It may look like an unnecessary sequel, but even as someone who played the original cleaning game for a record-setting 24 hours straight, I’m hooked all over again
D
oes the world really need another PowerWash Simulator game? No, some will say. Probably people who have never played the original and don’t understand the appeal, but like to tilt their head with a mixture of bemusement and condescension and say: “So what do you do in the game? Just wash things?”
(It feels unfair that other pastimes don’t have to justify themselves like this. No one ever says, “Wait, you just run around the park in a circle for five kilometres?” Or, “So you just kick the ball with your foot?”)
Yes, is the short answer. You point your hose at whatever mucky thing is in front of you – a bungalow, a monster truck, Lara Croft’s mansion – and blast all that filth into oblivion. Each time you finish a section, a pleasing ”ding” rings out, triggering your brain to release a little bit more dopamine. This is the only sound in the game, save for the rush of water and the occasional clang of a metal ladder. The whole experience is intensely soothing, deeply satisfying, and mesmerising. I love it.
