Games like PowerWash Simulator AND House Flipper They are invitations to relax; they are about creating order out of chaos. It is nice to see a run-down house or a cluttered garage and restore it to its former glory. But what if the stakes were higher? What if, instead of getting rid of an venerable, rusty vehicle, I had to transport a dead body? What if, instead of dirt and soot, my main concern was blood and forensic evidence? Crime scene cleaner is a game that boldly tackles these questions, and the answer is oddly satisfying.
IN Crime scene cleanerI play an unlucky janitor named Kovalsky, who has a lot of financial problems, including an unknown but tragically ill child. A friend offers him a huge payday to facilitate him deal with a huge blunder – he murdered someone. It turns out that scrubbing crime scenes is much more profitable than scrubbing toilets. There is also an vigorous mafia in the city, so there is no shortage of work.
Crime scene cleaner creates some inventive but gruesome scenarios, like a mass murder in a pizzeria, with a guy halfway into the pizza oven. One death in particular gave me an unexpected chuckle: a juvenile man, murdered while playing a Soulslike, with a “YOU DIED” screen on the monitor. How ironic!
No matter what I’m dealing with, I’ve got the tools to immaculate it up: mops, sponges, a ladder, a pressure washer, detergent, and plenty of trash bags. This is where the meditative aspect of the game shines. It doesn’t matter if I’m cleaning up venerable pizza boxes or the splatter pattern of a body falling from a great height; either way, my brain gets some good chemicals. I can also steal from the dead at will, selling some cocaine after hours or dropping off fancy figurines at a pawn shop.
If anything, I would like the supporting aspects Crime scene cleaner were a little more noticeable. When I finish work, I go home. I can read a few emails, which usually shed airy on the hero’s impoverished financial situation, and pet the dog, but then I have to go to bed. And when I wake up, it’s time for another job. It would be nice to have a little more control over where that money goes, but at the end of the day, I’m just there to transport bodies and scrub up blood.
Another lovely touch is the constant commentary from Kovalsky. The voice acting isn’t very good, but it adds a certain I don’t know what. He has a entertaining line for each death. Upon discovering the aforementioned player, he quips, “Imagine playing an FPS and ending up with a bullet in your head. That’s what I call immersion.” The voice actor always delivers a flat delivery, which is entertaining in itself and cuts through the macabre atmosphere of each crime scene.
Crime scene cleaner originally released on August 14, but I stumbled upon the game while browsing the Steam store. I’m glad I took a chance and bought it without going into too much detail; clearing out crime scenes fills a certain need. The ability to stuff $100 bills and cocaine in your pocket in the game is just a bonus.
