A short, suspenseful game
Cleaning Redville is a free simulation from DopplerGhost. In this short indie game, you play as a trash collector driving your own garbage truck. You go around town collecting people’s trash. You can stop at different parts of the city, pick up trash bags and bins, and go on your way. However, the city is not as simple as it seems as you start seeing inexplicable elements on your route.
With its weird premise and simple 3D graphics, Cleaning Redville feels similar to The Stanley Parable or Partum Artifex. Despite its short playthrough, it’s guaranteed to leave you confused and curious.
Trash collection gone wrong
The majority of the Cleaning Redville revolves around you collecting trash. You can drive your truck around town and get off it to start walking. While on foot, you can explore sidewalks and alleys and pick up trash bags and push bins to your truck. The game even features an animation where the truck picks up a bin and pours all its content.
While seemingly redundant, there are notes that gradually disclose the nature of the game. The game is scary and unsettling despite its dated low-poly graphics, reminiscent of old PS1 games. It lacks other people and the awkward lighting scheme. There is no background music, leaving you to hear sounds only from your movements and interactions. Lastly, there are a few, well-placed jump scares that make the game creepier.
The game employs a basic WASD control and a mouse for interacting with various objects. In this game, the only catch is its short playthrough where everything ends abruptly. It just comes as a surprise given the initial pacing of the indie game. After this, you’re left to fill in the gaps from the notes and the other clues scattered around the game.
A good one-shot
As an indie game, Cleaning Redvillle is a good and refreshing experience that will leave you spooked and curious about a lot of things. Its simple graphics help develop an unsettling urban environment and its short playthrough leads to a surprising ending. There won’t be a problem with the game’s simple controls, although you would want closure to the rest of the game. Highly recommended.
