A nice little cosy game though it is, Spilled! is more brief than I’d like it to be.
The cosy genre is all the rage at the moment, with heaps of nice, relaxing games that give a slice of life away from the drudgery of reality. Stardew Valley may be the poster child at the moment, but the likes of Coffee Talk, House Flipper, and a slew of others all fit the bill when you want something pleasant and comfortable to play. Spilled! certainly does hit some of those hallmarks, but being light on content means it’s unlikely something you’ll keep returning to.
Whilst there isn’t a story in any real sense, the premise is that you are a trawler cleaning up oil spills around a rather pretty lake district of sorts. Simply moving your boat over oil spills is enough to slurp them up, but you’ll quickly find your hold full of black gold and you’ll need to return to the recycling centre to empty it out before heading out to clean up more. Once you’ve cleaned up an area in its entirety, the gate to the next area will open and you can carry on.
You earn money as you clean up, which allows you to upgrade your vessel. Engine upgrades give you greater speed as you might expect, whilst spending money on your hold will give you greater capacity, meaning fewer returns to the recycling centre. Finally you can get a larger scoop on the front of your boat that gives you greater reach for sucking up oil as well as allowing you to gather up other items.
Aside from oil, you’ll also find yourself scooping up plastic bottles to take home. There’s a certain degree of physics here, with you needing to not overload your scoop or you’ll end up scattering those bottles everywhere, necessitating another journey out to pick up the strays. There are barrels beneath the water that require you to use a magnet to pick up, and the occasional fire to put out using your water jet.
It’s a rather nice time really. Cleaning up an area makes the water become clearer, allowing you to see the wildlife beneath, and the artwork here does a nice job of making it look like there’s a thriving ecosystem to rescue. There are even animals to “collect” by rescuing them from oil spills. I did enjoy the occasional little quest to find an item for someone, such as a treasure chest for a pirate ship or a rowing boat for a dock. There aren’t many of these though, which was a little disappointing.
That lack of content is what really hurts Spilled! though. After forty-five minutes, I was finished, having found all the animals, cleaned all the regions, and beaten the final boss. There’s nothing left to do after this either, save for maybe finding the odd bottle or barrel that you missed. It’s a shame there isn’t more to this, as some of the best cosy games give you a reason to return regularly, but this very much feels like a one-and-done game.
That isn’t to say I didn’t enjoy it, mind. The music and visuals are lovely, and the premise is nice too. There’s even the benefit of part of the cost of buying the game being given to charity. I just wish there was more to do, or a reason to go back for more.
Spilled! is available now on PC.
