Cat Clean Ocean

Genre: Open-World Action-RPG

Players: 1

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Review:

Cat Clean Ocean, released in 2024 on PC and Nintendo Switch, is an underwater Open-World Action-RPG that combines the cleanup-focused gameplay of PowerWash Simulator and the environmentalist themes and family-friendly presentation of Island Saver, in a game where players take the role of an underwater explorer in the future enlisted to clean up the pollution underwater. In other words, this game is a clear copycat of Loddlenaut, which released on PC one year prior to this game.

The similarities between the two games aren’t subtle. They feature the same core game loop, and even the way you clean things up, with purple sludge and various floating debris, is almost identical. However, I often say, it’s okay to be a copycat as long as you’re a good copycat, so that leads us to the question: is this a good copycat?

While Loddlenaut went for a colorful, cartoony, pixelated look, Cat Clean Ocean leans more toward realistic 3D visuals, though I certainly wouldn’t go so far as to say that this game looks realistic, with various sci-fi elements and a character that has a cat head. These visuals are decent but nothing spectacular, and the game’s environments are nowhere near as varied, creative, or densely-packed as Loddlenaut’s environments are. This is all backed by a decent but somewhat subdued synthesized soundtrack that works well with this game’s relaxed gameplay and underwater theme. Also, I need to mention that while this presentation has its ups and downs, what is absolutely impressive is that this game managed to somehow squeeze all of this into 212MB, a tiny amount of space for a game that looks like this.

The gameplay has players exploring the undersea environment, and using a vacuum to suck up purple sludge contaminating the area, while also collecting trash strewn about. The trash can be helpfully brought back to the central area so you can use the raw materials to upgrade and expand your abilities.

One of relatively few points of stress in this game comes from the need to manage your oxygen, though the game makes it a point to spread O2 machines fairly liberally around the environment, meaning you’re rarely very far from one, and as long as you remain calm and check your compass navigation you should be able to swim up to one before running out of air.

Overall, the game loop here is pretty relaxed and enjoyable, giving you the same satisfaction of cleaning up an area that you get from PowerWash Simulator, only to turn around and cash in the junk you collected to get better gear and then be even more effective at cleaning.

Okay, so most of that description I just copied over from the Loddlenaut review. However, it leaves a lot unsaid regarding what Cat Clean Ocean does differently, or more to the point, what it doesn’t do. A lot of the variety of Loddlenaut is gone here, leaving out some of the fun distractions Loddlenaut offered and just sticking with the clean-upgrade loop. I suppose for some the simplicity will be fine, maybe even preferred, but it does result in this game feeling even more repetitive.

Another issue is that Cat Clean Ocean feels far more spread out and sparse, and movement seems significantly slower. You can upgrade your mobility but upgrading to acquire a motorized device you can summon to jet you around at faster speeds, but the controls for this device are not very intuitive. In fact, overall the controls in this game don’t feel intuitive, with some of the button assignments here seeming odd and taking some getting used to.

Then of course there’s the issue that Cat Clean Ocean doesn’t really feel like it adds anything new that wasn’t already in Loddlenaut. If you’ve already played Loddlenaut, there just doesn’t seem much reason to play this game unless you want “more of the same, but worse”.

However, having said all of that, I’m certainly not saying that Cat Clean Ocean is a bad game. Far from it – it succeeds at capturing the core gameplay loop that was so enjoyable in Loddlenaut, and the game’s $8 price tag does make this more affordable than the game it’s copying. I do still think you’re better off spending a bit more to get Loddlenaut, as that is clearly a superior game, but as a low-cost substitute, this is still adequate.

tl;dr – Cat Clean Ocean is a family-friendly Open-World Action-RPG that has players exploring and cleaning up underwater environments, then recycling the junk they collected to upgrade their gear. This game is clearly copying Loddlenaut, and while it is worse than that game in multiple ways, it’s still an enjoyable and relaxing experience, and its lower $8 price tag may make this a sufficient low-cost alternative.

Grade: B-

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This game has been nominated for one or more of eShopperReviews 2024 Game Awards:

Runner-Up: Most Efficient Use of File Storage Space, Laziest Copycat

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