Uncle Chop’s Rocket Shop - Gamescom Hands-off Preview

With Gamescom kicking off tomorrow morning, I got a private little showcase of British developer Beard Envy’s upcoming multi-platform release for 2024, Uncle Chop’s Rocket Shop. Previously announced as a PC-only title, due to demand the team will be bringing the spaceship repair title to PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch. Set in a bit of a sci-fi far-off planet and time, you play as an anthropomorphized fox called Wilbur as he works at his Uncle Chop’s rocket repair shop. Points for naming I guess.

As noted in the hands-off demo we were privy to and asked questions on, the overall art style is that of 2000s Cartoon Network crossed with a hint of Rick and Morty. To quote the press release, “Rick & Morty meets Adventure Time.” Though the art style is appealing in that cartoonish way, I think it is important to note that even in the demo we saw there is a little bit of swearing. It may not be for all ages but is certainly designed with a hint of nostalgia for those getting a bit closer to 30 now. It certainly brings that juvenile humor to the front when you are asked to hose down the internals of a ship’s toilet.

1950s Americana is also a heavy influence, with ships and select art pieces surrounding Wilbur’s adventure. Buying replacement parts for repairs from a vending machine, the diner-esque reception and waiting room, and Wilbur’s accommodations all feature Americana elements, as well as an airstream caravan hoisted up on stilts. Set on an 8-minute day cycle with some time at night for admin, you have a short amount of time to get jobs, finish them up, and move on. Rushing isn’t the key, however, as while there are boosts to doing some timed jobs correctly (like refilling a battery) they can get you a little tip.

Being a 30-minute hands-off demo, what we saw was pretty scripted, so there will be similarities to what is shown off at Gamescom. One obvious question I had going in and after seeing some of Uncle Chop’s Rocket Shop was about accessibility. There are a number of stylized fonts and uses of certain things like caps-lock. Though we were short on time to actively see it, there was a point to say there should be options and filters. One such filter is for the mood bubbles of customers, which will appear on the edge of the screen, these are expected to have colorblind filters for those that need it.

With the ability to select whatever jobs you want, you get carte blanche on what you do in a day, though there are a number of ways to change the difficulty. Depending on the choice of easier or harder, you’ll have more modules to attend to which will take longer and thus you’ll get fewer jobs done. Additionally, some modifiers allow you to gain a little extra cash too. One such modifier that was highlighted was one which would hide what you’ll do on the job before accepting it, a mystery box of fecal matter to hose down, fires to put out, etc.

Another question posed was on the module view, where you’ll take care of the repairs. Levers, switches, and buttons galore, you’ll unscrew sections, pry out broken things or parts that need repair, and do a lot of Paper’s Please-like shuffling of items, including your training manual. One of the modules shown off highlighted a section of gameplay/story we’ll talk about in a minute. Nevertheless, through the Groundhog Day-like Rogue-lite time loop, you’ll grow the shop and gain new ways of repairing, such as one module mini-game that is programming and fixing a platforming module.

The other central module we got a look at was a camera that needs to be calibrated. The Camera is used by a number of the factions that you may want to get involved with throughout Uncle Chop’s Rocket Shop. It is all a little hush-hush and secretive, but offers slightly different venues for the end game. Once you’re introduced to a faction, to quote one portion, “There’s kind of a quest-line that if you complete, the game sort of flips on its head pretty heavily.” These are of course some of the story elements, but one we were told about is a hive mind that buys your debt.

Debt is also a pretty heavy part of Uncle Chop’s Rocket Shop, as the resetting of the loop comes from a slightly humorous point that I won’t try to spoil, though the team calls the following point “Limbo.” It is what is featured in the screenshots with the Spider-rabbit reaper. This alongside a handful of exceptions, the loop is only known about by a handful of people. Slightly similar to Hades’ story, you’ll have a couple of conversations with people that know. Some of those conversations might even have yes or no replies, which you interact with using Y and N.

The last point we were told about though wasn’t really shown, was a boss ship of which there are a couple you’ll face throughout Uncle Chop’s Rocket Shop. Between “every other” rent cycle which you pay to Uncle Chop, you’ll face what are described as boss ships that are designed to be a touch more difficult and/or ask you to experiment a bit more with the modules. With about 6 cycles in a typical run and 8 minutes days, we asked how long a conventional run should take, and it should last a couple of hours. Aligning with a faction can make that longer, though we didn’t get too much info on that.

It may have only been a hands-off preview, but from what we’ve seen and heard, I’m excited to see more and eventually play Beard Envy’s Uncle Chop’s Rocket Shop. It is colorful, a little crude in places, and generally looks to be fun. I might be shirking my dismay over Rogue-like/lites to it when it releases in 2024. There is no word on when in 2024, but as noted in the press release sent out Friday (and above), you can expect to play on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and the Nintendo Switch when it does release next year.

Beard Envy and Kasedo Games gave us a hands-0ff showcase of Uncle Chop’s Rocket Shop for the purposes of this Preview.