We had the opportunity to try out several upcoming titles from publisher 505 Games including Miasma Chronicles, Gunfire Reborn, Stray Blade, and Serial Cleaners from developer Draw Distance. Serial Cleaners is a top-down action-stealth game where four distinctly outlandish characters employed by the mob eliminate evidence in the crime-riddled streets of ’90s New York City.
Serial Killers features four playable characters – Bob, Lati, Vip3r, and Psycho. Each has their own unique skills that will help them avoid police detection and get the job done. The game will have a non-linear story with dialogue choices and consequences.
The demo we got to experience included two levels and the opportunity to play as two of the four cleaners. The first level, with Bob took place in an NYC apartment. As he starts cleaning the apartment and gathering the evidence, the police arrive at the scene.
Bob, being an experienced cleaner, has the ability to put the bodies in body bags. When a body is in a bag, Bob can carry or drag the body in the public without drawing attention. He can also slide across blood streaks which can come in handy for a quick escape or a running start to knock someone over. Every level features multiple ways to enter a location, hide, and manipulate the environment in some way. There are also areas to make a noise and lure away someone from a particular location for a short amount of time. The idea is to clean up a scene without getting caught. You can be sneaking or cause havoc, the choice is up to you. Story-wise, this particular job was Bob’s first contract in New York City after relocating from Los Angeles.
The second character I got to try was Vip3r. Her story took place in a morgue. Vip3r can utilize vents to access different areas of a location and can hack computers to cause a distraction. Depending on which computer she accesses, Vip3r can turn off the lights in a specific room.
Serial Cleaners is simple, but it 0ozes with style and personality by its focus on the ’90s aesthetic and the different cleaners players can choose from. This is easily noticed by the game’s art direction which is inspired by street art and post-modernism.
Serial Cleaners launches September 22, 2022 for PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.