Potion Permit doesn't do anything in a hurry, but maybe that's the point

Potion Permit doesn't seem to do anything in a hurry, and that's because it's a game that expects you to be with it for a long time to come. It's a life simulation, really, dressed up as a potion making game. You're a chemist sent to a town to brew potions, but here's a house to decorate and machines to renovate, and here are townsfolk whose friendships you'll have to earn before they - and the services they offer - open up. Oh, and they have daily rhythms you'll have to adapt to and work around. Try and catch someone out of hours and they won't want to know: you'll have to wait until morning when they're officially on duty again. It all takes time.

The game unfolds mechanically in a very similar way, introducing new ideas slowly. After a couple of hours' play, I've only seen a few of what I suspect will be many gameplay ideas overall, and most of them mini-games. But the core idea is resource-gathering and crafting.

When you're in the wilds, Potion Permit feels like an old-school action RPG, in that you hit enemies with a button-press and then roll around to dodge their attacks. You don't have to kill enemies - combat doesn't seem to be the point of the game - but you'll be attacked and enemies drop useful ingredients, so why not?

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