Mind Control Games‘ debut title, Cash Cleaner Simulator, was an indie smash hit when it was released on Steam last year. With its current user rating of “Very Positive”, this is one I’ve had my eye on as a console gamer for some time! And, wouldn’t you know it, the game is out now for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S!
Simulator games usually give players the opportunity to try out relatively mundane jobs, albeit in an engaging way (sometimes). With Cash Cleaner Simulator, this job is anything but mundane! The premise is simple: launder dirty money!
Who Knew Money Laundering Was So Satisfying?
I do love a good sim title! From PowerWash Simulator to Electrician Simulator, and practically everything in between. I’m always on the lookout for something weird and wonderful, much like Cash Cleaner Simulator! Got any other sim games that you think I should check out? Let me know in the comments!
Gameplay
After awakening in a rundown warehouse, someone contacts you over the phone and tells you, briefly, about your new role. You now work for a shady organisation and are tasked with taking on jobs involving the sorting and redistributing of (almost certainly illegal) cash. The story is primarily told via phone calls and messages from some rather unsavoury characters. Whilst not a huge focal point of the game, it was nice to have some sort of narrative to drive you forwards. It’s mostly light-hearted and well-written, and never takes itself too seriously.
Cash Cleaner Simulator tasks players with gathering, sorting, packaging, and shipping bundles of cash. Now, that may not sound too thrilling, but you’d be surprised just how enjoyable the gameplay is! You take on jobs via an app on your phone, with both main and optional missions available. Once undertaken, money literally rains from the sky, and it’s up to you to repackage it according to the mission giver’s requests. Some may want a certain amount of money simply packed in a box. Others may wish for the cash to be bundled together, wrapped up, and placed in a briefcase. Once you’re finished, you place the cash on a conveyor belt, and send it off to its new home. There’s plenty of variety in the jobs given to you, with some being done and dusted in a few minutes, others taking 30 – 40 minutes to complete.
It won’t be long until spare cash starts piling up. Your main goal is to fill up a giant piggy bank, in order to pay off your debt. Repaying a lofty one million dollars won’t be easy, but chipping away at it as I played did feel rewarding.
Betta Have My Money
There’s much more to it than just picking up banknotes and stuffing them in boxes, as you’ll quickly learn. Some cash needs cleaning, some will need checking to see if they’re counterfeit, some require specific notes, and so on. Thus, you’ll need to buy new machinery to help you out. From the simple note counter to a UV light, there’s plenty of new gear to purchase via the shopping app on your phone.
As you progress, new areas of the warehouse will become available, allowing you to expand the playable area whilst also giving you more space to sort that cash! Thankfully, there are never too many mechanics introduced to you at once. Cash Cleaner Simulator, despite a lack of a decent tutorial, likes to take things slow as you learn all of the game’s mechanics. Since missions aren’t timed, I was at least relieved to know that I could progress at my own pace, not having to worry about rushing to meet a deadline.
My main issue with Cash Cleaner Simulator is that it doesn’t quite feel suited for controller. It works, absolutely, but it can be a bit fiddly when trying to collect lots of banknotes or carefully placing something on a table. The precision of keyboard and mouse controls is sorely missed when using the DualSense. As I said, it does work, and Mind Control Games has done a great job making it work on a controller, but if you have the option to play the PC version, I’d probably recommend it based on this alone.
Graphics & Audio
Cash Cleaner Simulator has a broad, vivid colour palette that’s rather easy on the eye! The game’s personality really shines through the aesthetics, even down to the stylish menus. Admittedly, your warehouse can look a little drab, but being able to put your own personal touch on it by purchasing furniture can help with that!
You can hear music in the game via radios that you can place around the environment. This is a really cool touch, as the further you move away from a radio, the quieter the song gets. With plenty of genres of music to choose from, and some genuinely toe-tapping tracks, I was very impressed by the quality of the audio. Likewise, the ambient audio — such as the ever-so-satisfying cash counting machine — really adds to the atmosphere. There’s nothing particularly special about it, but as a whole, the aesthetics really go a long way in making the game feel as laid-back as possible. You may be a money laundering criminal doing some shady business, but that doesn’t mean it has to be stressful!
Longevity
This is a pretty sizeable game, especially for the simulator genre. It took me roughly 18 hours to see the credits roll, so there’s a good amount to do. However, once I’d unlocked everything at around the 10-hour mark, there wasn’t anything new to see or do. That doesn’t mean I got bored, though, and happily continued on counting cash. It makes sense to have the player unlocking upgrades right until the end of the game. However, I did miss that rewarding feeling for those last few hours.
Aside from that, you’ll be given plenty of optional missions to carry out alongside the main ones. They’re not overly engaging and do feel a tad repetitive, but it’s nice to take a break from the story now and then.
Final Thoughts
I’d heard a lot of good things about Cash Cleaner Simulator before trying it for myself. And yet, I was still pleasantly surprised with just how much enjoyment I had with it. It’s one of those games you can just boot up whilst listening to a podcast or when you want something a little more chilled out. Despite my issues with the controls, and the occasional repetitive missions, I still had an absolute blast!
Therefore, Cash Cleaner Simulator will be getting the Thumb Culture Gold Award!
Disclaimer: A code was received in order to write this review.
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