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Potion Permit is a gorgeous pixel sim RPG about the life of a chemist in Moonbury, and it’s heading to Xbox later this year. For our latest Xbox Indie Spotlight, we reached out to developer MassHive Media.<\/h2>\n

Potion Permit looks to be an entirely charming and wholesome sim RPG, all about the life of a chemist in Moonbury. We\u2019ve had an eye on this one for a while, so we reached out to developer MassHive Media, with creative director Andika Pradana having been kind enough to answer all of our Potion Permit questions.<\/p>\n

What is Potion Permit?<\/h3>\n

Potion Permit is an open-ended sim RPG about a chemist in the town of Moonbury. It\u2019s in development from MassHive Media and is published by PQube.<\/p>\n

When does Potion Permit launch?<\/h3>\n

We don\u2019t yet have a specific release date for Potion Permit, but it\u2019s expected to launch later this year.<\/p>\n

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What\u2019s it about?<\/h3>\n

In Potion Permit, we play as one of the most \u201caccomplished\u201d chemists of the Medical Association. We\u2019re told that \u201cthe town of Moonbury has always been wary of the advances of the outside world, preferring to rely on their traditional methods of healing. Until one day, when the mayor’s daughter falls ill, and the local witch doctor can do nothing to help her, they are forced to look outside their small community for help.\u201d That\u2019s where we come in. We\u2019ll be looking not only to heal the mayor\u2019s daughter and the residents of Moonbury, but to convince them all about \u201cthe wonders of modern alchemy.\u201d Oh, and we won\u2019t be alone \u2014 our \u201cloyal dog companion\u201d will come with us in our adventures.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt first, we were inspired by various game genres with mostly slice of life, simulation kind of games. However, we realized that most types of that genre are focusing on farming simulations and thus we want to twist our direction just a little bit,\u201d Pradana says. \u201cWe want to step forward outside the farming simulation games and we decided to go for a chemist life simulation game. However, making such a tiny twist isn\u2019t that easy at all. We tried our best to stand out with our own ideas and direction without disregarding the design of the game. Besides the uniqueness of the gameplay we want to provide, we want to elevate the narration of the game by giving such an unusual and interesting story that blends well with our mechanic.\u201d<\/p>\n

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How does Potion Permit play?<\/h3>\n

So, diagnosing symptoms, gathering ingredients, and brewing remedies will be a big part of the game, but we\u2019ve also got to gain the trust of Moonbury\u2019s inhabitants and build relationships with them, as well as fighting off monsters when hunting for ingredients, upgrading the town, going fishing, playing dice games in the tavern, and more. \u201cDaily life in Moonbury is relaxing and moves forward at a slow pace,\u201d Pradana says. \u201cYou, as a chemist, will wake up early and start your day by checking if there\u2019s any patient in your clinic to diagnose and cure. When you feel that you have run out of materials, you\u2019ll need to go to the wild to collect some materials required for your potions. Not to forget befriending the villagers so they won\u2019t treat you as a stranger as they did in the beginning.\u201d<\/p>\n

We\u2019ll be armed with a hammer, axe, and sickle for gathering ingredients and fighting off monsters, and will need to take the materials and ingredients we find back to our cauldron, where we can brew not only remedies to cure the sick but also potions to help us in battle. \u201cEvery patient who falls ill sometimes needs to be diagnosed first when the symptoms are still undefined,\u201d Pradana explains. \u201cOnce the symptoms have been revealed, then you\u2019ll know what type of remedy is required to cure those symptoms. The next thing to do would be brewing that particular remedy with any of the materials the player has.\u201d As we become more experienced, we\u2019ll find more complex recipes for stronger concoctions, and it looks as though brewing potions will involve puzzles and a minigame. We also wondered if there was any possibility our chemist might accidentally do more harm than good when brewing remedies, but Pradana assures us, \u201cevery concoction within the game is meant to have a good effect as the purpose of the chemist within Moonbury is taking care of those who need help.\u201d<\/p>\n

