PowerWash Simulator 2 Review (Steam)
Summary: PowerWash Simulator 2 takes everything good about its predecessor and makes it shinier. New gameplay, equipment, environments, coop play and a home base dynamic will delight fans of the original.
3.9
Spray Better
There were few cozy style games more enjoyable for quick hit gaming sessions than PowerWash Simulator (PW). There is something so utterly enjoyable of spending 15-20min at a time washing grime off an array of strange surfaces, literally seeing the fruits of your nozzle-induced labor with every trigger pull. Well, it was for me and many million of clean loving friends.
Along comes PowerWash Simulator 2 (PW2) to correct so many of the quibbles of the previous title. In the original, the dreaded 99% completion mark was hair pulling. The quest for the final 1 percent and to finish a level often meant desperate searching for minutia specks of dirt (many impossible to the naked eye) en masse. This nuance was – by far – where most time spent and detracted a great deal from overall experience.
In PW2, this annoyance addressed and remedies in several ways. To begin, areas complete faster, with PW2 deeming one finished at what would’ve been ~97% in PW. Second, PW2 features visual markers when nearing overall task completion, guiding players to spots needing more TLC [versus endless back/forth in the task menu]. Third, PW2 is more intelligent in its use of lighting, with almost all missing spots visible to the naked eye. (Begone, phantom dirt on interior tire walls!)
PW2 likewise introduces several very useful new ways of cleaning. The first is a long overdue surface cleaner, which considerably expedites floor and flat surface washing. There’s also now a very welcome scissor lift, infinitely useful where the largest scaffolding simply doesn’t fit. This scaffolding thankfully now includes quick climb ladders on each side, also easily rotated using the D-pad. A super cool, brand new abseiling seat is a must for cleaning large vertical surfaces and really speeds up these jobs. There’s also a midsize ladder when the step too small, largest one way too long.
Visually, everything in PW2 simply looks so much better. Faded surfaces and textures now pop, and windows feature a very cool reflection feature.
PW2 unleashes local coop play (which I couldn’t try as on a Steam Deck), and a fully customizable home base. Completing tasks yields both dollars and customization points. The former solely earmarked for buying updated equipment, the latter home and gear goodies. Great idea, as vanity and game currency should never co-mingle. I’m looking at you, Roblox.
PW2’s biggest step up is a home base with three cats to engage with, mini trophies for completed levels, notes from all the wacky goings on in the town, and furniture to clean and place throughout.
Having a home base ties everything nicely together, and the customizations – especially of the van and outfits – are really cool. If you’re a cat person, then PW2 is apt to give you the tabby warm and fuzzies. Spoiler alert: there’s lots of meow’ing to be heard
Finally, the insertion of multiple part stages is yet another a nice addition, in tandem. I just wish there were more of them.
Noting I was on a preview build, I did encounter some squabbles which may/not be fixed in subsequent patches. Too narrow ledges and ladders were problematic in acquiring appropriate angle: nozzle match. (They could be too hard to clean for no reason.) Some items didn’t move as they should when trying to interact (cough cough billboard hatch). There was also an annoying quibble as the box to start a cleaning task not being highlighted as it should.
These are minor nit-nads, as PW was noticeably so much more buggy and crash friendly. PW2 is light years ahead from a technical perspective.
Carryovers: while there are improvements in dirt fidelity and cleaning feel between PW and PW2, I still wish the dirt moved more like, well, dirt. At most, surfaces simply change in color and texture when being cleaned. Also, PW2 is super grindy early on (to acquire enough cash to buy better washer items), and entry-mid level washers can make extended surface cleaning monotonous.
Third, the surface cleaner is a tad wonky in how it calculates distance, never really feeling flat against anything. Fourth, cleaning home base furniture takes a bit longer than it should. Fifth, there must be a better way to clean ceilings, also to maximize pressure: distance when extending the cleaning arms. Last, there is zero explanation that these items require an initial cleaning to be used, nor how/where to use the abseiling swing. The swing just shows up with nary a helper.
All in all, however, if you loved PW…and I certainly did!…you will adore PW2 which does everything so much better. The welcome obliteration of the 99% completion wart is standing ovation worthy, as is the new surface wash and structural cleaning aids.
Conversely, this is a very niche title. PW2 is a cozy style game that doesn’t grab anyone at any time, nor diverse enough to entertain anyone who isn’t into this sort of thing. If cleaning tasks don’t give you the fuzzies, perhaps pass.
Final Thoughts
PowerWash Simulator 2 improves on the original in every way, while introducing a home base plus array of new cleaning mechanics and features. Some hiccups in angles and texture exist, but it remains the best at what it does.
About the Author
Paul Stuart A gamer for over 30 years with 400+ reviews across four sites literally spanning the globe, Paul Stuart has an unhealthy obsession with Assassins Creed, God of War, and all things Lord of the Rings.
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