Cruel but meditative repair game Uncle Chop’s Rocket Shop is out next month
Kaseda Games has announced that Beard Envy’s tactile repair experience, Uncle Chop’s Rocket Shop, is coming out on PC December 5, 2024. Mark your calendar.
Not familiar with Uncle Chop’s Rocket Shop? There’s a hefty demo you can try. Don’t want to bother playing the demo? I wrote about the demo over here. Don’t want to click a link? Let me explain.
In Uncle Chop’s Rocket Shop, you’re cast as a hapless fox-man who is starting their job at an interstellar service station. You’ve been given no training and have to learn how to diagnose and repair various modules on spaceships based entirely on what you can learn in a hefty manual. You only have a few days to scrape together enough R.E.N.T. to survive your employer’s wrath. Not easy when you’re faking it until you make it.
There’s a roguelite-style run format where you keep repeating the days until you can finally succeed. I don’t recall specifically, but largely, the only thing you take back with you in a new run is knowledge. You have to build your knowledge and skill when it comes to repair and diagnosis. You need to learn the various ship modules to ensure that you can fix them with maximum efficiency. Only then will you survive your workweek.
The main hook is that each repair job has a bunch of tactile elements to it. You have to turn cranked and remove parts, disassemble, and reassemble. It’s just so satisfying. Absolute brain candy. The whole thing is set alongside a brutally humorous story. Really dark stuff. Really leaning into the “comedy is tragedy from far enough away” mentality.
Uncle Chop’s Rocket Shop releases on PC December 5, 2024.
