Serial Cleaner

a big surprise for the fellas who love Cinema.

a lot of references to pop culture starting from Alien to Zodiac killer.

the game seems easy at start, but as you go forward the game gives you doses of dophamine and because of that you just wanna keep playing and playing. it may be difficult at first, but after some tries you'll just easily get it through.

the big advantage of any other games is that no YouTube video can help you, solve your contracts, you will have to beat them all by yourself, that's the thing i love in games like this.

personally took me 8 hours to beat the game to 100%

so much soul was put into this game, sadly underrated. 9/10

Serial Cleaner is a decent little stealth game.
It is basically "Hotline Miami" meets "PowerWash Simulator".
We get 20 levels that only grown more difficult, but that results in the becoming more akin to puzzles.
I didn't think much of it, but it was surprisingly cozy.
The good thing was the campy 70s story, aesthetic and music :D
The bad was clearly the absolutely DUMB AI that made cops behave like Looney Tunes cartoons :P
People complain that they have to restart on death but the game is very easy and short.
(What you want? Six checkpoints for a 2 minute mission? gtfo)
The 2022 sequel that is in 3D looks promising but the AI still seems a bit dumb. I guess that adds to the 90s camp xD
For the amount of content, Serial Cleaner is very cheap $1 game. Good enough ;)

A Stealth Gem with a Groovy Twist
"Serial Cleaner" is a stealth-action title that combines a darkly comedic premise with a retro aesthetic, earning its stripes as a cult favorite on Steam. Drawing inspiration from the most enthusiastic player feedback, this review explores what makes the game tick, where it falters, and why so many have found joy in its quirky, blood-stained corridors.
🕶️ Style Over Crime – Presentation and Atmosphere
The first thing that grabs your attention in Serial Cleaner is its undeniably cool vibe. With sharp, stylized visuals and a color palette straight from a ‘70s crime drama, the game nails its setting with flair. The funk-infused soundtrack matches the era perfectly, helping every clean-up job feel like a scene from a lost Tarantino short. Fans frequently praise how the visual and audio design elevate the atmosphere, giving even the grimmest tasks a tongue-in-cheek charm.
🧹 Gameplay – Crime Scene Clean-Up Has Never Been So Sneaky
At its core, Serial Cleaner is all about sneaking through crime scenes and removing evidence before the cops catch you in the act. It’s an unusual concept that instantly sets it apart from traditional stealth games, and many players appreciate the novelty. The game demands timing, memorization, and smart use of hiding spots.
Levels are tight, cleverly laid out, and grow more complex as you progress. Adding to the challenge is the randomized placement of bodies and items after each failure, which keeps things from feeling too predictable. For players who enjoy trial-and-error learning and adaptive problem-solving, this mechanic is a definite plus.
🧠 AI and Mechanics – A Mixed Bag of Clean and Clunky
While the core gameplay loop has its merits, it’s not without blemishes. A recurring critique—even among positive reviewers—is the guard AI. Enemies often feel more like pattern-following robots than responsive threats. Guards will lose sight of you easily, even in situations that should raise alarms. This can break immersion for players seeking a tighter stealth experience.
Additionally, the lack of mid-level checkpoints can become a sticking point. Being caught near the end of a lengthy mission means restarting from scratch, which can be more frustrating than tense.
🧪 Replayability and Extras – A Bloody Good Time (For a While)
Serial Cleaner includes bonus levels inspired by cult films, plus unlockable outfits and gameplay tweaks that modify how each mission is played. For completionists and achievement hunters, there’s plenty to sink your teeth into. However, the gameplay formula doesn’t evolve much beyond its core mechanics, which can cause fatigue after extended sessions. Still, for those who enjoy perfecting runs and experimenting with different strategies, the game offers ample incentive to return.
🎯 Final Thoughts
Serial Cleaner is a stylish, inventive stealth game that thrives on its charm and originality. It stands out for its concept, visual identity, and fast-paced gameplay loops. While the simplicity of its mechanics and the occasionally questionable AI hold it back from greatness, it's clear why the game has garnered a loyal following on Steam.
Final Score: 7.5/10
A funky, clever stealth title that delivers a fresh spin on crime scene strategy—with just enough flaws to keep it from being spotless.
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Buy it buy it buy it! Just do it! Seriously, It's a very fun arcade game where you're defiantly going to yell out profanities when you get caught!

