I like playing games where I clean things. It’s so satisfying to totally complete a job and see a noticeable difference in the space. If you like this too, you should try the demo for the game VacuuBot: Home Cleaning Simulator.
The Backstory and the Gameplay of VacuuBot: Home Cleaning Simulator
There’s no backstory to this game, at least not in the demo. Unlike some other cleaning games, as far as I can tell, this game is only about cleaning floors. No counters to wipe, no furniture to rearrange, no clothes to fold and put in drawers. Just clean the darn floors.
I was thrown into a very well-designed tutorial teaching me how to use the tools to clean floors. I often need a lot of hand-holding when I begin a game, but this tutorial was really good!! It consisted of a bunch of individual rooms. In each room, I was shown how to perform one specific action, such as steering the vacuum, and then I had to do the action myself. I was not allowed to move to the next room until I proved that I had mastered the specific action of each room. I really liked that a lot!!
When I began VacuuBot: Home Cleaning Simulator, there was a “First Time User Set Up” page. In it, there were some common phobias, such as spiders, that I was able to opt out of. I’m sure a lot of players will appreciate that! Instead of the phobia critters, I will see “silly objects”. I believe in the gameplay; either the phobia-inducing variety or the silly variety of these objects will scuttle across the floor as I clean, and I will get extra points for vacuuming them up.
There are many more options available to choose from after the tutorial is completed. In the default game, the levels are timed. You can replay levels and try to beat your times if you want. But if you run out of time before finishing, the level will end, and you’ll have to start over.
Also, in the default version, you have to charge up your vacuum and empty the waste from it. The level you are playing will end if you drain your battery, and you’ll have to start over. Maybe that’s the way you’d choose to play, and if so, great!! However, if you prefer a cozier, more laid-back play experience, there are options for you.
Various Play Methods to Choose From
I don’t like to play games with timers. Fortunately, once I completed the tutorial and selected the first level to play, there was the option to turn on various components of “zen mode”. Yes please!! Auto charge my vacuum – Yes!! No timers – Yes!! Automatic emptying of the waste in my vacuum – Yes!! So many thoughtful choices to make the game whatever the player wants it to be.
After completing a level, I was shown a screen with my scores. I need to get at least one star to move on to the next level. In the demo, the stars achieved are not visible while playing, but the devs will be adding that feature to the demo soon. That will be a very helpful update.
The kitchen chairs and one office chair in the demo provided me with a real fun challenge. It’s really hard to clean under a table or desk and around the chair legs without tipping the chairs over. My challenge to myself was to try and have all chairs upright when I completed my levels. I figured out that I would be wise to clean the chair area first in case I tip it. That’s because it’s very easy to just start the level again if necessary. You can still advance to the next level with tipped chairs; this was just my personal thing!
Also, as each area of a room is totally clean, the floor in that area lights up for a few seconds. I like that visual reinforcement of what I have finished and what I have left to do. In addition, each level that is completed unlocks some sort of cosmetic reward for the vacuum to wear, which is really quite silly!
In my first playthrough, my vacuum tipped over, and I could not figure out how to fix it. So I just started the level over. Each level is standalone and short, so an issue like this is not that terrible. Later, I reached out to the developers, and they were very helpful. They said that this issue will be fixed in an updated demo. I always appreciate it when devs listen and respond to the players of their games. It tells me that they will be there fixing the inevitable bugs that pop up and improving our experiences with the game. Bravo!
Final Thoughts
I enjoyed playing the demo for VacuuBot: Home Cleaning Simulator. The gameplay is relatively easy, and the soundtrack is calm and peaceful. The music goes great with the Zen mode of play, although I believe it’s the same for the timed levels, too. Playing the 3 demo levels took me about 45 minutes, although I play really slowly! The final game will have 8 unique settings and 48 total levels. That’s a lot of gameplay.
The game was created by Arkado and does not have a release date yet. I hope you enjoy playing the demo as much as I did.
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