Powerwash Simulator has added online co-op multiplayer
Cooperative cleaning for up to six players
The breakout novelty simulator this year for me is Powerwash Simulator, a game about methodically moving your mouse over the surface of objects to blast away grime and rust with a murderously strong stream of water. It's not a chaotic system like Viscera Cleanup Detail, it's just a game where you slowly make something dirty all sparkling clean. Very chill. Now you can unwind with your pals and clean cars, toilets, fairground rides, and the rest together, thanks to the online co-op added in a recent update.
Added on Thursday, Powerwash Simulator's online cooperative multiplayer lets two cleaners work together in Career mode, though only the host earns cash while the guest is limited to the host's unlocked equipment and can't use soap. I guess the guest is a new employee who can't be trusted with purchasing decisions or expensive supplies.
Or up to six players can clean together for funsies in Free Play, going through any jobs you've completed in Career mode and using any equipment you have unlocked.
"This is just the first rollout of multiplayer during Early Access, with features such as text chat, voice chat, matchmaking, and a PvP mode still to come, not to mention anything that YOU think we've missed," the devs say. "Please bear with us while we fix up the known remaining issues, help you all with any new ones you find, and get the remaining features in place."
Is that PvP as in competitive washing, or PvP as in using intense water pressure to destroy vital tissues like eyeballs and eardrums?
See the patch notes for details on other newness include new cosmetics for your cleaner, an adjustable field of view option, and two new jobs: Ferris Wheel and Monster Truck.
My virtuacleaning heart will always belong to Viscera Cleanup Detail, where attempts to clean often result in a catastropic cascade of filth—especially in co-op. But Powerwash Simulator's simplicity is charming and calming, with a little thought in picking the right tools and methodical motions.
Powerwash Simulator is available on Steam Early Access for £16/€20/$20. It's made by FuturLab and published by Square Enix through their Collective scheme. They had expected early access to last about a year when they launched the game into early access in May 2021, though early access plans can always change. They've been busy with a steady flow of updates adding new maps and features and things, mind.