[Review] My Time at Portia

My Time at Portia

Nintendo Switch

Developed By: Pathea Games

Published By: Team 17 Digital

Category: Action, Adventure

Release Date: April 17, 2019

My Time at Portia, from developer Pathea Games, has quickly become my gaming guilty pleasure. It has the same charm and charisma as something like Harvest Moon and I had a very hard time putting it down when I should have been playing something else. You will always be thinking about what you want to accomplish next and only a few minor faults hold it back from being a must play experience for everyone, but an obvious must-play for community-building gamers.

The main draw of My Time at Portia is its crafting and exploration gameplay concepts. You control Portia’s newest member and you have moved to the town after inheriting you dad’s neglected and rundown workshop. Your goal is to restore the area to its former glory, and luckily there are a great variety of different ways to do that, whether you take on commissions from the mayor of Portia or fulfill villagers requests. There will be plenty of raising animals, growing crops, rebuilding your workshop, and even rebuilding the town itself.

There is always something to accomplish in My Time at Portia and while there is a main quest-line to follow, there are always a variety of other things to accomplish in the town. You are always open to set your own objectives, chart your own courses, and set out on whatever adventure awaits you. This is the type of game designed to be played at your own pace and in your own way. There is no quantifiable way to measure everything that My Time at Portia has to offer, as this is an experience that won’t get old if you like this type of game.

I oftentimes found myself trying to accomplish upwards of four different tasks at once and there was always something to do on any given day. Whether you are going around town gathering materials to craft components, mining for ore and minerals, or just chatting with the townsfolk, I never ran out of things to do in My Time at Portia.

Even though there is plenty to do though, I never felt overwhelmed and never had a crunch to follow the main storyline. In fact, My Time at Portia felt like it was balanced to perfection making me feel like I was in control and in command of my own path, rather than desperately trying to fight against the clock to complete tasks. There are some linear sections when in certain missions involving the main quest, but it’s few and far between.

Crafting stations and multiple buildings you procure will need to be upgraded to create more advanced designs and materials as you progress into making ever more complicated objects. This will allow for more access to improved crafting materials, as well as researching new stations by collecting data discs during mining operations or defeating certain enemies in the many dungeons in Portia. While I found the combat to be somewhat generic in execution, it was helped by having a dedicated lock-on function and never felt frustrating to take part in.

Controlling the protagonist was intuitive and never felt confusing, which is a good thing as My Time at Portia has that feel of a game you’ll keep coming back to. As mentioned before, while the combat is as basic as it can come, has a sort of rhythm to it and works very well even in simplicity. Also, fishing mini-games in many games are strangely a highlight for me and My Time at Portia does not disappoint in that regard.

Everything you do as a task will net XP and this allows you to unlock new abilities and improvements on My Time at Portia’s skill tree. You will be able to customize your home with decorations and can also boost your health and stamina which makes every application a worthy venture. All of this is wrapped up in one of the most charming aesthetics you’ll encounter and it was a world I wanted to explore with a bright and colorful graphical style, teeming with vibrancy and life.

Exploring Portia was a rewarding experience, whether wandering the land, taking cover in a dungeon, or just seeing what the town has to offer. You will be surrounded with a charming cast of characters brimming with personalities, agendas, and their own interests, and it was a delight to get to know them. This is all brought together with a charming musical score that is mystical in presentation, but added to the experience of being in this rewarding world.

Overall, My Time in Portia may be a simple game in style and mechanics, but becomes a very compellingly addictive experience. There is just so much to do and see here that you’ll never grow bored of performing multiple tasks throughout Portia. Every aspect of My Time at Portia worked exceptionally well and it’s the type of game I can see myself coming back to for quite some time.