Serial Cleaner is an isometric stealth puzzle “crime scene cleaner” simulator developed by Draw Distance, a Polish developer of games like the Vampire: The Masquerade visual novel Coteries of New York (and it’s sequels) along with Ritual: Crown of Horns and games that haven’t even seen much work since like Far Peak (a himalayan ice climbing game with choices?) and Halls of Horror (a board game). Starting development in 2016, they took inspiration from a combination of things, mainly Winston Wolf from Pulp Fiction and The Continental from John Wick and set it in the 1970s due to both style and the influx of many serial killers (i.e. The Zodiac Killer). The game would release in early access in 2017 before later on getting released in full around 2018/2019. That’s where I came in as I had apparently picked it up in May 2019 (I’m not sure if it was myself or someone bought me a key, if it was a buddy of mine then my apologies) and then would spend the next five to almost six years attempting to play the game. See I really suck with this game and admittedly got frustrated due to the repetitive nature of Serial Cleaner, and would only get around to finishing the damn thing literally in February of 2025. I have some very late critiques to give to Serial Cleaner, starting with the gameplay.
The gameplay loop for Serial Cleaner consists of the following: enter a map, run around it to pick up any evidence while cleaning up blood (with your…mobile vacuum?) and dumping dead bodies either in your car or specific spots in the environment. You can hide in certain areas like pots or behind plants, and you can move things around in the stage in order to access a new area, escape from pursuers or perhaps even trap/block them off. You however, cannot defend yourself in the slightest, perhaps because it’s not in Bob’s nature or perhaps there are too many cops or something else, I don’t know. It’s not a bad loop at first, a lot of trial and error sure and you’ll soon get the general feeling of trying not to get caught by cops and moving around bodies in the crime scene, but you never feel like number one they actually react to realizing the body is gone or that evidence was swiped. In fact, they mainly pretend that the suspicious body bag right in front of you doesn’t exist. The developers instead put the difficulty on randomizing the map every time you get caught, which luckily you can see by using your cleaner sense (holding LT) to view the entire map instead of the five feet in front of you that’ll help you plan out, and luckily it’ll show you which buttons to interact with and what hatches you can escape to as well. So the A.I. is pretty much dumb (like jumping into a hiding spot in front of them dumb), but when they’re not dumb they can be a tad annoying like the Afro cops who run super fast to beat your ass or the worst: marksman cops, who just shoot you instantly as soon as they see you. Later missions spam them with all of these enemy types on top of cameras that get frustrating, though sometimes it feels a bit unbalanced difficulty wise. The second to last level for example? You sneak through a house and dodge cameras, which are absolutely everywhere and annoying (though ironically one of the only missions that aren’t randomized) and then the last one against the final boss was actually decently easy and I didn’t die once due to limited police and an easy batch of interactables to mess with. Sometimes you’ll get caught and restart a lot, sometimes you won’t; it’s a strange lack of consistency that I’m mixed about. One last thing I should mention is that you’ll be able to find certain film reels and magazines throughout all twenty levels if you can find them, which unlock bonus contracts based on seventies movies like “Monty Python and the Holy Grail”, “Enter the Dragon” or “Alien” which is cool for those who want to delve into extra content though I don’t know if the costumes provide any benefit other than “it’s funny to wear fishnet stockings while wrapping up dead bodies”. I don’t know, I don’t hate it but over time I felt my enthusiasm for the game wane and I feel I’m in a strange place: maybe I went into this not understanding my expectations, or maybe it just didn’t mesh well with me due to repetitiveness and lack of true depth. I guess this lack of defense is something I should address in the plot section, because I guess there is technically a reason.
In short, Serial Cleaner has a lot of things that it’s got going for it that I really love. Underworld crime job mixed in with serial killer thriller plot? Check. The soundtrack? Madone it’s beautiful and s e x y with its earworm funk beats. Graphically it’s a bit on the simple side and while not to my taste, really compliments the seventies vibe that the game gives. The gameplay on the other hand? I don’t hate it, it has its ideas but I found it to be monotonous and frustrating due to the randomized nature mixed in with the repetitive feel. Do games like Hotline Miami (which it has a lot of inspiration from) have a repetitive feel? Yes, but you know what happens and you know how to experiment and while it is frustrating sometimes, it works due to the fact you can kill people and take out obstacles that are set forward. The randomized evidence mixed in with frustrating game mechanics really put me off a lot, and while it could just be a “skill issue”, I really wish that it was a bit less monotonous and more engaging. There is a lot here that I want to “love”, but I only semi-like this game. However, if you’re looking for a game that keeps you engaged and you’re a lot more patient with it, then you have a decent amount of hours (six hours for the campaign, not counting the bonus levels or challenge modes) that you could sink in for a cheapish price (like 3.99 when it’s on sale at the time of writing) that while I didn’t like, I begrudgingly respected for what it tried to do. Serial Cleaner itself would come out with a sequel, Serial Cleaners, in 2022 which seemed to have upgraded its graphical style to a similar one to Disco Elysium along with having four different cleaners that sits in the top ten of my Steam Wishlist. What I know of Draw Distance after Serial Cleaner, they created the Vampire the Masquerade: New York trilogy of visual novels which I still need to play and looks good as well but I don’t know. I guess the too long didn’t read is this: it’s better as a movie than a game, Crime Scene Cleaners just looks to be a better game so if you want the “cleaning” experience there’s that but if you like puzzles, the game is fine.
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I love these types of games: You get thrown directly into the action and understand or learn what you have to do while playing. The gameplay is addictive, because you want to clear the level and get all objectives, in the fastest way possible, while listening to some really cool and fitting music. No exaggerated cutscenes pull you out of the game, although there is still a little story present.
That's exactly what i disliked about the second part of this series: The intro and explanations took forever and I had problems doing a full sweep (including all objectives) of the first level, although I am very high in the toplists of part 1.

If you enjoy stealth games with a twist, Serial Cleaner is a hidden gem. You play as a 1970s crime scene cleaner for the mob, sneaking around cops to hide bodies, clean blood, and collect evidence—without getting caught.

The stylized retro art and funky soundtrack perfectly match the vibe. Levels are short, snappy, and surprisingly challenging. The randomized object placements on retries keep things fresh, though sometimes it leans too heavily on trial-and-error.

It’s not a long game, but it’s creative, clever, and has real charm. If you like Hotline Miami but want something a little slower and more puzzle-based, this is worth your time.

Fun game to play on the go (Steam Deck)

Stealth gameplay

Cool 70s aesthetic and music

Quick, addictive levels