Hello Cleaners! Starting your job isn’t as easy as simply entering a job site. Sometimes there will be more to do than you can find at first sight. Your clients are not known for sharing detailed descriptions of their deeds. The rooms and spaces you have to take care of are messy… messier than you may think. In many crime scenes, there will be many hidden objectives you have to keep in mind and we want to help you with that.
Your choices will play a key role in how you interact with the environment and clean the entirety of the scene. To keep up with all tasks and points of interest you will be given a constantly updated list of objectives. They are specific to locations and can appear upon finding clues or information on the nature of the crime. Sometimes investigating an item will give you an idea of what to do, sometimes you will receive info from outside sources.
Finding a body or pieces of evidence will prompt you to do specific tasks. Some will give your more details, others will be small nudges towards a more general goal. Moving bodies or disposing of evidence won’t always be as simple as dragging some things around. There will be moments when even getting to the item of interest will be more complicated than just walking up to it.
The most consistent objective is related to the overall percentage of cleanliness. You should pay attention to the percentage on your screen. You may miss some drops of blood or smear it after you already cleaned everything. So before you even think of leaving the area double-check whether you are not leaving a bigger mess than the one you found.
This system of objectives and hints will be moulding itself to your needs and pace of progression. We want it to be very intuitive and unintrusive. Larger objective markers are loud and annoying, so we try to minimize that while still keeping the useful parts of their functionality. Let us know what do you think about the objectives, what kind of hints would you like to see the most? We’re waiting for feedback on our discord server!
Devblog #8 - Let There Be Light
Hello, Cleaners!
This job requires a particular set of tools. Some of them are more complex than others, but even the most basic ones are important. As you will be working in secrecy, avoid turning entire buildings into Christmas trees. You work in the shadows and need to know how to manoeuvre around crime scenes.
To help with dark corridors and small spaces, you will be armed with two different sources of light: movable lamps and a flashlight. They will both come in different varieties: normal light and blacklight. Many bodily fluids shine brightly under UV light, so this will help you discover small droplets on the scene. Unfortunately, blood does not react the same way, so you'll have to use normal light to see the shine of both fresh and dried out blood.
Large stationary lamps. You can carry them around to light up larger areas and clean in peace. You will have to prepare them before the mission and order them, while still in your base. Details of the missions should be a clue on whether you need them or not. On the scene, you can grab the lamps from your inventory to place them around the crime scene. You can switch between UV and normal light at will to see if you missed anything.
Flashlights. It covers small areas and is fantastic for detailed insections of tiny spaces. Similarily to lamps, you have to prepare flashlights to take with you and make space for them in your inventory. Switching between UV and normal light is as easy as pressing a button, so you can quickly double-check if you finished the job or not. The flashlight will also be helpful in navigating dark maze-like corridors and dark rooms. You can’t clean well if you get lost in the darkness.
Both these sources of light are essential to doing your job, so pay close attention to mission details. There will be important information about what you will need. We’re working on some even more essential tools to help you leave the scene squicky clean. If you have any ideas on what types of rags or detergents will work best when disposing of bodies, let us know in our Discord. We may get a bit suspicious but will always appreciate the help.
Devblog #7 - Don't Leave a Bloody Mess
Hello Cleaners! We know you are ready to clean after criminals, but you have to be careful about the mess you may make. Splashing dirty water on the scene will be problematic, so be mindful of where you swing that mop. Blood is sticky and everything can get covered by it, even you!
We prepared a multitude of blood splatters and divided them into 5 different origins:
Dropping splatters - picking up objects and dropping them on the floor will leave markings, which you will later have to clean.
Dragging smudges - when you move bodies or drag blood-covered furniture, you will leave blood marks behind.
Throwing spots - thrown items will also leave blood behind, so be mindful of leaving trails when moving things around.
Dripping spots - carrying objects covered in blood leaves little spots of blood on the floor. Remember that this also applies to your own equipment. Once your mop becomes dirty, it will leave small drops behind.
Bloody footsteps - be careful where you walk! Wherever you accidentally step into a blood puddle, your shoes will be dirty and you take will leave footsteps all over the place.
Every origin will have a set of variations, which will adapt themselves to your actions. They will change directions, shapes and sizes depending on the objects you carry around and the way you handle them. Cleaning your own blood splatters and footsteps is just as important as removing evidence.
As usual, we're waiting for your feedback! Let us know what other blood marks we should consider via our Discord or social media!
Devblog #6 – The Investigation
Hello cleaners!
