Serial Cleaner (2)

Crime. It’s a dirty job, and somebody has to clean up. Somebody who doesn’t mind getting some red on their shirt, making a quick buck and dodging the long arm of the law. That’s where you come in as the titular serial cleaner, a man with a presumably hairy past and an even hairier philtrum who isn;t averse to getting rid of an inconvenient evidence lying around a crime scene.

Serial Cleaner (4)

How does one even clean up a few grisly murders while the fuzz are on patrol? With the handiest of vacuum cleaners and a few bodybags, that’s how. On the surface, the Serial Cleaner looks simple enough. It’s a top-down perspective to the tune of some funky bass-lines, that has you dodging the thin blue line while making certain that the scene in question is clean enough to eat food off of.

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The real challenge, comes down to timing. Can you suck up enough blood before the cops double back? Can you reach the corpse of Johnny Tight-Lips before you’re caught in the beam of a cop’s torch? That’s the initial challenge, before later levels chuck another spanner at you in the form of different cops entering. Quicker flatfoots and law enforcers who can instantly zap you with some legal electricity before you can run for the hills emphasise planning and speed, escalating the challenge as the short campaign marches on.

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Serial Cleaner is an enjoyable romp then, made better by its groovy setting and art design. Simplistic, but eye-catching stuff as favours are called in and the cleaner finds himself in dodgy situations. Perhaps the one gripe with Serial Cleaner is that while it may expertly set the stage for how it plays, actually attempting to enjoy it feels somewhat frustrating in the later stages thanks to a massive spike in the difficulty.

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There’s some added charm in the form of a few bonus levels, that even includes the bloody aftermath of what can only be the most epic Obi-Wan rage-quit ever seen in a blood-spattered Mos Eisely Cantina. A more elegant killing spree, from a more civilised serial killer. I actually managed to find several more, that further referenced A Clockwork Orange, Enter the Dragon and even Two Mules for Sister Sara. I dig dark humour like that.

Serial Cleaner (3)

If you’ve got the patience for it and you’re keen on seventies stealth, this groovy fella might be just what the mobster ordered.

Last Updated: July 18, 2017

Serial Cleaner
Serial Cleaner is a brief yet surprisingly addictive blood-soaked stealth game, provided that you can survive long enough to get past its steep difficulty spike.
Serial Cleaner was reviewed on PC
64 / 100

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