Cleaning Service
Hi. Welcome to the most unusual gig you’ve ever had.
The job’s simple- you’re a professional crime scene cleaner. Wipe down every last trace of blood, dodge the security cams, and for the love of freedom, stay out of the cops’ way. The more scenes you clear, the deeper you get pulled in. And each one? Harder than the last.
Take one wrong step, and you’re not just fired. You’re behind bars. No pressure.
You in?
I got seriously intrigued when I was introduced to Cleaning Service by Amadeus Games, not just because the story threw me straight into Dexter mode.
But also because it’s a memory-and-write! Which I’d never even heard of before!
Here’s how the memory-and-write part works:
You get a look at the first map; no rush, take your time. Your job is to memorize where the bloodstains, obstacles, entry, and exit to the zones are.
Sounds simple, right? Don’t get too confident. Once you flip the map over, it’s just you, your memory, and your player sheet.
You’ll draw what you remember onto a grid, trying to mark the exact spots with blood. For every correct spot you hit, you earn more attempts, basically more chances to keep going. But be careful: there are also obstacles on the map, and if you bump into one, you lose attempts instead.
That’s more or less the basic concept behind memory-and-write.
So with my curiosity fully piqued, I started prepping for Cleaning Service.
Questions that lingered in my sinister mind before playing the game:
+ With memory in the equation, just how far can my brain take me?
+ With so many maps packed into the game, does it ever start to feel repetitive?
+ A cool story with cool mechanics, but how about depth?Â
How I built it
To make sure you settle into your new career as a crime scene cleaner without too much hassle, the game keeps the prep light. Just print out the pages and laminate them, since you’ll be writing directly on the sheets.
The review copy I received has 24 pages, though I think that could be trimmed down a bit. The maps and player sheet work best in full size, but the rest can easily be printed at half-page size (A5).Â
Next, grab a whiteboard marker. And lastly, the most important component, the intangible element- your focus!
You need it more than you think.
So after playing Cleaning Service for more than a week, and watching (more like officiating) my friends play it, here’s what I’ve found:
My findings
I need help.
With all the game components in place, I commenced my journey with Map 1. That which I conquered effortlessly. With morale at an all-time high, and with newly-earned confidence on my memory, I went for Map 2.
And I went straight back to square one!
Cleaning Service can be an unforgiving game if you don’t focus or try to rush it. After taking a few tumbles at first, I gradually got the gist of the game. I tried multiple ways to be able to recall the spots that I needed to go through, and the obstacles I had to dodge, and it was a fun exercise!
It gets pretty challenging, though. You can recall the blood spots with map coordinates (spot in G2, A3, etc.), but the crime scene tape (an obstacle that makes you lose attempts) is too many to recall. So I settled into this method of recalling spots by coordinates, while visually holding onto the obstacles, as much as my memory could.
Regardless, I’m embarrassed by my state of memory. I need to Google for food that boosts memory, to ace my new profession.
More than a game of memory
The memory-and-write game dished out much more than I thought it would. At first, I assumed the game would mostly be about testing my memory. And while that’s a big part of it, the game is perfectly balanced with a strategic element that keeps things interesting.
It goes beyond cleaning spots and dodging obstacles- you get to collect masks that you can redeem to get more tries at crime scenes, additional looks at maps, and more.
To add more variety, there are 5 additional maps alongside the 10 main ones that open up alternate paths in your journey. You might think they’re optional (I did), until you realize how essential they are for gaining advantages you wouldn’t get if you skip them!Â
A well-designed experience!
As a game designer myself, I admire how it’s well-balanced. As the game gets tougher, the additional lookout rewards get introduced to ensure the player gets to look at the map if needed. If you lose, your score lets you carry over helpful items into your next game, making it a bit easier to try again. The game has a memory element, but it’s not all about that. The levels get harder, but it builds up slowly, so you’re not thrown into chaos right away.
I don’t know if it’s the aftermath of playing In the Blink of a Dragon’s Eye, but I would’ve loved a few lines from my employer at the start of each level, or at least every few. A little encouragement, a subtle warning… anything to make it feel like someone’s watching my progress (besides the security cameras). Just food for thought!
Verdict
How far did my brain take me?
My brain outdid itself and took me as far as level 8! Cleaning Service is not an easy game, and I’m loving it. Being a professional crime scene cleaner shouldn’t be easy! I’ll keep playing the game and let you know if I end up going all the way.
My brain aside, I was pleasantly surprised to see my friend ace the game, though. She plays chess, so having an eidetic memory has to be a big advantage!
Repetitive?
No. Replayable? Yes!
It took me multiple tries to reach up to level 8, and not for once did I feel it’s getting repetitive. I have 15 maps in the arsenal, each with varying levels of obstacles and missions; monotonous is not the feeling you’ll leave the game with. Amnesia though…maybe.
I went all Memento on the maps for a few rounds.
Depth?
Add memory-and-write mechanics, 10 crime scenes, 5 optional paths, a shop to upgrade yourself, and points to tally up and you’ve got just the right amount of depth this game needs.
Just the right amount.
And it's LIVE!
As I’m concluding this review, the game is minutes away from being launched at Gamefound!
I’m a big fan of games that bring something fresh to the table, and Cleaning Service has certainly delivered.
Are you ready to take on an alternate career? A fan of crime thrillers? Then you know exactly where to go, don’t you?
Follow the campaign on Gamefound, and back it!
A big thanks to Amadeus Games for sending over the game and giving me a wonderful experience. And an unforgettable gig!
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Game Overview
Publisher: Amadeus Games
Number of players: 1
Difficulty level: Medium
Rounds of gameplay needed to learn:Â 2 rounds
Game duration: 20-25 minutes
Available on: Gamefound
Theme: Memory-and-write | Cleaning crime scenesÂ
Number of pages and color: Max 24 (color)
Assembling difficulty level: Super easy. No Assembly required
Lamination: Recommended
Additional elements required: A whiteboard marker
Time to learn: Within 20 minutes
Travel-friendly: 9/10
Shelving friendly: 10/10
Rating from PnP Time: 8.5/10
Tasliman is a board game developer based in Bangladesh, with the dream of exploring the world of games and introducing it to anyone new to it. He is the founder of Kraftz, a brand that develops board games commercially, as well as with reputed entities like BRAC and The Gates Foundation.
