Goblin Cleanup
Think of Goblin Cleanup as the Disney version of Viscera Cleanup Detail: an amusing co-op adventure where you play as a goblin janitor tidying up a multi-floor tower ruled by a Dark Lord. Between its chaotic gameplay, goofy tools, silly traps and cute characters, you’ll probably end up creating more of a disaster than you were initially supposed to clean, and likely enjoy every minute of it.
Right from the start, the concept of the game is hilarious: you step into the shoes of a goblin cleaner, tasked to clean up a dungeon after teams of heroes have wrecked the place. By using a slime mop for scrubbing up blood pools, a carnivorous chest that happily devours organic remains, and the ability to rearrange furniture and recharge magical objects, you’ll tidy up the dungeon until it sparkles like new.
It may sound gory and a tad creepy, but [i]Goblin Cleanup[/i] treats gore with such lightweight humor that even players who usually disable blood effects in games (myself included) will find themselves grinning. The blood doesn’t look scary, yet not cheap like a ketchup spill either. The organic remains are cartoonishly designed to look more like fried chicken than dismembered limbs. The ravenous chest acts more like an excited pet begging for treats than something that can devour you (though yes, it can snack on you if you get too close). The mop, with its bubbly, giggling slime, might just be the cutest cleaning tool ever, tightly competing with the adorable mana dragon used to charge objects.
To spice things up a bit, the dungeons are filled with traps that can instantly turn you (or your friends) into even more blood and body parts to clean up. The mop also has limited charges, and once it runs out, it starts spreading blood instead of cleaning it. That’s usually the cue for that naughty teammate of yours to come and ruin all your hard work and plunge the dungeon back into chaos – and that’s exactly where the fun starts.
The game is currently in early access, and only a few levels are available, with many more planned to be released in the future. Each level is divided into multiple interconnected areas, and the furniture you need to restore is often scattered across all of them. Expect some back and forth between these areas, or cooperation with your friends to toss objects between each other across traps. Each level also offers various optional challenges, such as completing a segment without dying or cleaning all blood pools with one slime only (doable with a fire slime instead of a regular one). There are plenty of customization options for your character that can be unlocked using the in-game currency earned from your cleaning efforts.
Goblin Cleanup supports up to four players in co-op, but can also be played solo. However, it’s clear the game was designed with teamwork in mind, as levels can get fairly lengthy when played alone (1.5h – 2h), and there’s currently no save feature for mid-level progress. Besides, most players prefer private co-op sessions, meaning it’s almost impossible to find open lobbies if you’re playing alone.
Goblin Cleanup is overall a very joyful experience. Cleaning is oddly satisfying, and the chaos that can occur from friendly sabotage only adds to the charm. It’s a relaxed, combat-free game where the only pressure you’ll feel comes from your friends trying to undo your spotless work. And that’s exactly what makes it so much fun.