ReStory: Chill Electronics Repairs Beginner's Guide: Tips and Tricks

In ReStory: Chill Electronics Repairs, the player receives a small electronics repair shop in mid-2000s Tokyo. Mobile phones, music players, handheld consoles, and other devices will pass through your hands. In this guide, we will break down ReStory's main mechanics and explain how to develop your repair shop properly at the start of the game.

Almost every repair in the game follows the same pattern:

If you do not understand why a repair is not finishing, check the notebook first. Usually, the reason is a dirty part you missed, a faulty component, or an unfinished operation. The percentages next to tasks show the progress of a specific requirement, not the quality of your work.

On the first phones and players, component placement is easy to remember, but later you may have several dozen parts on the workbench at once. Because of that, it is better to develop the habit of arranging them in a specific order right away.

The easiest method is to move from outer parts to inner parts and place removed elements next to each other in layers. Dirty components can be temporarily placed on one side of the workbench, while cleaned ones can go on the other.

This approach is especially useful if, during a repair, it turns out that you do not have the required spare part. You do not have to wait for delivery while leaving the shop idle. Put the disassembled device aside and work on another order, then return to the repair once the part arrives.

Cleaning is one of the most frequent operations in ReStory. After disassembly, inspect the parts and remove dust from every component that requires it. The more complex the device, the more time this procedure starts to take.

That is why brush upgrades are much more useful than they may seem during the first few hours. They speed up one of the most common operations and, as a result, let you serve more customers.

Compressed air, however, does not have to be bought right away. It does speed up cleaning, but it is a consumable item, while an upgraded brush stays with you permanently. You should also not rush to buy the ultrasonic cleaner: its basic version cleans several parts at once, but early in the game, the time saved is too small compared to the cost.

As you progress, spare parts become one of the most valuable resources. Broken devices bought on the marketplace do not necessarily have to be repaired. Sometimes it is more profitable to disassemble them for working components. Remove functional batteries, buttons, boards, speakers, screens, and other parts, then put them into storage. Damaged components can be thrown away or later recycled through the shredder.

The computer quickly becomes just as important a tool as the screwdriver or brush. Because of that, it is best to start each in-game day by checking it.

Pay attention to:

One of the best early upgrades is the screwdriver. Screws are found in almost every device, so speeding up this operation affects not one specific repair type, but almost every order.

The screwdriver has two main upgrades. The first one already speeds up your work noticeably, while the final upgrade lets you deal with screws almost instantly. The more complex the devices become, the more noticeable the time saved will be.

The next useful investment is brush upgrades. Later, you can buy more specialized equipment, but buying every available tool right away is not profitable. Many of them will only become truly necessary once the corresponding orders appear.

For example, the airbrush lets you repaint devices, but regular repainting by itself does not increase a device's value. The same applies to reprogramming tools: this feature will be useful for certain tasks, but there is no need to buy it at the very beginning purely to increase profit.

Licenses are one of ReStory's most important progression systems. They unlock the ability to properly work with new device categories and gradually expand the range of available orders. As you progress, customers will start bringing in devices that you do not yet have the proper permission to repair. In that case, the order will have to be postponed until you buy the required license.

Licenses also make it easier to find components. At the very beginning, you often have to get the required parts from other used devices: buy a device on the online flea market, disassemble it, and hope that the component you need is in working condition. After getting the appropriate license, you unlock the ability to order new spare parts directly from manufacturers.

Licenses are purchased through Packuten and gradually unlock access to new device categories. If the required permit is not available yet, keep developing the repair shop and check the store's assortment regularly.

Before getting the necessary licenses, the online flea market becomes your main source of components. Used devices are sold there, and you can disassemble them for screens, batteries, boards, buttons, and other parts.

However, the condition of the purchase is not always known in advance. The product description and seller rating only give you a rough idea: inside a cheap device, you may find useful working components, or several broken parts. Because of that, do not spend your last money on a questionable purchase hoping to get one specific spare part.

Your main source of income is completed orders, so the efficiency of the repair shop directly depends on how many repairs you can finish without long downtime.

One of the most profitable early purchases is the tip jar. Once it is installed, not only visitors to the repair shop, but also online-order customers can leave an extra amount. Usually, this is around 200 to 500 yen per completed job, so over time, the purchase pays for itself.

Later, a useful purchase is the shredder for broken parts. At the beginning of the game, faulty components can only be thrown away, but after buying the shredder, they can be recycled for a small amount of money per part. The shredder itself is expensive, so you should not buy it with your last money. This is an investment for a repair shop that is already relatively stable.

Online orders let you keep the repair shop constantly busy. If a repair only requires cleaning, it can usually be completed right away. If a missing part is required, the device can be set aside until delivery, and you can switch to another job.

However, you should not accept an endless number of orders. Online requests have deadlines, and missing them can negatively affect customer satisfaction. At the beginning of the game, a set of online orders appears every day, and each one gives you three in-game days to complete it.

If the repair shop's rating remains stuck at three stars for a long time, the problem may not be the quality of your repairs. Check the room and make sure you really removed all the initial trash. Some items, such as old newspapers and small junk, are easy to miss.

You also receive Zen Points for decorating the repair shop, so decor in ReStory is not completely useless. During the first few hours, it is lower priority than tools and licenses, but later it becomes an additional way to develop the repair shop.

ReStory is not just a repair simulator. Many visitors return to the repair shop several times, and their personal stories develop throughout the walkthrough. Dialogue answers can change relationships with characters and future events.

Because of that, you should not automatically choose the first line or skip conversations completely. The game has several endings, and the outcome depends not on one decision right before the finale, but on the sum of choices made throughout the walkthrough.

Early in the game, Hashimoto collects rent once a week, about 2000 yen. It is best to always keep this amount in reserve and not spend your last money on new licenses or upgrades.

Utility bills will also arrive at the repair shop separately. To pay them, take the required amount from the register, put the money into the attached envelope, and send it back.

Watch the time. You can work in the repair shop all night, but a new in-game day only begins after the hero returns home and sleeps. Because of that, it is better to finish work before 8:00 a.m.

You cannot receive or send orders at night. From midnight to 8:00 a.m., the store is effectively closed for deliveries, although you can still repair and clean devices inside the workshop.

Weekly expenses gradually increase. In addition to rent and internet, payments for electricity and security will be added as you progress. With the expensive internet plan, total weekly expenses are around 6000 yen. With the cheaper one, they are about 5000 yen.

The store sells more than just equipment. In the additional tabs, you can buy new shelves, accessories, airbrush paints, and stickers for decorating devices.

Some orders can temporarily stop the story. If a customer brings in a device for which you do not yet have a license, the order will remain unfinished until you buy it. During that time, you can calmly complete other repairs and earn money for the required license and other upgrades.

Haruhi can offer extra spare parts. If you agree to her offer during the first conversation, she may later be able to send you components she finds. However, the origin of the parts looks questionable, and the decision may have story consequences.

Some decisions have delayed consequences. Dialogue lines can start an entire chain of later choices and significantly change the fate of characters, so even answers that seem minor at first glance should be chosen carefully.