I'm a fan of games like Powerwash Simulator or ReStory where the primary gameplay loop is to complete tasks fairly mindlessly. It's a nice way to pass the time and can be something to keep the hands busy while watching something, similar to why I crochet. I tried out a new such game called Pixel Washer, and now that I've taken the time to do my fair share of cleaning in it, I'll be sharing my thoughts on the game.
Visuals and Audio
The sound and visuals of Pixel Washer are fairly simple. Unobtrusive music over a fairly straightforward top-down pixel art design, nothing particularly mindblowing, but it's consistent and definitely gets the job done. The visuals in particular do make pretty clear what is and isn't clean, which makes it easy to tell what I need to wash.
Gameplay
Pixel Washer, first and foremost, is a game about cleaning. We play as a pig named Pigxel and work various jobs cleaning various things with a power washer. The game has the controls of a twin-stick shooter, using the left stick or WASD to move, and the right stick or mouse to aim. The goal for each job is to clean the dirt from everything in the area, a fairly simple and straightforward concept. Some objects in need of cleaning can move, and it's also possible to step in certain kinds of dirt (like mud puddles) and end up tracking it around, leaving yourself with more to clean up. Since the amount of water you use in a level does have a cost that lowers how much money you get for completing it, this is definitely something to be mindful of.
The game's progression is fairly straightfoward. You earn money by completing various cleaning jobs, sometimes these jobs will have bonus tasks, like avoiding stepping on certain things, that can allow you an opportunity to earn extra money. The gas it takes to get to the job and the amount of water used during the job do have a cost, so that'll cut into your earnings. Using the money you earn, you can buy various upgrades, new power washers, and new vehicles. The amount of washers you can bring with you on a job depends on the vehicle you take there, and different vehicles have different gas mileage, so that's something to consider in terms of what you bring. The different power washers have varying effectiveness cleaning different kinds of dirt, and may fire in completely different ways; for example, the starting washer fires a constant stream of water, but the first purchaseable one instead fires bursts of water forward.
Conclusion
This review has been a relatively short one, thanks to how simple the game truly is, but that by no means is a bad thing.
Pixel Washer does what it does very well. The gameplay is satisfying and allows players to sit back and relax, the progression is sensible and doesn't feel like a drag, and there's plenty of different levels to work on cleaning up. I personally really enjoy this kind of game, and Pixel Washer didn't disappoint! So, if you're the same sort of fan that I am, definitely give this one a try. You'll be surprised just how much time you can spend and how much fun you can have with its simple concept.
VERDICT: Recommended
Reviewed on PC
Review Copy was Provided
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