ReStory: Chill Electronics Repairs makes old tech feel new again
Some games are built around solving crimes, managing chaos or chasing high scores. ReStory: Chill Electronics Repairs takes a gentler route, combining a narrative repair-shop simulation with the tactile satisfaction of Unpacking and PowerWash Simulator. Its setting is early-2000s Tokyo, presented through an anime-influenced visual style, softly lit interiors and quietly persistent lo-fi music.
For Australian arcade fans, the appeal is obvious: the workshop is filled with familiar electronic shapes, from officially licensed Atari consoles and controllers to phones, cameras and portable music players. The game comes from developer Mandragora and publisher tinyBuild, with Atari hardware included through tinyBuild’s partnership with Atari.
A repair loop built around detail
You begin work almost immediately. A checklist guides you through preparing the bench and opening the shop, while a glowing circular marker shows where objects belong. The assistance is clear without removing every decision: you are rarely lost, but still have to work out what each device needs.
The first job involves a fictional Pokia phone rather than a Nokia. You remove the rear cover, take out highlighted screws and place unusable components in a parts box at the bottom of the screen. Those stored pieces may become useful during another repair. Missing components can be ordered through the CRT computer, with the game’s remarkably efficient mail carrier delivering them almost instantly.
That pattern continues across the workshop: clean, organise, replace and reassemble. The same process applies to a Pokia handset, an Atari controller or a PSP-style PMP handheld. Small audio details, including dropped cables and the clicks of screen overlays fitting into place, add a pleasing layer of physicality.
Not everything aims for strict realism. Cleaning uses a progress bar, and brushwork sends exaggerated clouds of dust away from each component. Those shortcuts turn repetitive maintenance into something soothing rather than tedious.
Simple controls, occasional uncertainty
Repairs are completed with pointing, clicking and dragging. There is a considerable amount of holding the left mouse button, which may become tiring during longer sessions. At times, a job cannot be completed with the parts currently on the bench, and the reason is not immediately obvious.
The solution is usually to pack the pieces away and wait for the correct items to arrive. It can briefly feel like a blockage, but the game does eventually provide what you need and encourages you to keep moving through the shop’s routine.
A cosy time capsule with a mystery underneath
After a few hours, the workshop becomes remarkably meditative. Weathered Atari artwork, a grey 1990s CRT computer and a cassette with its tape spilling out create a carefully assembled snapshot of household technology from another era.
There is also a story behind the repairs. Early customers and neighbours hint at a strange situation involving the previous master repairer. A second-hand seller may be misrepresenting device conditions, the landlord turns up to discuss rent before offering pricing advice, and an upstairs neighbour appears in a bucket while asking for help with a joystick ahead of a Pac-Man championship.
The people around the shop give the quiet work a reason to continue. One request involves repairing a Tamagotchi-like device for a child, leaving you to decide whether the job deserves a fee or should be completed for free.
Time passes easily here. An alarm clock can be placed on the desk, and checking it before and after a repair reveals how quickly an in-game afternoon disappears. The player character is absorbed in the work, and it is easy for the person at the keyboard to follow suit.
Retro references with more questions to answer
The early repairs raise further mysteries, including a peculiar phone number found inside the first Pokia. There is always another device waiting on the bench, including a fictional Autorolla “Razor” standing in for a Motorola handset.
That blend of low-pressure maintenance, character-driven errands and recognisable retro technology makes ReStory: Chill Electronics Repairs a natural fit for players who enjoy the slower side of games. It is less about mastering a demanding system than settling into a dependable workshop rhythm.
Availability
ReStory: Chill Electronics Repairs is out now on Steam. It was assessed on PC using a prerelease download code supplied by tinyBuild.
If the game’s hardware focus sparks an interest in real-world restoration, RETROCADE’s arcade parts collection covers the practical side of repairs, while the arcade machine buying guide is a useful starting point for choosing a cabinet. For compact game rooms, explore bartop arcades, and browse the arcade blog for more industry and gaming coverage.
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