Released on August 14th, 2024, Crime Scene Cleaner by President Studio plunges players into the gritty and meticulous world of crime scene cleanup. After clocking in 15.4 hours meticulously scrubbing away evidence and restoring order to chaotic scenes, I’ve taken a deep dive into this unique simulation. So, does it deliver a gripping experience, or does it leave a mess behind? Let’s investigate the details and find out.
Launch Trailer
Enter, Kovalsky
In Crime Scene Cleaner, you step into the shoes of Kovalsky, a janitor who’s fallen on hard times. Burdened by mounting hospital bills for his sick daughter, Kovalsky is desperate for a way out. When he receives an unexpected call offering exceptional pay to clean up a crime scene, he sees it as a lifeline. However, this lucrative job pulls him into the dangerous world of the mob, where the stakes are higher than he ever imagined.
Everything but the kitchen sink, well there’s that too
When I first picked up Crime Scene Cleaner, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. On some levels, I expected a straightforward experience similar to PowerWash Simulator, but I quickly discovered that there’s much more to this game than meets the eye.
Each level begins with a brief cutscene that offers a glimpse into the crime that took place, providing just enough detail to hint at what happened. Rather than showing you the violence directly—bullets flying and blood splattering—the game opts for a more subtle approach. It’s surprisingly tasteful, letting you piece together the events as you work through the level. As you clean, you uncover evidence and slowly reconstruct the story, adding a layer of mystery to your tasks.
Between each level, you return home, where Kovalsky’s personal story unfolds during this downtime. You receive calls about your next job and emails from your daughter, deepening the narrative and giving you a glimpse into his life outside of work.
And, as is always worth mentioning in a game—you’ve got a pet dog, and yes, you can pet it!
You have an array of tools at your disposal, but throughout my playthrough, I found myself sticking to the basics. My trusty mop and sponges became my go-to tools as I took a slow and methodical approach, which made the overall experience much more satisfying for me. While I had access to a power washer, ‘ozonator,’ and various detergents to make cleaning easier, they mostly went untouched.
It wasn’t until later in my playthrough that I discovered the ‘Cleaner Sense’ by pressing ‘Q.’ This feature helps you spot stains and show where furniture needs to be put back, making it an invaluable tool I wish I had found sooner.
A bloody remarkable sight
The visuals in Crime Scene Cleaner play a crucial role in creating a compelling atmosphere, transforming what could have been a straightforward cleanup task into a narrative-driven experience. There’s a whole lot of blood, and who knew that could be interesting? The game doesn’t just use blood as an objective to clean; it uses it as a storytelling device, weaving together scenes that hint at the events that happened. This approach adds depth to the gameplay, as each splatter and stain becomes a clue, drawing you into the narrative without uttering a single word.
Walking into some of the crime scenes, you might feel a sense of déjà vu, as if you’ve just walked into a room that mirrors the chaos of real life. Imagine opening a door to a room that looks like a tornado hit it—your inner parent or neat freak immediately cringes at the sight. The game captures this moment perfectly, sometimes making you feel the overwhelming urge to close the door and pretend you didn’t see the mess before you. There have been times when I’ve finished meticulously cleaning one room, only to open the next door and be greeted with a scene so daunting that I couldn’t help but shut the door right back.
Each of the game’s 10 levels is distinct and varied, ensuring that the experience remains fresh throughout. I never felt like I was exploring the same environment twice. The game masterfully uses recurring assets across different levels to create a cohesive world, where these repeated elements add to the sense of continuity rather than detracting from the experience. In Crime Scene Cleaner, these reused assets contribute to the world-building, making the environments feel more lived-in and believable, rather than feeling like a cost-cutting measure as seen in some other titles.
Scrubbed for Success
Crime Scene Cleaner is a game that manages to blend the mundane with the mysterious, turning the simple act of cleaning into an immersive and engaging experience. By placing you in the shoes of Kovalsky, a janitor caught in a web of criminal intrigue, the game adds a personal and emotional depth to each task you perform. The gameplay is both methodical and satisfying, offering a range of tools that allow you to approach each level in your own way, while the understated yet effective narrative keeps you invested in both the story and the cleanup.
The visuals are a standout feature, using the crime scenes themselves as storytelling devices. The blood, the mess, and the chaos aren’t just obstacles to overcome—they’re clues to unravel, adding layers to the narrative with each level you complete. The game’s unique blend of detailed environments and recurring assets helps to create a world that feels both realistic and cohesive, making every new level a fresh challenge that keeps you coming back for more.
While the game may not be packed with flashy mechanics or over-the-top action, it shines in its simplicity and the care taken to craft an experience that is as much about the story as it is about the gameplay. Whether you’re drawn in by the narrative, the satisfying clean-up mechanics, or simply the quirky charm of Kovalsky’s world, Crime Scene Cleaner offers a uniquely enjoyable experience that is well worth your time.
Crime Scene Cleaner is available over on Steam, right now. Go check it out! There’s also a demo available, Crime Scene Cleaner: Prologue.
8/10
