Comparison

Road Not Taken vs Potion Permit

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Road Not Taken

This turn-based puzzle game challenges players to navigate a treacherous forest, rescue lost children, and build relationships. Each playthrough offers a unique story and strategic challenges, encouraging players to forge their own path.

Highlights
  • Turn-based puzzle gameplay
  • Randomly generated levels
  • Relationship building with villagers
  • Strategic object manipulation
  • Exploration and discovery
  • Unique narrative creation
Read full description

"It looks like a cute fairy tale, but this is a turn-based game that's thorny with challenge and packed with an incredible number of gameplay secrets." Should you play this game: YES – Kotaku "Road Not Taken is the cutest catalyst for an existential crisis I've ever encountered" 4.5 out of 5 – Joystiq "It's as mean as life, as cruel as the universe, and it still manages to be one of the most intriguing and moving titles released this year." 90 out of 100 – GamesBeat About This Game: Road Not Taken is a puzzle game about surviving life's surprises. You play as a ranger adventuring through a vast, unforgiving forest in the aftermath of a brutal winter storm, rescuing children who have lost their way. Randomly generated levels deliver a limitless supply of possibilities to explore and challenges to overcome. Your actions will influence not only your own story, but that of the villagers you hope to befriend and the town you call home. Story Details: Each time you play Road Not Taken, you're likely to experience a very different story. The paths you take will change; the relationships you pursue will twist in ways you did not expect. Which, as it happens, is just like real life. The villagers of Road Not Taken believe that there is an optimal path through life: a good person gets a job, falls in love and has children. You won't follow this path. Can you find your own unique way through a life? Gameplay Details: No path leads to the same destination in Road Not Taken. The trails you take will change, the relationships you pursue will twist in ways you might not expect, and the narrative you create with every action will be yours to decide. Every playthrough offers new and unusual creatures to encounter, secrets and items to discover, townsfolk to build relationships with, and devilish, hand-crafted puzzle rooms to solve. Brains, Not Brawn: Your character has the magical ability to levitate and move objects. You must figure out how to use your talents and tactics to circumvent or defeat a wide variety of dangerous creatures, obstacles, and boss encounters. Get Lost in the Wild: Road Not Taken is brought to life with gorgeous 2D artwork, expressively charming sprite design, and an evocative, atmospheric soundtrack. Every puzzle is a challenge of exploration and strategy, testing players to think before taking each step forward.

About

Potion Permit

Step into the role of a chemist tasked with healing a town that distrusts modern medicine. Diagnose illnesses, gather ingredients, and brew potions to cure the townsfolk. Build relationships, upgrade the town, and live the life of an apothecary in a charming, colorful world.

Highlights
  • Diagnose and cure illnesses
  • Gather ingredients and brew potions
  • Upgrade buildings and expand areas
  • Build relationships with townsfolk
  • Find love with a sweetheart
  • Team up with a loyal dog
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The town of Moonbury has always been wary of the outside world's medical advances, preferring to rely on its traditional healing methods. However, 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. The Medical Association decides to send their most accomplished chemist - you - to help cure the mayor's daughter and convince the residents of Moonbury of the wonders of modern alchemy. Gain their trust and tend to each person when they fall ill in this open-ended sim RPG! FEATURES - Take care of Moonbury’s inhabitants: diagnose their illnesses, gather ingredients and brew potions to cure them. - Heal the town : Upgrade buildings, expand your gathering area and transform the townsfolk’ lives in many ways. - Build relationships with Moonbury’s inhabitants, earn their trust and eventually find love with your chosen sweetheart! - Team up with your loyal dog that follows you wherever you go and helps you in your work. - Relax in a wholesome, colourful world and live the apothecary life you want! CAREFULLY REDESIGNED FOR MOBILE - Revamped interface - Game Center achievements - Cloud Save – Share your progress between iOS devices - Compatible with MFi controllers - iPhone 15 Optimization (including pro max) If you run into a problem, please contact us at https://playdigious.helpshift.com/hc/en/12-playdigious/ with as much information as possible on the issue.

Screenshots

Road Not Taken4 screens
Potion Permit4 screens

Verdict

The call

Road Not Taken and Potion Permit both sit at 4.4 stars, but that hides the real split: 62% of Road Not Taken's written reviews are positive against 40% of Potion Permit's. Road Not Taken also leads on iOS requirement (8.0 vs 15.0). Potion Permit's advantage is price ($1.99 vs $4.99) and chart position (#7 vs unranked). On rating, ratings volume, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Road Not Taken costs $4.99 and Potion Permit $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.4 for Road Not Taken against 4.5 for Potion Permit. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 201 and 556 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 62% of Road Not Taken's written reviews are positive against 40% of Potion Permit's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Road Not Taken ships an update every 2 weeks, Potion Permit every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Road Not Taken versus Potion Permit: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRoad Not TakenPotion Permit
Price$4.99$1.99 — better
Rating4.4 (201 ratings)4.5 (556 ratings) — better
Positive reviews62.1% of reviews — better40.3% of reviews
Number of ratings201556 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank—#7 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS8.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size262 MB477 MB
Age rating9+12+
DeveloperSpry Fox, IncPlaydigious

Customer experience

Road Not Taken

All ratings201 ratings
Positive86.6%
Neutral2.0%
Negative11.4%
Written reviews214 reviews
Positive62.1%
Neutral8.9%
Negative29.0%

Potion Permit

All ratings519 ratings
Positive85.7%
Neutral4.8%
Negative9.4%
Written reviews402 reviews
Positive40.3%
Neutral16.7%
Negative43.0%

User reviews

Road Not Taken

From 201 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Excellent game
  • 👍 Charming puzzle world
  • 👍 Fascinating, beautiful, and subtle
  • 👍 Atmospheric and fun
  • 👍 Intuitive port of a very enjoyable game

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Unspielbar dank der Steuerung
  • 🐛 Leider auf Apple TV 4 nicht spielbar
  • 🐛 Controls could be better
  • 🐛 Terrible controls
  • 🐛 Crap control

Potion Permit

From 556 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💎 Great atmosphere and relaxing gameplay
  • 👍 Cute and charming visuals
  • 🎨 Enjoyable story and characters

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and stability issues
  • 🔍 UI/UX problems on mobile devices
  • ⏱️ Lack of frequent autosave

Bugs and requests

Road Not Taken

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Game crashes when character dies
  • Certain levels can't have conversation nor get married, game freezes
  • Bugs where items disappear after crash

Requested features

3 requests
  • Controller support for Apple TV
  • Larger d-pad or separated function buttons
  • More content or a sequel

Potion Permit

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Inability to exit certain menus
  • Fishing mini-game not functioning properly
  • Potion quests not triggering correctly

Requested features

3 requests
  • Add more customization options for player character
  • Implement a manual save feature
  • Improve performance and reduce crashes

In-app purchases

None

Road Not Taken

No in-app purchases

None

Potion Permit

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Road Not Taken free?
Road Not Taken costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Potion Permit free?
Potion Permit costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Road Not Taken or Potion Permit?
Potion Permit is rated higher. Road Not Taken averages 4.4 out of 5 from 201 ratings, while Potion Permit averages 4.5 from 556 ratings.
Do Road Not Taken or Potion Permit have ads?
Neither Road Not Taken nor Potion Permit shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Road Not Taken or Potion Permit?
Road Not Taken ships an update every 2 weeks, and Potion Permit every 3 weeks. Most recently, Road Not Taken was updated on November 6, 2026 and Potion Permit on November 7, 2026.

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