After a little over a year in early access on the Steam platform, PowerWash Simulator has finally been released in its version 1.0 on PC and Xbox. Now also offered via Game Pass, the FuturLab studio game adds to the long list of titles that digitally recreate the banality of a manual task. But with over 20,000 positive reviews on Steam, we can already call its success sparkling.
Right away, PowerWash Simulator is exactly what it claims to be. Equipped with a powerful pressure washer, one sweeps away dirt and grime in increasingly complex spaces, alone or with friends (up to six players).
“Career” mode is ideal for guiding budding cleaners through game mechanics using a variety of story-driven tasks that are easily overlooked. Basically, we are just starting out in the cleaning business. Our first task is to make our company van shine, so as not to pass for a badly shod cobbler. Then, from one contract to another, we will wash a bungalow, a playground, a carousel, a gigantic tree house, a fire station, a metro station and even the mayor’s mansion. The levels, with many different surfaces and shapes, are not lacking in originality. Each completed contract earns us money, with which we can afford various accessories, including adaptable nozzles and cleaning solutions that make our work easier.
The game also has a free mode in which we can replay the tasks already carried out as we wish. Some levels, called “special”, are not part of the “Career” mode and are not mandatory to progress. In particular, the Rover can be cleaned Perseverance on Mars, or even a minigolf course. Finally, a “Challenge” mode allows us to win gold, silver or bronze by completing levels in a limited time or respecting water consumption limits.
Not for all
With almost 40 levels in total, those who are enamored with the idea of scouring virtual spaces for hours on end will get their money’s worth. If your first instinct is to wonder why anyone would be dumb enough to play this game instead of being productive in the real world, then it’s probably not for you. PowerWash Simulator offers a sort of meditative, quasi-therapeutic experience that is not for everyone. It is aimed at a niche audience who takes pleasure in tackling a colossal task, but without real stakes, by arming themselves with an incorrigible perfectionism and a lot of patience. After a while, you let yourself be carried away by the Zen atmosphere, and it becomes surprisingly liberating.
It prevents that PowerWash Simulator can be laborious. Some levels can take several hours to complete, stretching the rubber band of our patience a bit too much. At least, enough for us to realize that we are cleaning pixels on a screen while dirty, and very real, dishes are still lying around in our sink.