I have been trying to track down Surgent Studios, the mastermind behind games like Tales of Zenzera: ZAU and Dead Take, and I must say, they are proving to be quite elusive. But in a good way. Their games vary greatly in atmosphere, genre, and mechanics, and their latest creation, FixForce, is yet another departure from their previous works. This time, they have ventured into the realm of extraction platformers, a combination of words that perfectly encapsulates the essence of Those Types of Games.
When I say Those Types of Games, I am referring to titles like Lethal Company, Peak, and others that follow a similar vein. While the term “extraction platformer” may be more fitting for the latter, I find it a much more suitable and less irritating descriptor than “friendslop.” FixForce places you and five friends in a flooded, post-apocalyptic, yet surprisingly colorful city, where you must scavenge for parts to repair various machines and gadgets.
Watch the trailer on YouTube
To navigate this world, you will need to utilize items such as wooden pallets, girders, and other miscellaneous objects to construct bridges, stairs, and other makeshift structures. Armed with a drill-wrench that functions similarly to Half-Life’s gravity gun, you can freeze objects in place to create platforms. Once you have gathered all the necessary parts and fixed the machines, you can clock out and move on to the next challenge.
Despite the numerous risks you will encounter, being a robot means that losing your head is not the end of the world. Your friends can carry your head or body and piece you back together in case of emergencies, such as being blown up by an evil robot or getting waterlogged.
Upon watching the trailer, I couldn’t help but sense a hint of Ratchet and Clank’s whimsical charm, in addition to the evident influences from Lethal Company and Peak, all of which are acknowledged on the game’s Steam page. Even Garry’s Mod gets a mention! My Half-Life comparison wasn’t too far off after all.
I do have some reservations about the longevity of These Types of Games, but the unique build-your-own-platformer aspect of FixForce adds a certain appeal that sets it apart. The game is set to debut in early access on March 12th, so we won’t have to wait long to see if it lives up to its promise. You can add it to your wishlist on Steam here.
