Gaming

Serial Cleaners review: Stealth in the mafia

Outrunning the police, but you can’t outrun the truth

Published

December 22, 2022

Gab Orlina

As seen in most crime movies, clean up duty is one of the hardest things to do. Basically, every little detail must be accounted for when you’re protecting people in high places. As they say, “leave no stone unturned” when hiding the truth of the crime. The moment the clean up guy messes up, normally everything bad happens after that.

In essence, that’s what Serial Cleaners is all about: the life of a person doing clean up duties for murders that take place anywhere. Although, the murders you’re cleaning up is from the mafia you work for. And it’s not just one person handling the cleaning process. As the cleaners gather for maybe one last time before Y2K, they reminisce on the life of crime they chose to protect.

Is Serial Cleaners a game to try and experience in full? Honestly, the work speaks for itself.

Four different characters with a unique take on stealth

Serial Cleaners is the rather riveting sequel to the 2017 game called (wait for it), Serial Cleaner. Bob returns from the prequel and brings together a group of his cleaners for one last night before Y2K. To start off, you get to know just a little bit more about each of the characters. You also find out how Bob recruited them into the business of cleaning up murders.

Each character comes in with their own unique take on how to either successfully hack into systems or hide/dispose of corpses just scattered around as evidence. The key to this game is literal stealth and precise planning of your next move in order to avoid capture, so understanding how they work is key.

Honestly, I felt this was a rather unique way to introduce character stages while staying true to the main idea of the gameplay. Obviously, it’s a step in the right direction to simply let the characters be their own thing, instead of forcing the same gameplay style across all of them. You get to experience everyone in their own way, which makes the gameplay totally varied.

Game controls that could be improved

Overall, the controls of this game feels quite easy to work around, especially during the early stages. It’s even a lot more interesting knowing that you have different play styles to work with, which further deepens the experience. Also, there’s no kind of linear progression in play, so you can proceed however you want.

In most cases with the games I play, I normally adjust controls according to my default keybinds that are comfortable. This was something I applied to most of the actions, like using Bob’s vacuum or running/scaling fences with Dati. Gameplay and progression feel a bit better when you customize your keybinds in that way, but the default ones aren’t bad either.

If you’re playing this on PC, though, you might have to get used to just using your keyboards mostly. I genuinely found it a bit jarring at first. There are certain actions in the game that fit better with mouse controls, but still solely relied on the keyboard. In any case, there are possible solutions around it. But it would have been nice if the mouse was part of it.

Fantastic art design through and through

What drew me to the game as I progressed through most of the main storyline was how the visuals looked. From the loading screens to all the different places in New York that each level is staged in, a full 90s backdrop works just well with this game. Also, the fact that it’s done in a 2D space instead of 3D is well-suited.

I even felt it when halfway through the game, the mood within the group starts to sour rather quickly. Subtle lighting changes, along with some blood, body-hiding stories, allowed the whole plot to progress in the fashion that it did. Of course, with all the twists and turns along the way, the story ends in any way you decide.

Not much of a bloody mess to clean up

Overall, Serial Cleaners was a fun time to get through for the most part. Although I am in the process of uncovering every possible story ending, I have no problem going through every chapter. With variety in gameplay styles plus a rather DIY-style of storytelling, this game provided an experience that is unique.

The biggest thing with this game is that on PC, you’re limited to just the keyboard for full control. You literally navigate through menus with the mouse anyway, so it made sense to use it beyond just menu navigation. Although, you have the option to use a controller for a better experience. Still, I felt this was a miss in the gameplay style.

Even with the mass amount of murders you have to clean up, Serial Cleaners gave me a glimpse of how a group of misfits managed to keep things bottled up for so long. It’s a story of friendship, cold-blood murders, and doing what you gotta do to not get caught with your hands dirty — a thrill we can all appreciate.

Gaming

There’s a new Batman Arkham game coming

Exclusive to VR

Published

May 3, 2024

Luigi Leonardo

The world of Batman Arkham is not done. Despite concluding the trilogy with the successful Arkham Knight, the series occasionally makes a comeback. Now, it’s time to make another trip to the immersive grimdark world. Batman: Arkham Shadow is the next entry to the series, exclusive to the Meta Quest 3.

