''Serial Cleaners'' is a

stealth game A stealth game is a type of video game in which the player primarily uses ''stealth'' to avoid or overcome opponents. Games in the genre typically allow the player to remain undetected by hiding, sneaking, or using disguises. Some games allow th ...

developed by Draw Distance and published by

505 Games 505 Games S.p.A. is an Italian video game publisher based in Milan. It was founded in 2006 as a subsidiary of Milan-based Digital Bros. History 505 Games was founded in 2006 in Milan as a subsidiary of Digital Bros. The company found its earl ...

. It is the sequel to '' Serial Cleaner'' and continues the theme of removing evidence from crime scenes.

Gameplay

''Serial Cleaners'' is a stealth game played in

real-time Real-time or real time describes various operations in computing or other processes that must guarantee response times within a specified time (deadline), usually a relatively short time. A real-time process is generally one that happens in defined ...

from an

isometric perspective Isometric video game graphics are graphics employed in video games and pixel art that use a parallel projection, but which angle the viewpoint to reveal facets of the environment that would otherwise not be visible from a top-down perspective ...

. Players control contractors working for organized crime and are tasked with removing evidence from crime scenes. Each playable character has a special ability: Bob, the protagonist from

the first game ''The First Game'' is a painting by Arnold Friberg, and was commissioned in 1968 by Chevrolet Motor Division as one of four paintings to commemorate the then-upcoming centennial celebration of college football in the United States. It depicts ...

, can bag bodies so dragging them does not leave blood trails; Psycho can dismember corpses and use the limbs as weapons; Lati uses

parkour Parkour () is an athletic training discipline or sport in which practitioners (called ''traceurs'') attempt to get from point A to point B in the fastest and most efficient way possible, without assisting equipment and often while performing ...

to escape from the police; and Vip3r is a hacker who can control electronic surveillance devices. The

level Level or levels may refer to: Engineering *Level (instrument), a device used to measure true horizontal or relative heights *Spirit level, an instrument designed to indicate whether a surface is horizontal or vertical * Canal pound or level * Re ...

s include references to 1990s pop culture and have police patrolling the scene. Players must guide their character to the evidence, clean or remove it, and escape detection by the police. There are places where their character can hide, but if players are caught, they must replay the level. Between missions, the cleaners relate stories to each other as they reminisce about their jobs on New Year's Eve in 1999.

Development

released ''Serial Cleaners'' on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and 5, Windows, and Xbox One and Series X/S on September 22, 2022.

Reception

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...

, the Windows and Xbox Series X/S versions of ''Serial Cleaners'' received mixed reviews, and the PlayStation 5 version received positive reviews. Although they said the missions can become a bit repetitive, ''

Rock Paper Shotgun ''Rock Paper Shotgun'' (also rendered ''Rock, Paper, Shotgun''; short ''RPS'') is a UK-based website for reporting on video games, primarily for PC. Originally launched on 13 July 2007 as an independent site, ''Rock Paper Shotgun'' was acquir ...

'' said it "makes murder-cleaning a fun task that rewards patience or chaos". ''

GamesRadar ''GamesRadar+'' (formerly ''GamesRadar'') is an entertainment website for video game-related news, previews, and reviews. It is owned by Future plc. In late 2014, Future Publishing-owned sites '' Total Film'', ''SFX'', '' Edge'' and ''Comput ...

'' disliked how little skill was required to win on each level and said all that was needed was to patiently exploit the limited intelligence of the police as they obliviously made their rounds. However, they praised the stylish graphics and said stealth game fans may still enjoy the late game, which is more challenging. ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' called it "a game full of fascinating ideas" but criticized the lack of tension and the bugs.

References

External links

* {{Official website, https://serialcleanersgame.com/ 2022 video games Nintendo Switch games PlayStation 4 games PlayStation 5 games Windows games Xbox One games Xbox Series X and Series S games Single-player video games Indie games Draw Distance games