Wishlist Cleanfall Here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/27...

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- Script -

CleanFall is a roguelite by solo developer Humanyoyo. With an emphasis on tower defence and creepy subterranean ecosystems.

The further you go the more bizarre the critters get.
I've literally only just scratched the surface of this game and I'm already worried about what nightmare fuel is waiting further down.

Humanyoyo sent me a key to check out an early build of the first few hours of the game and I was impressed enough to make this video.

The premise of this game is simple enough to fit on the boxart of a bootleg anime from a Thailand Street vendor. A Maid In An Abyss, that's you, diving to the core of the earth to find a trillionaire who started the apocalypse.

You start at a hub zone that unlocks more functionality the further you manage to get. From there You throw yourself down a central shaft right to the base, or more likely off on a detour to gather resources for the fight ahead.

You start with a vacuum (because you're a maid) that can mine dirt, be charged for a skill jump and is about as effective at stopping bad guys as the international criminal courts.

You have to gather quickly because when the sun sets - underground?- You get zurg rushed like you're a chip bowl at a 6 year olds birthday party. This lasts about a minute and they'll smash through just about everything to get to you. It's legitimately terrifying the first time and chances are on your first outing your pants will be pinned against the floor

The game eschews crafting benches for vending machines and NPC stores that will output turrets, stat buffs or equipment if you have the right stuff on you. It becomes a balancing act of knowing when to spend your resources and when to hold out for something potentially better down the line.
In the end I have so much loss aversion that I usually end up dying with a full inventory anyway, just in case Jesus gives me a good deal on turrets in the afterlife or something I don't know.

Story and lore is delivered by NPCs you happen across during your dives, alongside responses by what appears to be the grim reaper. What makes this game work so well is that it feels alive and the writing is good enough that I'm excited every time I get a bit more.

The inventory system is sort of a nightmare at the moment. I'm open to this probably being a skill issue but I spend more time staring at and navigating all my options than I do looking at the gang bang happening on the opposite side of the screen. They're hot keyed to numbers but there are 15 slots sooo apart from that if you haven't memorised and organised them ahead of time itll be a repeat of that time you attended a company meeting with no notes. Completely eaten alive by leeches.

I think part of the issue is that the tiny inventory icons are stacked along the left hand edge to give maximum real-estate to a game that has a strong vertical focus. It makes sense right. But Maybe a grace period like slowmo or pause while going through inventory would be Cool? Or I could just get better but as my psychologist assures me, that ain't happening any time soon.
That's about my only critique at this point.

While making this video I got incredibly ill. Enough to literally have fever dreams about this game because it was the last thing I did before getting into bed. I should have been playing orc massage instead.

This is my way of saying I have more playtime on this demo in my head than I do on steam.

Release date is nowhere soon, but I recommend giving it a wishlist if this is your kinda jam. I definitely had a good time with it.