Pool Cleaning Simulator

So some of the game is fun and I like it, but there are so many bugs in this game. So many people are complaining about the bugs as well. I hate when devs make these games and never finish or even care to update the issues.

You’re just a random bloke who inherited a pool cleaning business from your uncle. Who you are doesn’t really matter, and neither does the story. The real appeal comes from the satisfying process of cleaning filthy surfaces with your tools and gradually expanding your equipment by completing jobs and buying new additions. The controls are exactly what you’d expect from any first person game. You can move, jump, crouch, and sprint to get around locations faster. There’s no stamina bar to worry about, although you can’t run while carrying heavy tools. One odd design choice that stood out to me is having separate buttons for picking up and dropping items. Instead of using the same button for both actions, there’s an entirely different button for dropping things, and it’s not even placed next to the pickup or interact button. Fortunately, you spend a bit more time pressure washing than handling things. Cleaning works a lot like shooting in a first person game. You aim at a dirty spot, hold down the trigger to spray water, and move the stream across the stain until it disappears. Every completed stain is rewarded with a satisfying sound, which never really gets old. If you ever lose track of what’s left to clean or what to do next, there’s a handy button that highlights everything important. Sadly, the highlight color choice is not great; it’s barely visible and will cause issues for people with colorblindness. The pressure washer runs on water, so once the tank is empty, you’ll need to return to your truck for a refill. It’s not quite as simple as pressing a button. First, you have to place the washer on the ground or another surface, remove the tank, carry it to the refill tap, wait for it to fill, attach it back to the washer, and finally pick the whole thing up again before getting back to work. The game leans heavily into realism here, maybe a little too much, because filling the tank takes longer than it probably should. At least you can use that time to deal with something else nearby. Your truck also stores every other tool you own, once you’ve bought them from the shop. These include nets for fishing rubbish out of pools, an underwater vacuum cleaner, sponges, and several other useful tools. Each one has its own designated place inside the truck, highlighted whenever you're holding it, although you can only carry two tools at a time until you get the ability for more. The shop is accessed through your tablet, although what you can buy depends on your reputation level. Tools only need to be purchased once, but consumables like chemicals and filters eventually run out and must be replaced. You can also buy upgrades for your pressure washer, including wider and longer spray nozzles that clean larger areas more efficiently, along with larger water tanks that reduce the number of refill trips. There are even clothing items that provide useful perks, such as increased movement speed or belts that let you carry more equipment. New jobs also appear on your tablet. Each one includes a fun message from the client, useful information like keycodes, and a list of the items you'll need before heading out. Once you're prepared and have purchased the required supplies, you can travel to the location. Objectives are presented in a straightforward, linear way, so you're never left wondering what to do next. Cleaning progress is shown as a percentage that gradually drops to zero, making it easy to see how much work remains. Thankfully, you don't have to scrub away every microscopic speck of dirt. Once you're close enough, the remaining spots begin flashing and are cleaned automatically. Finishing the first job already unlocks most of the basic equipment in the shop. If money ever becomes an issue, you can replay completed jobs to earn extra cash and reputation. Reputation doesn't just unlock better tools, it also introduces new clients. There aren't many of them, but each becomes a regular customer with several jobs that unlock one after another. Although every client always lives at the same location, their jobs and the little details change from visit to visit. The clients themselves are entertaining oddballs, like the first one who is obsessed with rubber ducks or another who appears to be some sort of criminal with blood around the pool. Most of them also ask you to complete extra tasks beyond simply cleaning the pool, usually involving hidden objects scattered around the property. These can become frustrating because they can be tucked away almost anywhere, and there’s no button to highlight them unless you’ve purchased a special pair of goggles. This game absolutely scratches that itch of making everything spotless while rewarding you with satisfying audio every time another task is completed. Sometimes it goes a little overboard, like making you collect 200 rubber ducks one by one before sorting them by color, but each location still introduces something fresh even when you return later. There are also a few physics quirks. Tools can behave strangely if dropped in awkward places, and the items you're carrying occasionally get caught on objects. Fortunately, these minor issues never get in the way of the enjoyment.