If you’ve played any other game by Cheesecake Dev such as Streamer Life Simulator or Internet Cafe Simulator, you may know what to expect here. Computer Repair Shop does what it says on the tin, with other content to dive into when you’re not tinkering away at PCs. How corrupt you want to be is your decision and you can even install devastating viruses on your customer’s PC and deploy hacks to obtain your client’s information. Whatever route you take, there are some glaring issues that can’t be ignored as they amount to a less than ideal gaming experience.
Before you can open up shop, you’ll find that raiders have made themselves at home in your newly rented building. Your shop is situated in a dark and dingy area, a perfect place to become a dishonest computer repairman. You must ask a muscled man who is conveniently stood a few steps away from your shop to help you clear the raiders out. It’s lucky that he handed you a bat, because when he comes face to face with the raiders, he dies in one punch, leaving you to clear the building with your newly acquired weapon.
Opening up shop
After cleaning up my new storefront, my first customer came in and dropped off their PC with a note outlining the issue. There was no power supply, so I had to order a new part using a handy tablet which contains all the information you need to know about computer errors, viruses, skills, invoices, and so much more. Once I purchased the part I needed, it was promptly delivered to me by a drone that swooped down the alley and I was able to easily add the part to the PC.
The type of customers you’ll get may be what you’d stereotypically expect from a store set up in a rather rough area. A man with an 18+ rated addiction will ask you to scan his PC for viruses and an ‘OnlyMans’ model will ask you to get their rig back up and running. Mostly, you’ll get average Joes that would rather drop off their PC with a note and get out of there as soon as possible.
As you progress, repairs will get increasingly complex and contain more steps. Some customers will leave you a detailed note explaining their issue, while others will simply say “please fix my computer.” I preferred the latter, as figuring out what parts needed repairing, replacing, and navigating the various errors was enjoyable. The process of fixing PCs isn’t repetitive. Computer passwords and the codes you need while pirating games change all the time, for example. Just when I thought I’d fixed a particular PC, I found that it needed yet another repair. As I got lost in all the bits and pieces, I ended up accidentally leaving the flash disk in somebody’s PC which is an essential piece of equipment when you’re playing as a computer repair guy.
To get my hands on a new flash drive, I had to track down the ‘sellerman.’ On my journey to find his store, I came across a strip club with a blackjack table and a VR dance experience. I didn’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t a woman in a bikini busting moves such as Gangnam Style and the YMCA. Although the strip club has upbeat music blaring and people having a good time, I couldn’t wait to get out from under the strobe lights due to frame rate issues.
I’m not usually one to complain about dropping frames and they don’t usually bother me too much. However, frames significantly declined all too often in Computer Repair Simulator and it made some of the areas virtually unplayable. Due to the extreme frame rate fluctuations, I struggled to get inside an area where there’s a teleporter that allows you to go into the backrooms. Also, I found myself skipping all over the place trying to get inside a cat store. When I went to explore he robot wars arena, I experienced no issues, so I spent some time learning about upgrading my robot and getting it ready to fight. With that being said, excelling in robot wars doesn’t feel very rewarding, unless you consider a date with a girl being a sufficient prize.
Unfortunately, the issues didn’t stop there. When I finally found the sellerman and purchased a new flash disk for $50, it was nowhere to be seen. It wasn’t in my shop or on my character, so I tried to purchase another and it still didn’t work. Eventually, I found that sleeping and restarting my game fixed the problem, but by then, the issues were spiralling out of control.
Your PC isn’t safe with me
While all that was happening, somebody stole a PC from my shop and I was hit with a $500 fine. It was then that I hired a bouncer for $700 and he guarded my store by shooting dead the shirtless men in balaclavas that attempt to steal from you. Since there’s no music playing at all in your shop the sound of constant gunshots and your pet cat meowing does get irritating. It would be more bearable if your bouncer actually fully protected your shop. For some reason or another, my guard didn’t shoot one hooligan and they ended up stealing another PC, leaving me down to my last dollar.
Seemingly, when you run out of money, it’s game over. All I had to my name was two cardboard boxes worth $20 and all the PCs that needed fixing required me to buy new parts. Starting all over again is less than ideal, but by doing so, I decided my honest work was done and I was going to install a virus in as many PCs as possible. When you begin doing so, you are greeted with a virus tree, featuring various upgrades such as the ability to leak personal customer information and uncover their bank details to steal their money. This will boost your funds over time, but on the other side of the coin, being loaded with cash isn’t as good as it sounds. There’s no way to upgrade your store or even customise it. There’s no character customisation and no matter how much paper you have in the bank, you are stuck paying $50 a night for a bed in a shabby motel.
Computer Repair Shop has potential and there is more than meets the eye. Since becoming a PC wizard is the main focus of the game, it’s promising that this is the best part of Computer Repair Shop. It’s you and your pet cat against the world, climbing to the top of the corrupt PC tech ladder and doing your best to combat the optimisation issues and various bugs that’ll be thrown at you along the way.
Computer Repair Shop: Although the ingredients are there for a fun and addicting simulator game, they don't quite blend together to create a recipe for success. The game is worth playing if the most prominent issues are patched. – Lauren Sayles
Consider checking out more of our latest reviews:
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown PC review – A surprise coronation | House Flipper 2 PC review – Room by room, patiently | Momodora: Moonlit Farewell PC review – For whom the bell tolls | Cookie Cutter PC review – Tasty but still too doughy |
