Powerwash Simulator 2 refines jet washing gameplay, but its improvements aren’t drastic.
I’ve got quite into rug cleaning videos recently. You may have seen them on YouTube and TikTok: the most horrendously filthy, black, infested rugs are sloshed with an inordinate amount of water and soap, and scrubbed with a plethora of brushes and scrapers until brightly coloured patterns (usually from the 70s) emerge from underneath. These videos are immensely satisfying and relaxing to watch. I’ve spent far too long getting sucked in by the soothing sounds of a water jet pummeling dirt away. I just wonder where people even find these rugs?!
Powerwash Simulator scratches a similar, ASMR-esque itch. Perhaps that’s partly why the 2022 game became such an unlikely hit – it’s the anti-FPS, where you aim and shoot to cleanse rather than kill. The environments are warm and inviting, despite the dirt, and there’s no soundtrack beyond your water spray and the „ping!“ of a job well done.
FuturLab recognises that unexpected success and, with this sequel, is aiming to become the developer of what it calls ’soothing games‘. And Powerwash Simulator 2 certainly is a soothing experience – I played the sequel for around two hours and it was a perfectly pleasant time. But as the dust has re-settled from the first game ready for another clean, I’m not quite convinced this does enough to warrant sequel status.
The studio admitted this is an evolution not a revolution. It’s the sort of sequel that retains what players enjoyed from the first game, but now with various minor improvements. There’s a new Dirt Finder, for instance, where each job is divided into subtasks that are still unclean, and which are then revealed in the environment with a target. It ensures it’s easier to find spots to clean without spamming the highlight dirt button repeatedly. There’s a new adaptable nozzle too, so you can easily scroll through different spray widths without switching to a new device each time. There’s also a new home-base you’ll be able to customise and chill in with friends between jobs.
