Is there a sound more satisfying than the ding indicating a perfectly cleaned spot and a task well done? Some might suggest a baby’s laughter or the morning chorus, but after investing over 90 hours into the original PowerWash Simulator, the ding and the immediate pleasure it brings stands out as a truly glorious sound. With the arrival of PowerWash Simulator 2, it’s time to experience that satisfaction once more.
Game Details
- Developer: FuturLab
- Publisher: FuturLab
- Platform: Played on PC
- Availability: Out 23rd October on Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC (Steam, Epic); Switch 2 this autumn.
Several months separate the events of the first PowerWash Simulator and its sequel. This gap serves two main purposes: it allows developer FuturLab to reset the game’s balance, as the first game concluded with an abundance of powerful pressure-washing gear that would have trivialized a direct continuation. Players are now said to have sold their old equipment to establish a new, flashy headquarters. Secondly, it provides an opportunity to expand upon the series’ unique narrative.
For those unfamiliar with the series, the concept of a deep storyline in a game focused on constant hosing might seem strange. However, the first game captivated players with its outlandish plot involving petty rivalries, corrupt politicians, missing felines, time-traveling extraterrestrials, ancient civilizations, and volcanic eruptions, making the lore a significant draw. Let’s delve deeper into the gameplay mechanics.
At its core, PowerWash Simulator involves directing a nozzle at dirty objects and meticulously cleaning them to a pristine state with a high-pressure water stream. It can be likened to ‘anti-painting,’ but the experience goes beyond simple first-person squirting. Players also spend considerable time navigating each filthy environment, climbing ladders, ascending scaffolding, or making strategic jumps to reach stubborn pockets of dirt hidden in awkward spots or on high ledges. As the pressure washing journey progresses, increasingly challenging grime is encountered. Stages, which range from temporary public restrooms to elaborate art deco mansions, become larger and more complex, stains grow more resistant, and a continuously expanding arsenal of equipment becomes crucial for success.
Equipment is paramount in PowerWash Simulator, with nozzles being central to the gameplay. Generally, a wider nozzle radius results in a weaker blast. This trade-off means players constantly seek the nozzle that offers the best spread for a given situation while effectively cutting through various layers of stubborn grime. Later levels can be impressively vast, sometimes requiring over an hour to clean. By keeping up with upgrades, spending earned money on attachments to extend reach, or acquiring more powerful trigger guns, players can maximize their dirt removal efficiency.
While the game doesn’t demand extensive skill, the moment-by-moment assessment and adjustment quickly become intuitive. At this point, players either find themselves overwhelmed by the perceived monotony or become completely immersed in the fundamental satisfaction of restoring each stage to its immaculate, gleaming glory, receiving a dopamine hit with every ding. Dings sound each time an item is removed from a level’s cleaning list, breaking down seemingly insurmountable tasks into manageable segments. A ding signifies progress, a small victory on the path to a larger objective. Soon, the curiously hypnotic rhythm – the constant ASMR hiss of water and the persistent Pavlovian ring – can make hours disappear as players pursue just one more ding.
For those familiar with the original PowerWash Simulator, these core mechanics are not new. The sequel evolves the formula with gentle enhancements. PowerWash Simulator 2 is primarily a game of modest refinement and expansion, with its most notable addition being a new hub-like HQ area. Players can explore and decorate this space with unlockable furniture (after a thorough cleaning, of course) between jobs. Although essentially a more elaborate menu interface, there is a distinct appeal in seeing achievements presented in a more tangible form. Souvenirs from adventures appear on office shelves, newspaper clippings expand the increasingly outlandish narrative on a corkboard, and a large map of Caldera Country, where new jobs are accepted, adds another layer to the series’ delightful world-building, creating a greater sense of cohesion. While not an essential addition, it offers a considerably more polished presentation compared to the first game’s somewhat haphazard menu system and serves as a pleasant gathering point for co-op interactions, which now support two-player split-screen or four players online.
Regarding the central pressure washing gameplay, FuturLab’s sequel introduces welcome, though not dramatically significant, adjustments and improvements. These include a more intuitive control scheme for controllers and a new on-screen indicator that pinpoints the location of any remaining unwashed items. Climbing equipment has been expanded to include a stepladder, a scissor lift, and a steerable dangling seat. Soap, used to loosen particularly tough grime, has also been revamped. The original’s limited-use, material-specific soap is now all-purpose and endlessly available, making it much easier to integrate into the cleaning process (though it now requires manual rinsing). FuturLab’s level design frequently leverages this change. The stages themselves offer a lot of engaging content.
PowerWash Simulator 2 reduces the number of fiddly and less popular vehicle jobs from the first game, instead focusing on larger, more diverse environmental challenges. Early levels involve pressure washing a giant billboard while suspended over a vast desert highway (the series’ peculiar blend of classic Americana and British whimsy remains evident), followed by a fairground shooting gallery with amusing references, roadside gas stations, and more modest bandstands. FuturLab has perfected its level design formula; PowerWash Simulator 2’s environments are visually appealing, filled with enticing, gradually revealed visual gags and vibrant details. They also play well, intelligently segmenting tasks into smaller chunks that demand various approaches (high areas, flat surfaces, intricate sections) to prevent monotonous repetition. To further combat potential fatigue, new jobs unlock intermittently as milestones are reached within a level, ensuring a fresh challenge is usually available if a change of scenery is desired. Alternatively, players can return to the HQ to clean a sofa for a quick palate cleanser.
While not a groundbreaking advancement for the series, it delivers solid enjoyment, further enhanced by its abundant charm. The original PowerWash Simulator didn’t necessarily need such an extensive lore, but its quirky narrative undoubtedly elevated it beyond typical job-simulators. PowerWash Simulator 2’s pure, unadulterated whimsy is equally delightful, replete with callbacks and amusing silliness woven into every vibrant inch of the game. Players will assist a street cleaner after a mishap during the town’s annual huckleberry celebrations, rectify damage caused by an enthusiastic hairdresser mistakenly hired as an engineer, and become entangled in more fairground disputes. All of this is conveyed through a chorus of text message conversations among local residents who appear to have embraced group chat and picture messaging since the first game. This creates a wonderfully engaging world-building experience, enhanced by elaborate background environments that provide a strong sense of place, ultimately reflecting the care and attention FuturLab dedicates to its unique series.
Like its predecessor, PowerWash Simulator 2 may not appeal to everyone, and it offers little to persuade skeptics that endlessly wiggling a nozzle is a worthwhile use of time. This sequel does not aim for grand ambitions but rather focuses on smaller, clever refinements that, collectively, justify its existence as a new game. PowerWash Simulator 2 might largely offer more of the same, but when that ‘same’ is so charmingly absurd and blissfully engaging – whether seeking a social activity or a way to relax and clear the mind – it is hardly a criticism. Many players will likely find themselves drawn in for many more hours, hoping a new generation of PowerWashers will succumb to the alluring call of a ding, watching hours imperceptibly turn into days as they joyfully blast through endless grime.
