Viscera Cleanup Detail - Overview & Opinion

   Introduction:
 
  Viscera Cleanup Detail is a simulator ... of a space station nurse who walks through it and cleans up the mess that the space creatures left: from smashed bottles and cigarettes, to the intestines of aliens. The point of the game, as the title suggests, is to clean. And while it might not sound entertaining, let me assure you - it is. Everyone likes a game where you turn a corner, just to be greeted by a barrage of disgusting creatures created just to get your health to zero. You then pull out your fancy railgun and demolish them with your plasma balls, just to advance to the next room, rinse and repeat.
However, this is not that kinda game. Have you ever though about the mess that you leave behind you after splattering dozens of brains and exploding the furniture to smithereens? Well, if you haven't, this game will certainly make you think about that, because your only goal in this game is to leave the room squeaky clean. The game was developed by RuneStorm and released in 2015 October, and it is still their only game, which is why Viscera Cleanup Detail is still getting new content all the time.



You may already be familiar with the concept of this game, but just in case you are not: you, the player, wield a bucket and a mop, with the intent to bring the rooms to how they were before a bloody battle happened. This includes mopping up blood stains, collecting the body parts and removing bullet holes. There are incinerators in each map, which you can use as dumps for the mentioned body parts, the bloody water and all kinds of other junk. Dispensers supply you with an infinite amount of water for cleaning. You really wanna be careful to not tip over buckets or containers, unless you of course wanna be making it even harder for yourself and clean up the blood, water and body parts you just spilled. Once you've decided that you're done with the building / room you get a grade for your performance. 
The concept is very simple, but it shows that even mundane and excruciating tasks can be made fun. The game has a lot in common with "Papers, please", as both the games are pretty repetitive and straight up, but Viscera, unlike Papers Please, has good (and 3D) graphics, many Easter eggs (including references to other games!) , some comedic value, and most importantly - a multiplayer co-op mode, which makes the game instantly become infinitely better.



Nevertheless of it's simplicity and almost boring core concept, it's surprisingly fun. Many mechanics are made purposely to make you rage. For example : the dispensers randomly give you more stuff to clean up, also sometimes spitting out dynamite sticks that blow you up and kill you if you don't throw them away immediately, but, quoting other users, "the absolute worst is the lift that you use to reach tough spots, because it jams all the time which can just get absolutely infuriating". Incinerator is the that doesn't mess with you.
The gameplay is surprisingly fun (excluding the lift), graphics are neat and there are 16 maps (plus the main hub), all with great design. There are also always near-infinite community workshop maps to be downloaded. Another thing: praise to RuneStorm for the patches, updates and DLC's, which, by the way, are hilarious, really quality work.



Viscera Cleanup Detail is a very odd game that will certainly not appeal to everyone, but those who will get into it will find it charming and rewarding, even beautiful, in a way. The game is obviously not for you if you are easily bored or like a lot of action, as there is not much of it here at all. But, if you can appreciate a simple, yet complex and very one-of-a-kind game, I recommend it 100%. The game costs on Steam 12.99€ where I live, so it's not too expensive as you can easily get over 100 hours of fun gameplay out of it, that is if you have a windows computer, at least, as that is the only operating system it supports. If you have spare money, I also recommend all of the DLC's. Quirky game, but authenticity is exactly what makes it popular.
This review is as authentic as the game itself :P
My rating: a flat nine - 9/10.


Credit to the authors of the screenshots. 
P.S. Woah time passes fast when reviewing games :)