In 1981, Donkey Kong was released and became a massive hit. During its success, a video game company called Tobikomi, known already for its successful space shooters and racing games, decided to make a more adult game in Donkey Kong's style. The game was called Fix-It Felix and while it was a modest hit, it got many complaints for being too difficult and having unnecessary adult elements thrown in. To deal with this, Tobikomi altered the game with a more family-friendly tone and more easy difficulty.
This resulted in Fix-It Felix Jr., known today as a classic 1980s arcade game, made in 8-bit graphics. The story itself is rather simple:
A brief prologue introduces Wreck-It Ralph, the game's antagonist. He lives more or less happily in a stump in the middle of a forest, until said stump is moved to a dumpster and his home forest is torn down by bulldozers. Why? To clear the way for a luxurious apartment building that provides a home for a group of people called the Nicelanders.
Naturally, when Ralph finds out about the destruction of his home, he is... less than pleased. He then proceeds to take his anger out on the apartment building by wrecking it. This requires the eponymous Fix-It Felix Jr. to step in and fix the damage Ralph causes with his magic hammer (inherited from his father).
The game was a success when it was first released, being popular at the many arcades it ended up in. Perhaps the most well-known version is the one at Litwak's Family Fun Center. A licensed browser port is available
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Fix-It Felix Jr. provides examples of:
- Alliterative Name: Wreck-It Ralph and Fix-It Felix Jr.
- Big Bad: Wreck-It Ralph spends the game trying to destroy the apartment building as revenge for the builders destroying his stump.
- Bonus Stage: One version has one that stars the cast of Q*bert.
- Butt-Monkey: The suit-wearing Nicelander with a mustache, being picked up and thrown out of the apartment by Ralph in the game's intro. The developers of the game stated his name was "Gene".
- Catchphrase: "I'm gonna wreck it!" for Ralph and "I can fix it!" for Felix.
- Character Title: Named after the handyman who fixes Ralph's messes.
- Color-Coded for Your Convenience: Felix, the hero, wears blue and Ralph, the villain, wears red.
- Easter Egg: Aside from the rumored Bonus Stage, it's also been noted that several of the Nicelanders resemble characters from other arcade games.
- Freudian Excuse: Ralph wrecks the Nicelanders' apartment because they moved his stump and destroyed his home.
- Innocent Bystanders: The Nicelanders only exist to get their homes saved by Felix and offer him power-ups in the process.
- Hated by All: At the end of the game, Ralph suffers this with the Nicelanders, who throw him off the apartment building into a puddle of mud.
- Jerkass: Ralph, who tries to destroy the building and acts spiteful towards the Nicelanders.
- Lighter and Softer: Than its predecessor, Fix-It Felix.
- Meaningful Name: Wreck-It Ralph is the villain causing destruction and Fix-It Felix is the hero who repairs said destruction.
- Mr. Fixit: The titular Fix-It Felix.
- Power-Up Food: The supercharging pies that the Nicelanders put out serve as this.