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As we heal the residents of Moonbury, our reputation will grow, and those inhabitants will begin to trust us a little more. The devs hint that we might \u201ceven find ourselves growing particularly close to certain bachelors or bachelorettes.\u201d As our approval rating grows, we\u2019ll be able to improve Moonbury by upgrading public buildings and the explorable areas near Moonbury. \u201cSome parts of the town will be developed over time as players befriend the villagers,\u201d Pradana says. \u201cAs the friendship with the villagers grows, they will collectively fix some parts of the town to show their affection and appreciation towards the main character.\u201d We\u2019ll also, it seems, get to \u201cdesign our own home,\u201d and can craft or buy furniture to decorate it. In our time off, we can chat with the people of Moonbury, check out the tavern, do some fishing, or whatever else takes our fancy; the devs emphasise that there are no time limits \u2014 \u201cplayers are free to go at their own pace.\u201d<\/p>\n

Potion Permit looks to be an entirely relaxing experience, and we were curious about the decision to add monsters and combat. \u201cAlthough it will be such a relaxing and cosy game, we would like to balance the overall vibes which could be a little more challenging and rewarding,\u201d Pradana says. \u201cWe want the player to be able to discover and explore the island with fairly casual combat elements. Furthermore, to learn about the monsters and plantations lore and the overall world building.\u201d<\/p>\n

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What\u2019s the world like?<\/h3>\n

We\u2019ll be heading to the charming town of Moonbury. Over on the Potion Permit site, we\u2019re told that Moonbury \u201cis a delightfully charming location where time seems a little slower and life is just a little more relaxed than the big city.\u201d We\u2019ll be exploring all around in our adventures. The island, we\u2019re told, \u201cis an independent island separated from the main island. It\u2019s a peaceful island with many types of fields to explore, varieties of plantations, monsters, cultures and more to discover. Although the game will have a relaxing phase, your day won\u2019t be boring as there are a lot of new things to discover every single day.\u201d We haven\u2019t seen too much of the world just yet, but intriguingly, the devs do mention \u201cdense fog, droughts, [and] strong blizzards,\u201d and even \u201cthe baking heat of a desert.\u201d<\/p>\n

Part of Potion Permit\u2019s charm and relaxing atmosphere seems to originate from the lovely pixel art style. \u201cWe had experimented on a few different art styles before we settled with this one as this is our second pixel art game,\u201d Pradana explains. \u201cPreviously the sprite size was fairly small but we decided to enlarge the sprites so the details of the character could speak louder regarding the storytelling. And since the goal of the game is heading towards cosiness, we shape the design and colour to give more heart-warming vibes.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Any news on the Potion Permit achievements?<\/h3>\n

We don\u2019t yet have the Potion Permit achievements, but Pradana tells us, \u201csince everyone\u2019s goals while playing our game are different from one another, we decided to reward players from several different aspects. But players\u2019 highest achievements within the game would be successfully accepted as a chemist in Moonbury Island. There are also a bunch of collectibles within the game that can be acquired throughout the game from several different activities,\u201d Pradana continues. \u201cWe want to make every single activity as rewarding and challenging but cosy at the same time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Potion Permit looks like just what the doctor ordered \u2014 what, out of all that it offers, is Pradana most excited for players to experience? \u201cTo immerse themselves in the experience of a chemist’s life, and obviously to empower the feelings that helping other people is not only noble, but cool and fun,\u201d Pradana responds. What do you think? Will you be helping out the residents of Moonbury when Potion Permit launches? Let us know what you think in the comments!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Potion Permit is a gorgeous pixel sim RPG about the life of a chemist in Moonbury, and it’s heading to Xbox later this year. For our latest Xbox Indie Spotlight, we reached out to developer MassHive Media. Potion Permit looks to be an entirely charming and wholesome sim RPG, all about the life of a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":16908,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.trueachievements.com\/customimages\/128495.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[570],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16907","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-xbox"],"yoast_head":"\n