When taking care of a crime scene, you need to assess which items can be left on-site and which you should dispose of. You will learn the murderers' secrets and motives behind the crime and for a brief moment, you will become a detective investigating the scene.
Items found at the level will have their own details and information, which will give you secrets about the world. Some items will be more important than others and allow you to progress through the game, so look out for suspiciously placed objects. Anything can be a piece of evidence, no matter how insignificant it may seem at the first glance.
Each item can be thoroughly inspected. You will be able to look at it from all angles, read detailed descriptions and decide whether you want to keep it or not. Certain objects will be evidence, so your job will be to dispose of them at the end of the level. If you decide to leave the wrong item behind, the police may trace them back to you and your clients.
You will find books, letters, receipts and phones, each with information about people involved, as well as the entire situation at hand. Dirty secrets and details of dramatic events will reveal themselves as you discover more and more objects scattered around the place. You will read texts between lovers, discover money laundering schemes and learn people’s life stories, all by simply looking at what was left behind by victims.
Don’t get too attached to the items, because, at the end of the day, your role is just to get rid of the evidence.
Let us know what you think, either on our social media or Discord!
Devblog #5 - Cleanup Playtests
Hello cleaners!
Shaping blood spatters and smudges is coming along nicely. Devs are tirelessly working on new and exciting features. The game is slowly being prepared for playtests and we activated the registration button.
Unfortunately, it’s going to be a while before we can start sending out access to the playtests. We have a list of things to keep in mind about it all:
1. The start of playtests will be announced separately and we don’t have a date yet. This is only a registration process, so please be patient.
2. The playtests will be buggy, and we are already sorry for that. On our own, we can’t find all the bugs.
3. Steam does not allow us to add specific players into playtests. We can only ask them to add a specific number of players.
4. We will add not everyone at the same time. We would like to have people seeing the game’s progress for the first time on every stage of the playtests.
We hope to see you all next year with more details about the game’s mechanics. There are a lot of things we want to share with you all but we still need to make sure that they pass our own quality control.
If you have any questions, don’t forget you can always ask us about anything here and in our Discord.
Devblog #4 - Leave No Evidence Behind
Hello, cleaners!
The clients aren’t always polite enough to share all the details with you. They are gang members, murderers, clearly, people for whom manners are a matter of a debate, not a strict set of rules. To do your job properly, and stick to the motto of “leave no evidence behind”, you sometimes have to deduce what happened in the crime scene you were called to clean.
The Objectives
The main objective of the mission is always to leave the crime scene squeaking clean. Unfortunately, this may not always be as easy as simply removing the body and scrubbing some blood from the walls. The police have gotten way too good at finding the evidence, so you must be even better than them. Every mission will have its own set of objectives which will help you in finding the key pieces of evidence scattered everywhere. Finding the murder weapon will often not be enough. Hints about chipped elements of furniture, broken decorations and ruined potted plants will help you find every small detail which may decide whether your mission is successful.
Make sure you check all nooks and crannies before quietly leaving the premises you were tasked with cleaning. The more evidence left behind, the less chance of being hired again.
The Evidence
Once you manage to find the sensitive objects, you will have to make sure no one else will see them. The police have found the evidence even in places far away from the crime scene before and then connecting them back to the murder is a piece of cake. Simply collecting the knife and burying it in the ditch somewhere nearby will simply not be enough.
Every level will have its own spot to dispose of them, but often your own truck will do. Collecting and driving off with all the relevant evidence may be the most reliable option. Destroying everything you've found is an after-hours task, so don't worry about it now. Just remember to complete the job faithfully and the police should not have a single reason to be suspicious of you, right?
So Cleaners, the list of things to remember when cleaning a crime scene is growing. The bigger and more extensive the clean the more evidence you will have to find. We’re working on so many exciting things and we’d love to just share them all at once, but giving away too much would probably ruin the experience.
You can still hop into our discord and ask questions, we may even answer some of them!
Devblog #3 - Removing the stained past
Hello Cleaners! As mentioned in the previous devblog, preparations for each mission play a key role in the game. While all necessary tools can be bought on the go, the problem of cleaning up after yourself remains. This has far more consequences than it may seem at first glance.
The water problem Looking for a water source on the scene may be a difficult task. You have to remember that not every building will have an easily accessible tap. Dragging bottles of water with you sometimes may be the only option.
The trickier part of working with buckets filled with bloody water is its disposal. Even a spilled drop could ruin all your hard work, so getting rid of it is not as simple as pouring it down the drain. You will have to make sure to find the right spot to dispose of the water and then remember to clean that place too afterwards.
