The name may fool you since it’s a couple of letters off from a very well-known Internet browser, but FixFox is actually a pretty decent adventure game. Created by a solo indie developer, you can tell the vibe is there with the 2D, old-school art style. Looks, however, (and the title,) may deceive you. This game comes with a lot more layers than your average adventure title.
FixFox tells the story of Vix, an anthropomorphic fox that is a machine fixer. While machines are ubiquitous nowadays, Vix specializes in fixing anachronistic machines. These are the ones lost in time, such as fans, vacuum cleaners, and radios. Vix is accompanied by Tin, a robotic toolbox, and both stay in their ship up in space. When Vix decides to accept a job to fix a machine in a different part of the galaxy, their ship gets caught and crashes into a foreign planet. They soon find out that in this world, basic handyman tools like hammers, screwdrivers, and electrical tape are forbidden and confiscated by the local government; also known as The Order.
Luckily for Vix, an opposing faction known as The Pirates is stashing mundane items like spatulas, coins, bandages, and other contraptions around the world. Being a skilled mechanic, Vix is able to use these items as impromptu tools. With regular tools not around, the world in FixFox is plagued with owners of broken machines willing to reward Vix for fixing their precious items. These rewards can be other items not usually found in pirate caches or important information about accessing parts of the world.
While FixFox seems all about just fixing machines, it’s also about fixing the relationships of the inhabitants of this mysterious world. One of these hints at a big faction war between The Order and The Pirates. There are also the locals, who not only are against the banning of machine fixing but are also struggling with some inner demons. It’s fortuitous then that Vix is not just handy with machines but also with relationship building.
What makes FixFox stand out from the rest of the indie adventure games coming out, is that it has some gameplay elements that are wholesome. One of these things involves eating the local cuisine as a reward. From beef and noodles to homemade stew, Vix is able to garner some great information and rumors about the world while enjoying the food. Another interesting gameplay mechanic comes when Vix fixes machines. These tasks are essentially treated as mini-games. These games are almost like playing the mini-games found in Among Us, in that they are simple, but also give the feeling of actually doing something to fix what’s broken.
FixFox is slated to come out at the end of this month. From what I’ve seen and experienced, this is one of those adventure games that will probably entice a good following and will warrant a sequel. It really is just that good. If you think that this might be your thing you can wishlist Fixfox now over at the Steam store; you’ll only have about a week to wait till it’s ready to get stuck into.
This preview is based on a pre-release copy of the game provided by the publisher.
