It may not push things forward, but Powerwash Simulator 2 is just as satisfying as the original.
It’s hard to overstate just how hooked I was on Powerwash Simulator. For such a simple game, I couldn’t put down the basic but addictive gameplay loop of washing a building or vehicle until it was clean, and then doing it all again. Spray water until clean to earn money. Spend money to buy new equipment to make cleaning faster and more efficient. Do it again. It sounds like nothing, but it tickled the dopamine receptors in just the right way. After all the DLC from the first game, we now have a full on sequel in the form of the creatively titled Powerwash Simulator 2. I’m pleased to report that aside from a few tweaks, this is mostly more of the same, although perhaps that isn’t entirely ideal.
If you don’t know what Powerwash Simulator is, please read the previous paragraph, because that’s pretty much it. Yes, there was a story about you washing things and then a merman’s magic crystal activated to stop a volcano erupting or something, but that really was just the smallest of window dressing. This sequel continues that story (for some reason) and finds you once again called upon to wash stuff. That said, there are some nice callbacks to the previous games with what you’re washing. I especially liked the shooting gallery that included targets based on levels you completed in the original game. For the most part though, you’ll be cleaning an array of everyday things whilst reading fun little side stories about various characters. Really though, you’ll probably just pop on a podcast and enjoy the relaxing, cosy, dad-game vibes of hosing down a cement mixer.
This time, you have a home base where you can spend money to furnish a living area with various items such as sofas, rugs, tables, and other such accoutrements. You’ll need to clean them too before placing them in your space. You’re also able to spend in game money on various cosmetics for your character if you want. These inclusions feel as though they’re focused on the more prevalent multiplayer mode in the sequel. Personally, I never felt the desire to play the original in multiplayer, and I’ve continued in the same vein with Powerwash Simulator 2. It’s there if you want it I suppose, but there have been quite a few reports of people struggling to connect when playing co-op, so buyer beware.
Other changes are minor, but welcome. You no longer need to buy soap if you want to use it. Instead you have a reserve that refills over time which means you don’t have to waste money on replacing it. This is nice considering soap really speeds up the cleaning process. In fact I did pretty much the whole game by soaping everything first as it almost always ensured no spots were missed. Gone are the different surface types too, with everything being washed by the same soap and water. There are still different dirt types that need more or less pressure to clean, but soap solves that problem too.
You can purchase a special washer for large, flat surfaces if you’d like, and there’s an abseiling setup for washing really high objects that pops up from time to time. Interestingly, you can complete pretty much the whole game just using the starting equipment if you want. Yes, getting more powerful washers and their range extenders help, but everything is fine right from the word go if you don’t want to engage in anything beyond simply washing.
So why would I say this isn’t entirely ideal? Well, realistically these changes do very little to alter the game in any meaningful way, which is fine. The question becomes why is this a full game rather than just more DLC, because it very much feels like another level pack, albeit a very large one. This isn’t a massive criticism, I know, but when there were so many level packs already available for the original game, Powerwash Simulator 2 feels like it doesn’t do enough to call itself a sequel. Then again, considering the amount of new stages, I can’t really complain about the price tag. I don’t think this is a complaint that should put fans of the original off in the slightest, as this is still a really enjoyable dad-game, but it certainly came to mind whilst playing.
More worthy of criticism is the performance this time around. I’m playing on the same PC I played the original on, and whilst the engine hasn’t changed, the framerate seems to be struggling a lot more. Some things are larger, and the game looks a little prettier here and there, but I didn’t think I’d be dropping below 60 frames per second with this one. Additionally, I’ve had a couple of crashes from out of nowhere too, so it seems like this sequel is a little unstable.
Complaints aside, this is still more Powerwash Simulator, and fans of the original will slip back into this comfy hoodie for a nice relaxing time. Little has changed, but that’s probably fine for everyone that wants more, and if you can overlook the little gripes then you’ll have as lovely a time as ever. Also, you can pet the cat so it’s clearly game of the year.
Powerwash Simulator 2 is available now on Xbox, PC, Playstation, and Nintendo Switch.
