Goblin Cleanup Preview

Steam Next Fest is a great time to gather a basketful of interesting titles and try them out, like getting a sample platter at a fancy restaurant; you never know what discoveries you may make! In a joint stream with our lovely Gorz, we tried out a new entry in the ever-broadening cleaning simulator genre of games which placed us in the middle of a filthy dungeon to be cleaned. Oh, and we were scantily clad Goblin maids, naturally.

In Goblin Cleanup, you play as one (of four) Goblin cleaners working for a dark lord. Your responsibilities include but aren’t limited to, cleaning up the many dungeons said lord has whenever an adventuring party is done with their ill-fated attempt. In each level, you have a set amount of goals to complete, such as removing all organic matter, powering up the mana constructs of the dungeon, and putting back all of the loot and items the inconsiderate heroes have scattered throughout the area. You can end a run at any time by pulling the “end of shift” pulley in the staff room, but completing more objectives rewards you with more EXP and points.

As for tools — at least in the demo — you have a pokey stick, your hands, and a dragon ball (no relation). The stick can be used to grab slimes, which turns it into a handy-dandy slime mop! As long as the globulous creature is still alive, it can soak up any blood stains you find lying around, though be careful! If the poor fellow gives up the ghost and is filled with viscera, using it again or dropping it will cause more mess than cleanliness. Slimes are spawned from special dispensers and can be combined into a stack of four maximum, allowing you to have a stockpile wherever you may need them.

Your hands are used to perform a gravity spell on loose objects. With a swish of your hand, you can grab, throw, and drop certain items around the dungeon, allowing you to pass items between cleaners or yeet some bits of meat to the designated trash corner. One of the objectives in the many rooms you can find is restoring the upholstery to its correct positions, be it placing tables and benches together, returning treasures to a chest, or placing books on pedestals. Finally, the dragon ball, which is not the official name, but I refuse to change, is used to control mana-dependent items in the rooms by either filling them up or draining them of the magical resource. This tool is often used to turn on torches, open doors, and toggle traps. The item itself is a glass ball with the most adorable little dragon inside of it, hence the name.

Eagle-eyed readers may have noticed the mention of traps in the earlier paragraph and there are indeed a multitude of deadly spikes, laser-shooting sentries, and mimics to contend with in the dungeon. This is also what adds a whole new layer of challenge to the game! You see, dying to a trap is a messy business, so each time you or one of your cleaning companions is struck by these concealed surprises, a splatter of blood and bits is left behind for you or someone else to clean up. While this could be annoying, and it was in some cases, it was more humorous than anything as me and Gorz accidentally made a recently clean room need a bit more love or managed to create a corridor of carnage in our multiple attempts to clear a hallway!

Another trap you’ll find in many areas is the Mimic. This hungry treasure chest pulls double duty as a trap and a tool, as it can help you get rid of all meaty bits and bloody slimes you may accrue during this dirtiest of jobs. Since they are a trap, getting too close to one’s mouth will end up with you being munched for lunch, but if you can get behind it, you can simply pick it up and carry it to any pesky biomatter you want removed. If your co-cleaners are bugging you, you can also “accidentally” carry the creature too close to them, resulting in a happy Mimic and a mad colleague!

At the time of writing, Goblin Cleanup offers a demo of the first five rooms to clean for one of the available dark lords. Each of the areas felt interesting and different, with new traps to contend with and varied rooms to clean. The areas did feel a bit big for the two of us, however, so it did take us some time to clear. Adding more cleaners (up to the maximum of four) could have helped with this, though I think the following chaos and increased triggering of traps may have been more work than less.

The look of the game is good, and the traps add a bit of humour and tension to the experience, especially when played with friends. It also has an amazing opening theme, though I wish it had some smooth jazz or something to accompany the cleaning, as it got a bit monotonous after a while. The cleaning itself felt a bit repetitive as well, so I hope the full version will add more variety to either the levels or the messes we’re to clean. Regardless of its flaws, I did have fun with Goblin Cleanup and am excited to see where it goes from here.