The franchise’s trips outside of the main trilogy are a mixed bag. No disrespect to those who actually liked the game, but Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League just was not it. Though the game promised a return to Rocksteady’s iconic Arkham formula, the resulting game was a live-service mess. Arkham Origins was, at least, a decent play. Finally, the franchise’s first foray into VR, Arkham VR, was lauded for its gameplay but criticized for its length.

Arkham Shadow brings the franchise back to virtual reality. While the previous VR-exclusive was already a marvel of its technology, the upcoming title represents an evolution for hardware. Based on the official teaser, it will have updated graphics, giving Arkham City just that extra bite of darkness.

Currently, the trailer does not reveal anything about the game’s mechanics. More details are scheduled for release during the Summer Game Fest in June.

Though Arkham Shadow is certainly set in the eponymous universe, Rocksteady is not helming the development. Instead, Oculus Studios and Camouflaj are behind the title.

As for confirmed lore, the title looks like it will feature Ratcatcher, the villain who — surprise, surprise — controls rats. You might recognize the villain from 2021’s The Suicide Squad, directed by James Gunn.

Gaming

Dragon Ball Sparking! ZERO: New trailer, more characters revealed

It’s master vs. apprentice this time

Published

May 3, 2024

GadgetMatch

Today, Bandai Namco has released another trailer for Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO. The clip focuses on master-apprentice duels this time, expanding on what we know so far about the upcoming latest installment of the Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi fighting game series.

In the trailer, we see an epic series of battles between master and apprentice pairings. These include Piccolo against Gohan, Master Roshi against Krillin and Yamcha, Trunks versus Gohan, and a lot more. We also see Android 17 and Android 18 and one-armed Gohan towards the end of the trailer.

Even better news: it has been confirmed that 10 more playable characters have been included to the roster:

Gohan (Kid)
Gohan (Adult)
Gohan (Future)
Gohan (Future), Super Saiyan
Trunks (Sword)
Trunks (Sword), Super Saiyan
Videl
Beerus
Whis
Master Roshi

After the announcement of 24 Gokus and Vegetas, as well as 11 more characters about two months ago, the build-up definitely continues for the fighting game. With more and more playable characters, that means endless combinations for players to enjoy, all while indulging in stunning visuals powered by Unreal Engine 5 and tailor-made for new-gen consoles.

Bandai Namco previously released exclusive gameplay footage from the title two months ago. This gave fans a preview upcoming fighting game’s 3D action-battle mechanics, with no less than rivals Goku and Vegeta leading the way.

The latest trailer, meanwhile, just let fans dive further into the graphical capabilities of the title. From the lightning-paced combat highlighted in the master-apprentice showdowns, to the characters’ in-action effects itself, Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO is building itself as a visual masterpiece.

Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO is coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC (Steam).

Gaming

TEKKEN 8: Brand new story, 2nd DLC character announced

Season 1 roadmap unveiled

Published

May 2, 2024

GadgetMatch

Enjoying TEKKEN 8 so far? The title’s upcoming roadmap for the rest of 2024 has been revealed at EVO Japan, giving fans more reasons to keep playing Arika and Bandai Namco’s beloved fighting game.

There will be an all-new story coming to TEKKEN 8‘s Story Mode, which will be released in the future. Additionally, Lidia Sobieski has been confirmed as the second DLC character. She will be joining the roster this summer. It can be recalled that Eddy Gordo was the first character DLC for TEKKEN 8, joining the roster last April 4.

No specific date has been mentioned yet regarding Lidia Sobieski. Lidia made her franchise debut back in TEKKEN 7 as a DLC for the Season 4 Pass.

Meanwhile, adjustments to the battle system will be rolled out starting this spring. The game’s development team continues to work on improving balance and player experience. New modes such as Ghost vs. Ghost and Online Practice, on the other hand, will also be added at a later date.

Moreover, a new summer-themed stage, “Seaside Resort” will be available for free. Lastly, a brand new story will also be part of another free update in autumn. This new story will involve no less than Eddy Gordo.

ALSO READ: TEKKEN 8 closes a violent chapter to begin anew

TEKKEN World Tour

Also keeping TEKKEN fans busy for the next few months is the TEKKEN World Tour. The sixth season of this global tournament kicked off recently. Players across the globe compete to earn points and earn their place at the finals to be named The King of Iron Fist.

There will be a total of two Master+ events, 10 Master Events, and 14 Challenger Events worldwide for competitors to join. For more information on tour partners, event dates, locations, and signups, visit tekkenworldtour.com.