Review Note: I was provided a copy of Serial Cleaners by the publisher.
I’ll preface this by saying that Draw Distance’s Serial Cleaners is my first foray into the series. I’ve watched my wife play previous titles, and they never looked like my type of game. But with Serial Cleaners, I found myself oddly surprised. It was a unique mixture of dread, anxiety, and fun. I wanted to clear every level of its mess by vacuuming up blood splotches and ridding the crime scene of bodies methodically. But damn, those ever-present cops threw a hitch in my plans!
Gameplay and Difficulty
Overall, I found the gameplay loop simple yet rewarding. It scratched that itch you get from cleaning in video games (not in real life) and made me want to 100% a level before moving forward.
From what I could gather, past games in the series had you play as a singular character, the iconic cleaner, but Serial Cleaners mixes up the pot. You get four characters: Bob C. Leaner, Lati, Psycho Haldor “Hal” Boen, and Vip3r. Each one features unique skills and play styles, though you start the game by playing each in turn to learn the mechanics. Overall, I found the original cleaner, Bob C. Leaner, to be my favorite.
That being said, the absolute mess and mayhem of playing as Hal provided numerous memorable moments in my playthrough.
Furthermore, remaining on the topic of gameplay, I enjoyed the open map designs that felt freeing and claustrophobic simultaneously. I always felt like I had enough space to maneuver a duffle bag of evidence or a body bag without alerting the police on the scene. At the same time, the tight hallways left me panicking at certain moments.
But it’s not all sunshine and rainbows in Serial Cleaners. Overall, one of my primary gripes comes from the Cleaner Sense game mechanic. While helpful on some levels, it felt more like a hindrance to others. For example, blood splatters mesh with the environment, leaving me wondering what I missed.
Lastly, the overall difficulty of the game is laughable at times. While ever-present on each map as a hindrance, the enemy AI proves dumb as a box of rocks. They never felt challenging or dangerous.
Graphics
I have seen and heard a few folks complain about the graphics. Some complained they felt muddy, confusing, or didn’t mesh well enough to differentiate objects and objectives within the game.
Personally, I disagree. I absolutely adored the graphics in Serial Cleaners. The grimy, 90s aesthetic worked wonders for my immersion. The visuals provide a sense of depth and darkness that only a game about cleaning crime scenes could provide.
As I previously said, my only gripe would be with the Cleaner Sense. It was occasionally difficult to locate every blood pool to vacuum up.
Sound Design
Whoever handled sound design for Serial Cleaners was spot on. The score transitions from almost Pink Panther-esque mystery hits to Jazz-fueled romps that managed to make my head bob up and down as I cleaned up pools of blood and left-behind corpses.
Overall, it’s reminiscent of old police procedurals, and private detective shows, albeit slightly more upbeat in some spots.
Replayability
Here is where we take a turn from the praise I’ve laid on thus far. While the gameplay was fun, and the few issues I faced were minor overall, I don’t feel the game offers much in the way of replayability.
Is that a bad thing? Typically, no. Does a game have to feature extensive replayability and “end game” content to satisfy players? No. A good story and gameplay can propel a fantastic game forward.
But if you’ve never played Serial Cleaners, the $24.99 price tag can feel lofty when the entire campaign can be completed in a few hours with little reason for a second playthrough.
Verdict
In the end, I highly recommend Serial Cleaners. It’s a fun, albeit short, experience that scratches a virtual cleaning itch that seems to catch gamers these days!
You can grab a copy of Serial Cleaners via Steam!