Byron D. Zero's Fantasmic Tumblr!

So back in 2009 (which feels like a lifetime…), not content to simply surf the wave of living a carefree life of sponging off his 2 famous parents; Nick Simmons decided to try his hand creating manga (well it was a comic, but just stay with me.) But here’s the thing, he can’t draw; so, what does he do? trace over an actual artist! He traced over a good number of various panels from the manga Bleach!

So why share this anecdote? Because the game I’m about to discuss feels eerily similar. The game in question is called Potion Permit which is brought to us by Masshive Media.

Who is MassHive Media? Established in early 2014, MassHive Media is a growing indie game developer resides in Bandung, Indonesia. We are small yet independent company striving our best to deliver the best quality game products for various platform. With an amazing team with deep passion towards games, illustrations, animations, we aim to be to be one of the leading game developers in Southeast Asia.

They are responsible for indie games like Vimala: Defense Warlords, Chillout Zombies, Azure Saga: Pathfinder and this title. Each one more derivative than the next, but does this game follow the tradition of this relatively young company? Yes, but let’s discuss this case of homework copying.

In Potion Permit, Moonbury's residents need healing, and you're the best chemist around! With your trusty tools, a brewing cauldron, and a canine companion at your side, you'll need to diagnose symptoms, gather ingredients, brew potions, and cure ailments in this open-ended sim RPG.

I’ll get the praise out of the way, the music and visuals are pretty but feel like something out of RPG maker and wouldn’t be surprised if they took assets from it, given their pedigree.

Combat is meh, enemies are damage sponges which is a cardinal sin for me. While the controls work, nothing about them felt intuitive.

The story is very much the same game that you’ve played before, and it’s been told by much better games.

The puzzles while interesting pose next to no challenge which I found almost insulting.

I really wanted to like this game way more, and there is so much potential that completely goes to waste.

The potion mechanic, (you know the titular aspect) was so dull and forgettable and that was the thing about this game that initially drew me in.

But if you like isometric open world farming RPG hybrids for the switch, Go play Rune Factory 4 or wait for the remaster of RF3.

Joy-con drift, you know it, you hate it.

It’s something that the big N refuses to properly address, maybe because they are too busy slinging cease and desists like they were frisbees.

However, during PAX East I got to meet with the fine folks and fixture gaming.

And I think I finally found someone who hates Joy-con drift more that I do; cuz they actually did something about it…

Fixture gaming is a team of designers and gamers who strived to build a “better mouse trap” in gaming, creating accessories that are both comfortable and functional.

Fixture gave me their S1 model device, and after playing around with it for a few weeks, I definitely can say whole heartedly that the hype created by the You Tube video game community is real.

The Fixture S1 is a harness that physically connects your Nintendo Switch monitor to a Nintendo Switch pro controller.

Which is perfect, if you are one those gamers who love to use the Switch’s NFC reader to scan amiibo figures and cards.

The lock in mechanism is strong and sturdy, but may take a little getting used to especially if you have a lizard brain like mine which took a week to figure it out.

The S1 can also be used as a stand if you want to play with friends in a public area such as cafés. Which is especially ideal if have friends with their own controllers.

The developers are working on a version for the Nintendo Switch OLED model, so you will have to wait a little longer.

Prices for the device start 35 bucks, but you will most likely want to invest in the fixture bundle that comes with a carrying case that can hold your controller and screen for 54 bucks.