Uncle Chop’s Rocket Shop review

Uncle Chop’s Rocket Shop is a game for people who find gratification in tasks like building IKEA furniture. UK-based developer Beard Envy’s sophomore effort (following 2020’s Filament) puts players in the tattered work boots of Wilbur. He’s a four-eyed fox, so naturally he’s observant and clever, which are two indispensable attributes for a mechanic employed by a corporate overlord.

The game’s visual style might resemble a Cartoon Network series, but the tone is delightfully darker. Each day, Wilbur is required to punch his timecard before diagnosing and fixing the spaceships that land at Uncle Chop’s out-of-the-way station. But the tedium of daily routine is a minor concern when compared to the obligation of paying an ever-escalating rental fee to a greedy boss.

Gotta Fix Them All

There’s also the danger of Wilbur’s work, signaled by the dubious departure of your predecessors. Overlook a single small technical detail while working and Wilbur can cause an explosion that can bring his life to an unceremonious end. Seemingly, space rust is seeping into folk’s brains, causing intermittent homicidal behavior. But not everyone’s a killer. There’s one odd NPC who just really wants to pet the four-eyed fox. Ewww.

Elect to play through Uncle Chop’s Rocket Shop’s optional tutorial and your first task will be disposing of the previous mechanic. After hoisting the limp body from the basement, you’ll have to pry open the corpse’s arms to acquire a manual that explains how to repair all kinds of different components.

But like many real-world guides, detail is rich in some aspects and glossed over in others. Poor Wilbur must learn as he goes, discovering how to operate tools, pop-out malfunctioning parts, refill canisters, rewire connections, coax artificial intelligence, and even defuse bombs.

Tools of the Trade

Whether you opt to use a mouse and keyboard or a dedicated controller, Rocket Shop’s toolset is a delight to use. Initially, simply unscrewing the bolts on a protective cover or filling a fuel canister to the proper level might be an uncomfortable task. But gradually, you’ll master each micro-game and learn the proper steps of repair. From flipping switches, ratcheting bolts, severing cables, and even partaking in a bit of platforming, there are a ton of things to fiddle with.

Pleasingly, the interface is unswervingly responsive, with a cohesive logic behind the machinery. As such, within a few hours you’ll probably be able to detect problems and swap out parts like a seasoned professional. But undoubtedly, Beard Envy are a crafty bunch. Even though the game is roguelike where you’ll see reoccurring problems, the developers relish throwing new predicaments at players.

Frantic or Focused?

Occasionally, you might accidentally neglect a critical step, resulting in a tough lesson. On some devices heat needs to be vented before the oil is replaced, or else an NPC’s ship will explode. Forget to double-check your rewiring against your trusty manual, and you’re apt to damage components. Expectedly, any blunders come out of your paycheck, and it’s fittingly hard to bounce back after a series of oversights. That said, there’s a bit of spirited flexibility, so you can refill a fuel container with coffee if you’d like. Seeing the reactions to your monkeyshines might be one of the few things that can soothe Wilbur’s overworked soul.

Additional variance is found in Rocket Shop’s two play modes. Frantic Fixing is timed, providing players with eight minutes to repair as many machines as possible each day. To help compensate for the frantic pace, jobs tend to be easier and less intricate. Alternatively, Focused Fixing gives you as much time as you need for each overhaul. Here, you can freely flip through the pages of your guidebook, pursuing each tab as you learn the fundamentals of machinery. Generally, this mode has less leniency for mistakes.

Good Omens

Both mistakes and the mercilessness of late capitalism will cause Wilbur to die repeatedly. You’ll carry your knowledge of how things work into the next game, as well as earn a currency called Omens that can be used to purchase perks. These offer permanent upgrades that can do things like augment your toolset or mitigate the penalties when you make mistakes.

Uncle Chop’s Rocket Shop’s logic puzzles and space dystopia won’t be for everyone. If you dread having to assemble drop-shipped furniture or aren’t charmed by sardonic storytelling, the game might be downright laborious. But for DIY tinkerers, Rocket Shop’s space garage sim shouldn’t be overlooked.

Uncle Chop’s Rocket Shop was played on PC with review code provided by the publisher.