. Each one of them has a minigame such as: crushing grapes by frantically pressing a button, packing by selecting which side the item goes to, or touching the arrows in the direction indicated below.
Taking care of sick NPCs also features two mini-games: one in the style GuitarHero (press the indicated arrow at the indicated moment) and another in the best Simon Says style (memorize the order in which the arrows lit up).
In addition to the multiple minigames, Potion Permit It also invites us to carry out main missions –which will allow us to advance in history– and dozens of secondary missions, those that will make us win the love of the people.
The content in this title is abundant, but there is a problem… Potion Permit It takes a long time – a very long time – to get to the point. At least for the first 2 hours of the game there’s basically nothing to do other than chop down a few trees and chop up a few rocks. The title has a lot of material to cut, but it takes too long to get to it.
Another problem with the gameplay of Potion Permit is that, despite its generous content, it fails to feel original. If you played the stardew valley or similar, you will feel that it is a title that you have already played dozens of times in the past.
What is said a cozy title
The vast majority of these SV-like “simulation of…” titles share one very important foundation regarding their graphics: making the experience feel visually inviting.
That is why the world that we are presented with in Potion Permit through its pixels it is colorful; completely friendly. At all times it makes us feel welcome (despite the hostility of its inhabitants).
This point is also accompanied and enhanced by an equally comforting soundtrack. The music feels warm; it makes us feel part of that community and everything that it encompasses.