2.5/5 ★ – frannybeltoni's review of PowerWash Simulator.

Barely a video game really, more of a zen experience. Simulators are for the most part a way to experience the benefits of a particular task safely and without the massive drawbacks of actually having to do it, while still aiming for a similar sense of satisfaction. For me personally the idea of flying a plane, driving a truck across borders or owning a sports team seem more interesting than just washing people's homes/items. And the game basically cemented that idea for me. There are good aspects to this game, mostly in idea, and some parts of execution like different modes, the ease of use of the controls, upgrade paths to slowly get better equipment and pay for cleaning fluids. My issues are with how the game let's you complete these tasks. The bulk of the game is the campaign, which is just about washing everything in am area to 100% cleanliness. For something this can be fun, but for others, like a kids playpark, it's an incredibly tedious experience. The ability to just quit and return to exactly where you were does help alleviate that issue somewhat, but the lack of tangible rewards and the annoying way the game handles the actual dirt hinder the experience. The games colour palette is so close to the colour of dirt that many times it's hard to see exactly where you need to clean, and the "dirt vision" should alleviate that, but shiny surfaces and the fact dirt can be pixels big and stuck down the side of cracks adds so much frustration in a game that's supposed to be zen. The lack of music or any stimuli outside the task makes the game feel like it wants to be played as a background to other activities. In some ways I appreciate that, as a good podcast game is always something I'm after. But the progression and samey gameplay mean that this isn't really for me, and the numerous technical issues and weird design choices mean I don't think it ever truly works for it's target audience.