Tricky stains Some stains may be too stubborn to be removed with just pure water. You will need to make sure you have the necessary detergent to take care of those. Dish soap, bleach or degreaser can be bought before you leave your base, so remember to have some on your inventory. If you forget to buy a bottle of detergent, you will be able to get some off the Dark Web at a higher price.
Once you prepare your water with the necessary detergent you will be able to see how diluted it is and how dirty it becomes as you clean. Every detergent you use will have its own properties, which will make removing specific types of stains easier. Some of these properties will be extended to the mop.
All these seemingly small details will influence your playthrough and determine the success of each mission. We are preparing more essential gameplay mechanics which you will have to pay close attention to, but you will be able to read about them the next time.
Join our discord and speculate what other mechanics are coming your way!
Devblog #2 - UI & Preparations
Hello, cleaners!
Before going on the job, you need to prepare all the equipment. Scrubbing blood stains off floors and walls requires more than just a small cloth and warm water. Bleach, mops, sulphuric acid and UV lamps are powerful tools in the hands of a professional. You can find those items in two different stores.
The Online Store
On the right, you can see all available items. Some of them may be out of stock or in a limited capacity. This will change over time as you progress through the game. Every item has its unique shape, which you need to keep in mind when storing them and preparing yourself for missions.
In the middle, there is information about the item you want to purchase and a list, which will help you choose what you need for that specific mission. That intel may be highly specific, but you should not trust it 100%, as sometimes the information will not be precise enough.
The Dark Web
Sometimes a mission will require you to use items whose legality is at best questionable. You can purchase those by accessing the dark web on your tablet. Illegal items are available only on the scene, as you do not want to incriminate yourself by keeping them in your hideout. The prices on the dark web are much higher, so keep in mind that your finances. When buying contraband, even its delivery becomes more difficult. You will have to find a secure deposit hidden on the map.
Inventory
It is divided into two sets of slots. You can avoid suspicion by changing outfits, which change the space available in your inventory. They will be available at the top of the screen. Depending on the location of your mission, you can become a janitor or a gardener and work in peace without risking too much. All items you buy before and during the mission have to fit in your inventory, so you don’t have to leave them behind.
Proper preparations for missions are crucial to your success, so take into consideration all data available to you. Utilise everything UI has to offer and let your cold professionalism take care of the rest.
And most importantly… Remember to leave no evidence behind.
Devblog #1 - Mess and Cleanup
Dear Cleaners,
It’s high time to unveil the secret and present you some of the features of the incoming Crime Scene Cleaner! In today’s premiere devblog our developers will take you on a trip to the crime scene and show you how careful a professional Cleaner must be.
Blood, vomit, viscera… These are just a few things you as a Cleaner will have to deal with in the crime scenes you visit in the game. For every type of mess, you’ll need different tools and detergents that you won’t always be able to obtain legally. As far as common cleaning supplies are concerned, you won’t have problems buying them, but it’s a whole different story when talking about the gear available only in the deepest and darkest spots of the Internet.
However, that’s not all. The equipment is one thing and your skills are another. You’ll need to do your best in order to make all the stains and splashes disappear completely. And this is where it gets a little wild. In addition to the fact that every type of filth requires you to use different detergents and tools, you also need to know how to use them effectively. Nonetheless, should you plan everything carefully, no stain won’t be a challenge for you.
Even if you feel confident in situations like that, you still have to be extremely cautious while moving around the crime scene. One wrong move and your water bucket will spill all around the floor, the ceramic figure that stands on the drawer will fall down and break, and the victim’s downstairs neighbor will call the cops. What then? Well, the most important thing is to cover your tracks… Have we already mentioned that you have to make your steps VERY carefully?
It is not a job for everyone. Here your maximum focus is demanded, and even your smallest mistake might be fatal. We guess no one likes to be caught carrying a corpse in a plastic bag, a bone saw, and the keys to the crematorium?
Stay aware and check out our Discord.
Crime Scene Change Logs
Ladies and gentlemen!
I am thrilled to announce the exciting news about our crime game. After cleaning the mess I have found some information you may find interest with:
You can work illegally (for criminals) or legally (for police).This determines whether you will have to hide or find all evidence of the crime. [Choosing side - done]
Drinking or therapy helps you deal with horrible murder scenes. You will have to take care of your character's mental health. [self control mechanic - partialy done]
If you are working illegally you have to get your job done before the police arrives. [time pressure on some missions - done]
Any kind of evidence such as refuse, stains, damage etc needs different techniques to be cleaned or repaired. [cleaning tools system - done]
Getting rid of bodies or evidence must be done wisely. [The police can detect badly hidden evidence]
