Serial Cleaners Review – Attempting a Flawless Getaway

Serial cleaner on PC

At times, it can be clearly seen how some games are positioned to launch franchises, requiring large budgets and a huge marketing push to set them up for success. Other times, an unexpected indie game can shine through creative gameplay, a great story, compelling visuals, or a combination of everything. The latter is undoubtedly an issue that developer Draw Distance ran into with 2017’s Serial Cleaner, and its sequel, Serial Cleaners, is another step in the right direction, cleaning it up as a stealth action game.

Bringing back Bob from the first game and mixing him with three other cleaners in the form of Psych, Ratti and Vip3r, the serial cleaners jump from 1970s to 90s New York City as the The series has moved forward not only in its narrative, but also in its gameplay mechanics.

As the name suggests, the premise of the game revolves around cleanliness, but the diversity of crime scenes. Every time a thug leaves a mess, it’s up to one of four unique cleaners to make sure nothing is left for law enforcement, be it bodies or evidence, and the place is largely blood-free.

One level might have you tearing apart corpses with a chainsaw like Psycho; another might have you cleaning up a sitcom where things go horribly wrong, like Ratti. Either way, the same rules apply – avoid the police, clean up the blood, remove evidence large and small, and make sure no one sees the body. Due to the open map design of each level in Serial Cleaners, full of exciting and sometimes bizarre settings, nothing is exactly the same, even if the underlying mechanics remain the same.

This is largely due to the unique abilities the characters bring to the table, taking advantage of the intricacies of map design and helping keep the game dynamic and fresh based on how you choose to handle things.

The Vip3r level is full of opportunities to hack into mechanical systems like lights and doors to annoy the authorities. Lati, on the other hand, is strong and fast, allowing her to travel the world more efficiently, and she’s easily one of my favorite cleaners. As for Bob, the OG cleaner is better at wrapping corpses and keeping things neat and tidy, while Psycho’s bulky nature is balanced with his ability to saw through bodies and obstacles with a chainsaw, and use a broken limb to knock down guards and then get locked out for you Save yourself the hassle.

Certain levels also allow players to switch between cleaners to suit various play styles and approaches, an interesting twist that encourages experimentation, even if one interaction is more suitable than the other.

Once you understand the limitations of the world of Serial Cleaners, such as Vip3r’s ability to drag only its body and the use of noisy chainsaws to break obstacles can attract unwanted attention, your efficiency at completing levels will only increase. You’ll need it later, as the map becomes more complex, more enemies roam, and tensions increase to separate the best cleaners from the rest of the competition.

All the action is wrapped in a story that sees the team come together and reminisce about their past work, allowing the non-linear story to unfold as the player chooses the dialogue choices they want to relive their adventure first and unlock more four The mysteries behind the cleaners and where they currently stand. No spoilers here, but it’s a story worth following all the way to the end, especially with the multiple endings that come with your choices and consequences.

Visually and audibly, the look of the Serial Cleaners stands out, and for good reason. Much of the art direction comes from street art and postmodernism, and the way color is used; it’s all about drawing players into a world where nothing seems to be happening. Pair that with a thumping soundtrack to get you in the mood for some stealth-based cleaning, and you’ll have a great time.

While the game is all about keeping things tidy and spanning, there are certain issues that can interfere with your enjoyment of Serial Cleaners. On the one hand, a top-down view does have its advantages, allowing the player to see more of the world, but objects can obstruct the view of basic objects or bloodstains. Sure, you can use Cleaner Sense to highlight these, but maybe being able to rotate your viewing angle makes things a little smoother.

Also, while some might argue that the lack of viewing cones etc. would result in a more purely stealthy experience, this may be an accidental experience when successfully concealed or partially exposed to cameras and guards. The AI is also easy to take advantage of whenever your cover is blown up, as running around and crouching in corners will make them lose interest surprisingly quickly and kind of spoil the fun involved. There are also graphical and technical issues that may require a level restart, but these will no doubt be fixed in future patches.

As a stealth action experience, Serial Cleaner is certainly a breath of fresh air, continuing to build on the franchise’s 2017 debut. Between the uniqueness of the rest of the crew, a diverse and interesting level design, a non-linear story with freedom of choice, and good old cleaning action, Serial Cleaners is everything you could want in a sequel; mind you, the perfect The finish still needs some polishing.

Reviewer: Jake Su | Copy provided by publisher.