Video Game Review - FixFox

Rob reviews FixFox on Steam...

FixFox is a title that took me by surprise. It's simple to blend gameplay mixed with a highly entertaining story, making for a nice change from the likes of Elden Ring and Halo Infinite (two games I play a lot!). 

Upon entering the realms of FixFox, we're introduced to Vix - our viewpoint throughout this adventure. As a fixer, Vix is essentially a space engineer. She's not very well respected by their peers, and as such are often sent to do repair jobs that others would turn their noses up to. One thing that Vix does have up her sleeve is that she has an uncanny affection for retro technology. As such Vix is soon shipped off to the distant colony of Karamel where things aren't quite as they seem. Oh and Vix...she's also a fox! 

The world of FixFox is quite an interesting one. Due to global warming and the like, humanity splices its DNA with those of animals. This splicing of species has also aided in "animal kinds" expansion into the vast reaches of space - helped in part by the ability to hibernate. As such the world is a far cry from our own, yet it makes for an interesting place to get lost in. Aside from a brief tutorial in Earth orbit, a lot of this world-building comes from Karamel and through Vix's interactions with the inhabitants and her A.I. partner; Tin. Upon arriving at Karamel, Vix is soon caught up in the machinations of the local cult who seem to have outlawed any use of tools. So not only does our hero have to dodge these tool fearing cultists, but she's also got to somehow repair Karamel's ageing technology. All in days of work! 

Thankfully gameplay is pretty simple and very, very relaxing. As you travel across the landscape you'll encounter various inhabitants who'll offer you tasty rewards for repairing their broken appliances. As well as various junk piles that hold valuable scrap, and some very unconventional tools of the trade. Karamel also has various settlements with each containing something called an Oracle. These Oracles act as quasi machine gods who are always on hand to guide you into knowing what tool fixes what machine. 

While FixFox may seem quite a serene game, it's not without its bad apples. These come in the form of the aforementioned cult - The Order of Tools, and a roaming band of space pirates. While the cultists are a fairly menacing bunch, the pirates will often steal some of your supplies - unless you have a handy sticker for their vehicles at hand. While it's a pain when your hard-fought scrap gets taken, you're never left anything. And thankfully if the worse does happen, Karamel is laden with places to explore so you'll soon get everything back. 

In terms of the overall narrative, FixFox is pretty engaging. The campaign takes you across the whole planet, and then into the deep reaches of space as things go from one extreme to the next. There's also a sub-plot involving humanity's history which adds a nice distraction to proceedings. The pacing is fairly slow, and you're allowed to venture out into this world in any way you see fit. Each settlement also has a jobs board which offers plenty of side quests and other things to see and do. 

Developer, Rendlike has managed to craft a gorgeous pixilated world that allows you to truly live in its environment. Just stopping and seeing these inhabitants go about their daily lives is quite warming, and knowing that you've made a small difference in fixing a character's fridge offers plenty of heartwarming moments. There's plenty of real-life to explore, and in doing so you get a great feel of the local population's thoughts and feelings. 

Moving away from this and the other big gameplay element is fixing things. As you've probably guessed by now, FixFox have you repairing a vast wealth of different machines. Interacting with a machine then takes you into a close-up view mode. It's here where you'll get Vix's hands dirty in the form of moving your mouse. From this view, you're able to press buttons, disassemble panels, and generally attempt to diagnose the problem. The issues that you'll repair are not exactly taxing, and you do feel a sense of achievement once the job is done. The only real issue is making sure that you have the right tool for the job. 

While FixFox grabs you with its charming world, it's not without its issues. My only gripe was that some objectives aren't clearly explained. You'll often have to rely on trial and error to find a certain tool or item. While you can speak to the various inhabitants and ask for help, they're often very vague with their answers. Regardless of how small this complaint is, it doesn't detract from the overall nature of the title. 

All in all, FixFox is a great title that offers a stress-free adventure combined with a deceptively deep narrative. It's a game filled with a relaxing style of gameplay that task you with repairing simple faults, whilst exploring its rich and diverse world. Out in the world, you'll find a wide range of folk just going about their everyday lives, which is intersected by our extremely likeable protagonist. If you're after a real hidden gem, then FixFox is the title for you! 

Rating 9/10 

A code was kindly provided for this review

Fixfox is out now and can be purchased on Steam by clicking here. 

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Rob Lake - For more comic book and video game chat why not follow Geek Culture Reviews on Twitter and Facebook @GeekCultureRev