If there is one thing I love more than being a 90s baby, it’s being nostalgic about a 90s that never really existed in South Africa. I’m talking about that good, stereotypical American 90s experience. That is the same vibe that Serial Cleaners manages to encapsulate.
At its core, Serial Cleaners is a stealth game created for dark comedy enthusiasts. You’ll be spending your time in the game cleaning up after killers. The premise is that someone murders someone else and then calls you up (the best in the business) to make the whole incident… disappear.
This Harry Houdini act is pulled off by you mopping, sweeping and hauling copses off while ensuring that you aren’t seen by a guard, security camera or any other surveillance device lest you go away for the murder you didn’t even commit.
If reading this description makes you feel some severe Déjà vu, it’s because Serial Cleaners is the sequel to 2017’s Serial Cleaner, and it’s pretty much the same game. The most significant changes between the two games are the 90s setting and a more extensive cast of characters who each come with unique skill sets.
While character variety or development isn’t something I felt the game would benefit from, I genuinely enjoyed playing all the different characters. Because of their distinctly different abilities, it felt like I was playing an entirely new character each time I switched instead of just a different looking one.
However, that’s not to say that these additions make Serial Cleaners a better game than its predecessor. One of the great things about the original is that the game always felt fair. Challenging, for sure, but fair. Serial Cleaners, on the other hand, never manages to get the balance just right.
Some of the unbalanced feelings come from the occasional bugs and glitches scattered throughout, but that I have come to expect from games lately. Still, the most significant infringement is that the game is overwhelming regarding assets and information no one needs and stingy with stuff you do.
More often than not, I approached the levels on a trial-by-fire basis and allowed myself to be caught so I could go back and fix past mistakes. And while this is not a bad system, it’s a far cry from the super tension-filled atmosphere of the first game that had me sweating at the thought of being caught.
