Serial Cleaners – Review

Serial Cleaners is the sequel to Draw Distance’s 2D stealth action game, Serial Cleaner, in which players must clean up crime scenes without being caught. Instead of the more traditional top-down view of the original, in which you avoid cops’ attention by dodging cones of vision, Serial Cleaners mixes things up by adding new characters and abilities, as well as a visual revamp that improves upon more than just the game’s visuals. Also, it’s effective. Evidence disposal is made into a fast-paced, exciting experience, making this a fun game to play in short bursts.

In Serial Cleaners, you take control of one of four different disposers employed by the mob, a criminal organisation responsible for numerous homicides. On the evening of December 31, 1999, the gang celebrates the New Year by looking back on their history together and discussing their most notable missions. In addition to Bob, the jaded mentor from the first game, you’ll be joined by Psycho, the tropey disturbed one, Lati, the speedy parkour enthusiast, and Vip3r (yes, with a three in her name), the hacker whose use of the phrases “leet” and “TTYI” makes me want to sink into the earth in shame.

Diverse backstories give the game’s cast of characters interesting motivations for their disposal missions. Despite his mother’s wishes, Bob remains entangled with the mob and its cocaine-fueled parties, while Vip3r monitors criminal activity through her clandestine online channels and races to hide their mess. It can be confusing to follow the plot when you’re constantly switching between four different people and most context is only provided in a paragraph at the bottom of a loading screen rather than being explained in depth face-to-face. But the story makes up for these problems with intriguing flashback sequences that delve deeper into their troubled pasts.

Once you’ve gotten a taste for the finer points of the art of disposal, you’ll have no trouble overlooking the game’s uneven plot progression. There is a standard checklist to complete for each mission, and deviating from it is rarely an option: get rid of some bodies, drop some pocketable or more substantial evidence, and vacuum up enough blood to appease the boss. Of course, what makes things interesting is how each character handles these responsibilities in their own unique way.

Bob can wrap up bodies so they don’t leave a blood trail when dragged, and he can slide along blood trails to get away quickly. As Vip3r, you can access terminals from a distance to unlock doors, turn off lights, and cause other disruptions. With a chainsaw, you can dismember the bodies in Psycho, making them easier to transport, but also creating more of them. Furthermore, as Psycho, you are able to knock out guards with random objects thrown at them. A guard will faint at the mere sight of you chopping up a body, which can be used to your advantage in a number of hilariously gruesome ways.

However, Lati is the best of the bunch in reality. She can jump modest fences, scale walls, and zip all over the place as if the world were a parkour playground. This ability may seem elementary at first, but it fits in perfectly with the game’s style. When playing as Lati, you can use your superior athleticism to exploit the game’s architecture and outwit the AI, whereas other players will have to rely on stealing keys and stalking corridors. Once you’ve figured out all the different ways to get around, Lati’s ability to fly across maps gives you a feeling I can only describe as a flow state when disposing of bodies; it’s strange, horrible, and wonderful.

You never feel like you’re being punished when your carefully planned moves devolve into frantic sprints because the game rewards both precision and chaos. Like a basic immersive sim, the game lets you feel either completely immersed or able to regain control with the simple act of opening a door or ducking into a nearby closet. Some of the game’s most memorable moments occurred by complete accident, such as when I opened a door and knocked out a guard or when I threw a limb at the woodchipper hoping to destroy it but instead hit a police officer in the face.

Every mission has the same overarching goal, so there is a certain amount of repetition, but the game does its best to mix things up by throwing in some unexpected twists and turns. I can’t go into specifics, but I will say that parties can make it hard to see clearly and that two cleaners might be able to help each other out. The level designs and secret spots are always balanced, so you never have to worry about being put in an unfair position. Additionally, when you need some guidance, you can use the slow-mo ability to zoom out, highlighting enemies and other important landmarks.

Furthermore, Serial Cleaners is over in a flash, having only a handful of tightly written chapters. Whether you’re a haphazard cleaner or more methodical with the hoover, this game will provide a burst of stressful fun and provide fodder for anecdotes regardless of the variety of cleaners at your disposal or the strength of the level design.