Bus Fix 2019
Nintendo Switch

Developed By : Ultimate Games
Published By : Ultimate Games
Category : Simulation
Release Date : July 3, 2019

Running a garage can be stressful. A constant in-flow of customers whining about their vehicles “not working” anymore and demanding that you fix it…but at least they’ll pay you for it! Well, prepare yourselves because Bus Fix 2019 is about to relieve all that stress by bringing the garage to your hands with its sub-par and unimpressive delivery on being a bus repairman.

Immediately you are introduced to the one and only location that you’ll be required to spend any time at while you play the game : your garage. From here you can receive orders for repairs, perform the repairs themselves, and even visit the online auctions to purchase your own run-down bus to fix up and make a profit off of.

Fixing the buses will have you focusing on any of up to six areas on the buses : Engine, Interior, Chassis, Tires, Windows, and Lights. When receiving the order, at the bottom there will be images depicting these areas and how many repairs will need to be fixed in each. This gives you a chance to see how complex the order may end up being.

Navigating the bus to perform these repairs is quite simple, and can be done with the joy-cons or by utilizing the Switch’s touch-screen. If using the touch screen simply tap the area of the bus you wish to work on, or with the joy-con’s you can cycle the areas by pressing Y or X, with the latter specifically cycling through the tire areas.

When you are in the specific areas, you’ll be able to highlight all of the parts for that system. These will be depicted in one of three colors : green, yellow, or red. Green ones are fully functioning so just leave these alone unless you need to remove them in order to access the other ones. Yellow parts are damaged, and can be removed for you to fix them up. Red ones are a complete lost cause and will need to be outright replaced. Repairs and replacements are made extremely simple. All you need to do is remove the part from the bus, navigate to it in your inventory and the option to do whatever you need to will be right there for you.

As you complete jobs, you’ll earn experience, to progress your player level. Doing this will gain you access to different kinds of buses to work on, as well as better tools to do so. For tools you’ll have a generic toolbox with wrenches for unscrewing things that need to be. You’ll also have access to a vulcanizer when you need to dismount and remount tires. Every so often when you hit a proper level these will automatically be upgraded to the next level, of which there are 3 in total.

As of last year, I became a huge fan of these repair-sim games. I got Car Mechanic Sim 2015 on PC for a hell of a steal, and then not long after I got the 2018 sequel. So when I noticed that Bus Fix 2019 was coming to the site, I got excited to be able to play one of these games where I felt like it, and with my son who loves the aforementioned games.

However, this game was far from the experience that I had been hoping for. The areas you are able to work on and repair are incredibly minimalized, so much so that the interior just has three things for you to mess with. Three. On a bus with dozens of seats and railings. As for the repairs themselves they are so limited it is laughable. All you need to do is select a part and it’s taken off, but maybe you’ll need to use a wrench on one thing. If I hadn’t played the properly developed counterparts to this game, I might have been fooled by what this one has to offer. That’s just not the case. If you are looking for any sort repair sim, do not, I repeat do not look at this one. The low price should be a heavy indicator in the case of this game of exactly what you’ll be getting by purchasing it. If you can deal with such a lowly, poor excuse for a mechanic simulator then by all means go ahead. But if you’re looking for something to enjoy, I implore you to keep looking.