PowerWash Simulator keeps on giving, with two nautical maps chosen by the community coming to the people's champ in a free update
I'm a real sucker for that aquarium level.
PowerWash Simulator just keeps on truckin' man: The first person shooter(?) where you blast muck off the environment to make it shiny and new again just got two new free maps, and I'm kind of in love with their summertime vibes.
The aquarium and submarine were the winner and runner-up respectively of PowerWash Sim's second community map vote, where they won out against other potential levels like a luxury yacht or rock climbing gym. While I would have loved to see PowerWash Sim's take on some crystal caves, the one-two punch of nautical fun that did win out is extremely charming.
Instead of the cramped confines of a submersible, PowerWash Sim's new level sees you cleaning one up from the outside while it's in dry dock. The sub's a bright orange, scientific affair, the sort of thing that "Jackpots" Jimmy Cameron would use to go down and hang out by the Titanic while dreaming up a new Avatar film to enchant our hearts and heal the world.
The aquarium looks to be a much more involved affair, with twisting hallways and multiple enclosures to clean—a level of attention that probably befits the contest winner. What really got my goat is that you're not just tidying up the habitats, you also have to take a hose to some of the undersea life in the display until they're spick and span.
While primarily trying to evoke the zen satisfaction of power washing your older brother's fence for some extra cash, all this summer fun just reminds me of how much PowerWash Sim feels like the Super Mario Sunshine 2 we never got: PowerWash Sim dev FuturLab does what Nintendon't, I guess. You can grab the spiritual successor to Super Mario Sunshine for yourself over on Steam.
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Ted has been thinking about PC games and bothering anyone who would listen with his thoughts on them ever since he booted up his sister's copy of Neverwinter Nights on the family computer. He is obsessed with all things CRPG and CRPG-adjacent, but has also covered esports, modding, and rare game collecting. When he's not playing or writing about games, you can find Ted lifting weights on his back porch.