Serial Cleaner (2017)

One day, I watched The Simpsons episode, where Bart, Homer and Skinner's mom pulled a prank on her son; she pretended to be murdered in her house while Homer acts as the clean-up guy. That prompted me to start playing Serial Cleaner, a stealth game with the unique concept of cleaning up bodies and evidence from the crime scenes he's assigned to. That's what the main character makes for a living for both him and his mom during the 70s time period the game's based on. Each mission may seem like a slice-of-life simulation, until the missions start adding up that there's a concerning, overall plot coming around, even helped by the news media if you're a bit explorative enough.

The gameplay mechanics are quite simple enough with just a couple of tools and moves to get around clearing the areas for your mission. By that, each mission can take as quickly as a couple of minutes up to roughly 10 minutes in later stages. The stages also allow you to make use of shortcuts to strategize your moves or alter the routes of the officers you need to avoid. Even if you get caught, you can quickly pick yourself back up and try again. Soon enough you might have to readjust your plans because the bodies and evidence will be randomly placed in their respective locations.

Serial Cleaner is a decent game with its literal clear-the-area gameplay concept and levels that can be done during a quick coffee break. The plot is mostly predictable but somewhat satisfying, paving way for its upcoming sequel taking place a couple of decades later. Nothing essential in the overall aspect as a stealth game but I'm curious to what the devs will bring on their next output of the franchise.

Serial Cleaner is a game where you are tasked with the 'cleaning up' of crime scenes. You pick up and dispose of bodies, take away evidence, and clean up blood spatters.

What's good about it:

• Black comedy
• Cool art and 70s vibe
• Varying enemy types and behavior
• Level variety

What's okay about it:

• Randomized item/body placement
• Story line
• Bonus contracts
• Collectibles (clothes)

What's bad about it:

• Instant failure - failing a level at any point means a complete restart.
• Starting a level from the main menu replays the story.

Summary: Serial Cleaner is not a very difficult game, but its insta-fail conditions can be frustrating a little too often. The same condition also punishes experimentation, which goes against the randomized item placement and randomized patrol patterns (for the 'Scout' enemy type). If you enjoy the idea of repeatedly tacking a difficult puzzle, you can find some enjoyment here.

Acheivement stats: Only 2.8% of the players on Steam have the 'Done Cleaning' acheivement for this game, which is awarded for completing the story contracts (20 levels).