FixFox PC Review

In a world of fast-paced games, we all sometimes need to sit down and take a breath. This is when the soft and chill games come to our help. This is precisely what FixFox, a self-proclaimed “cozy” game, tries to achieve. FixFox is a 2D science fiction adventure game in the distant future where humans are merged with animals. The player controls Vix, a human-fox hybrid, and helps Vix survive on a planet that is way outside of her comfort zone- Because Vix, like the title of the game suggests, is a Spacr who takes upon jobs that include “fixes things” and crashing into this planet, she loses all her tools.

 

Let us first look at what the game wants to be like and decide whether it has succeeded in its goal. FixFox intends to provide a place for players to take a breath and chill, slow down, and explore the world with a goal in mind: Finding things Vix can use as tools. Yes, FixFox does earn its self-proclamation of “coziness,” but at what cost?

Well, the game is sometimes a bit too boring. That is the cost.

Firstly, for a game that wants the players to “go on a peaceful journey,” FixFox can sometimes be way too stressful of a game. The places are mostly randomized, meaning that the settings and the sources where you’ll need to go every day to find the tools you need change. Although it is a clever way of keeping the environment dynamic, it can also be quite problematic when you’re doing the side quests (fixing things). One of the first and most obvious problems is that it takes too long to fix only one machine because you need to run from one edge of the map to the other, and walking is excruciatingly slow in this game.

Granted, you can set up a zip line that provides a jump from one place to another, but you need equipment for that, and this equipment does not come up until very late into the story. So if you want to explore and do the fixing first, you have to be prepared to make a lot of walks from one place to another.

 

This leads to the fact that the map is too vast for a pixel game where you constantly need to move. The player has to move Vix all the time because she always needs tools to fix things, and as mentioned above, it is not that easy to find all the materials. It is too fast and too empty. Almost ninety percent of the time you walk (or drive) from one place to another, you pass through open spaces with nothing to find. There are some cracks here and there from which the player can gather materials, but they mainly provide materials of no use. I spent way too much of my playtime trying to find a single band-aid.

However, the main story is quite different than that. It is a story about acceptance, working together, and equality. Though the allegory here is very obvious, it is best to keep in mind that the game does not make any effort to be mysterious and thrilling. FixFox is just delivering a story, and nowhere does it show ambition for it. In this sense, the allegory is obvious is not a big problem.

 

There aren’t significant challenges that the player needs to overcome in FixFox, which can be positive or negative, depending on where you’re looking. As mentioned above, FixFox offers a peaceful journey, so in that sense, it is pretty clear why the challenge is almost completely negated. But after a certain time, it gets way too tedious to go from point A to point B the same way for the hundredth time. The only challenge is the two factions which, although fun, in theory, do not save the game in practice. There are a few environmental puzzles, but they are not confusing- Mostly just tedious. You go from one place to another, connect two things, and the puzzle is done.

The main story is enjoyable. As mentioned above, the story is not a grand big story that aims to keep the players on their toes, waiting to see what’s happening next, but that is okay. Nonetheless, it is touching and emotional at times, and this is precisely what is there to expect from a game like this.

As far as the side quests are concerned, once you have the right tools, it is fun to point and click into the inner workings of a machine to fix them. It is very satisfying to have a machine up and running; The player almost feels the satisfaction that Vix probably also feels when she fixes them. Furthermore, the NPCs are adorable when they thank you and sometimes show gratitude. This ties into what we could call almost a mini-game sequence where you eat the food and have a pleasant conversation with the NPC. The characters usually give valuable information during these conversations, but they can be a bit vague sometimes.

 

This vagueness, however, is in direct contrast with the tutorial section of the game. This is because the tutorial never really ends. Almost the whole first hour of the game is one extensive tutorial, and the game keeps introducing new things as it progresses. Although FixFox offers the training wheels for the more significant chunk of the game, it also lacks the option to ask for a hint about where to go next. Talking to NPCs helps until a certain point. After that, the players are on their own. This leads to frustrating moments because the instructions are not always clear, and the game sometimes gets stuck at a certain point.

The pixel art is not something to be stared at in amazement; it is nice and peaceful enough for a game like this. The same thing goes for the music as well. The music is good, but that’s all. It does not call attention to itself. They are good enough to work in this game.

FixFox is a mixed bag. On the one hand, it offers an exciting story and delivers its promise to tell this story in a way that does not lack the intensity it calls for. Still, on the other hand, there are certainly some issues that hinder the game from being more interesting than it is. It is pretty tedious and frustrating at times and fun and incredibly satisfying at some other times. Though not a must-play, it can be pretty fun if you play it at the right time in your life when you want peace and stability for a bit moment.

Yagmur Sevinc (@yagmursevvinc)
Editor, NoobFeed