The short answer
Licenses control how the repair shop expands. When the game introduces a repair type, device, or related business option that you cannot yet use, the license shop is one of the first places to check—but not every unavailable feature is an ordinary license.
Buy the license that serves a job you expect to perform soon. Do not spend every available coin collecting licenses while an accepted repair still needs a replacement part.
Step by step
1. Identify what is actually locked
Write down the device, repair type, or purchase option that is unavailable. A license can be the gate, but it is not the only possible reason for a blocked job. You may also lack cash, a required part, a tool, or a completed interaction.
2. Open the license shop
The illustrated launch guide shows the license store, and current-version gameplay around the one-hour point shows the purchase flow in use. Match the locked business need with the wording shown in the shop. Use the game’s English label, not a translated guess.
3. Check the cost against active work
Before buying, reserve money for:
- replacement parts required by accepted jobs;
- delivery or operating costs you already know are coming;
- a small buffer for a diagnosis that reveals another missing part.
The best license for your shop is the one that opens useful near-term work without making current work impossible to finish.
4. Buy and confirm the change
After purchase, return to the previously locked area and confirm what changed. This before-and-after check is more reliable than assuming every license unlocks the same number of items or repair categories.
5. Track the long-term achievement separately
Steam’s official achievement list confirms a goal for obtaining all licenses. It does not publish the total. Two current secondary guides disagree—one reports 20 and another reports 21—so the safe launch-build answer is simply to follow the in-game list rather than an external total.
Two unlocks that look like licenses but are not
Robodog follows the Akiba Championship path
Robodog is tied to story progression, mail, the Akiba Championship installation, and the no-hints assembly competition. It is not verified as a normal early purchase from the license list.
If it remains unavailable, use the Robodog license and Akiba Championship guide to separate an unfinished story step from the specific possible softlock acknowledged in a developer reply.
Hacking uses the Unlock-ToolKit
The resolved hacking discussion points players to the Unlock-ToolKit in the Binotaro tools and upgrades area of Gozilla Fairfox. After purchase, its application still needs to be installed on the shop computer.
Use the hacking and reprogramming guide instead of searching the ordinary license list for a “piracy license.”
When a license does not fix the block
Check this sequence before treating the situation as a progression bug:
- Confirm the correct license appears as owned.
- Recheck the job requirements and the relevant shop category.
- Confirm the necessary part or tool is available.
- Finish any pending delivery or customer conversation.
- Compare the symptom with the developer’s current known-issues notice.
A missing license is one possible cause, not a universal explanation for story or shop progression problems.
What not to assume
- Do not rely on a total of 20 or 21 until the game or developer confirms it.
- Do not publish a full price table without checking every launch-build shop screen.
- Do not treat one fixed license order as optimal for every player’s job queue.
- Do not assume every stuck story event is caused by a missing license.
- Do not treat Robodog or the Unlock-ToolKit as ordinary license-shop purchases.
Sources
- Official Steam achievements — confirms the all-licenses goal without stating a total.
- Kleynce’s illustrated 100% guide — shows the license shop in the launch build.
- Skoottie’s launch-version playthrough — shows a license purchase around 1:00:00.
- Into Indie’s beginner guide — independently describes licenses as part of business progression.
- Robodog license discussion — supports the story and Akiba Championship route and documents the reported softlock.
- Resolved hacking unlock discussion — identifies the Unlock-ToolKit and software installation route.