Based on my lackluster review of the original Fix it Up Kate’s Adventure, and my glowing review of Fix it Up: World Tour, I really wasn’t sure what to expect this time around. Would the game take advantage of all of the things introduced and carry forward, or would it stumble again? Let’s check it out!
The Hype:
Take a trip back to the 80’s in this totally tubular, time management adventure! Kate visits her father and he explains how the family got its start in the auto repair biz. Play as Kate’s parents, Frank and Mary, to purchase, fix, paint, rent, and sell cars in seven exciting locations. Cash in on tailoring car design to customers’ needs, expand the business, hire more employees to pimp the rides and make them glow. Experience the thrill of success more than ever before in Fix-it-Up 80’s: Meet Kate’s Parents!
45 Levels and 7 Free Play levels
7 Unique locations
10 Types of cars and 6 emergency vehicles to fix
Hire employees and train them
Upgrades, achievements and more!
Game Center Support
iOS 4+ multitasking support
The Reality:
The first thing that got me about Fix-it-up 80s: Meet Kate’s Parents HD was, well … the 80s. Given that I spent much of my high school career, all of my college and graduate years, and the early years of my professional career in the 80s – it is a pivotal era for me, and one that I have always enjoyed in video games (when done well)! For example, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories is my favorite of that series mostly because of the setting and music. So I was set up to love this game from the start.
The game hits right from the start with mission screens loaded with 80s memorabilia and settings that accurately depict the era. There are references to Scooby Doo, Rubix Cube, A-Team, Walkman, and many more. It is a small thing but very effective. The story is told in a series of flashbacks as Kate talks about the past and gets the story from her father at the beginning about how they grew their business over time in spite of challenges.
In terms of gameplay, there is really not much new compared with Fix It Up World Tour. That is a mixed blessing: on the one hand after all the positive changes last time I had hoped for more … but I am also really glad that nothing got messed up!
You start each mission with a lot and perhaps a couple of cars and stations, and from there you need to fix cars, paint cars, mod cars, collect rent and sell cars. You get a set of objectives to meet and a time constraint for Gold and Silver levels, which help you earn more coin for upgrades.
Once again there are specialists who will stay at a single station to greatly increase your efficiency, which can be invaluable incertain situations. The ‘Green Points’ are gone, replaced by ‘Cool Points’. Based on the era tha change makes sense, but I feel these were a lost opportunity since it feels like a direct swap rather than a thoughtful change-out.
Fix-it-Up 80s: Meet Kate’s Parents features 45 levels in the story mode spread across eight locations. This strikes a balance between the first two games, and overall works quite with the pacing and the way the game naturally unfolds. It wouldn’t make sense to have as many locations as in ‘World Tour’, but the variety is welcome compared to the original game.
The graphics and overall performance is the best of the series, with the wide variety of cars and buildings really adding spice to the game and working with the spirit of conveying the era of the 80s. The soundtrack is again well done, but not something that stands out any more here than the other games in the series.
Fix-it-up 80s: Meet Kate’s Parents will take you a few hours to play through, similar to the rest of the series, but that time will fly by because the loads are quick, the 80s references abundant, and the game play well done. Sure this game doesn’t innovate, and the ‘Cool Points’ were a missed opportunity, but overall Fix-it-up 80s: Meet Kate’s Parents is my favorite game in the franchise!
Here is the trailer for Fix-it-up 80s: Meet Kate’s Parents HD:
Review: Fix-it-up 80s: Meet Kate’s Parents HD
Where to Buy: iTunes App Store for iPhone version and iPad Version
Price: $4.99 iPhone / $6.99 iPad (free download, in-app purchase after two missions)
What I Like: Large amount of levels; loads of 80s references; solid and clear objectives; solid fun; not too challenging
What Needs Improvement: ‘Cool Points’ nothing more than renamed ‘Green Points’
Source: Publisher provided review code
