The planet’s soiled, Cloud! Nicely, truly you’re not Cloud. However, uh, you’re good with an influence washer, proper? Nice! ‘Trigger, uh, we acquired some high-tech experimental weaponry and some areas that want a superb deep clear. Who knew Midgar was such a grimy place?
Final week noticed maybe some of the sudden online game crossovers ever: Powerwash Simulator, a recreation actually about energy washing varied filthy objects and areas, obtained the Midgar Particular Pack, a free DLC that ties into Ultimate Fantasy VII, an RPG a few group of unlikely heroes who should band collectively and “clear” the planet of its greatest polluter, the mega-corporation Shinra. You is likely to be fast to dismiss this as a principally superfluous tie-in to a universe that typically suffers from having an excessive amount of added to it, however I urge you to rethink. The Midgar Particular Pack gives you the prospect to stand up and shut and private with some traditional units and in-game objects from the traditional JRPG. Oh, and it does happen in-universe, that includes characters from FFVII, so it’s canon. Meaning you need to play it now.
The Midgar Particular Pack is definitely billed as an entire mini-campaign in Powerwash Simulator. That includes 5 ranges, you’ll get to scrub the 2 autos featured on the very finish of the primary act of Ultimate Fantasy VII’s fundamental narrative: The Hardy-Daytona and Shinra Hauler SA-37. You’ll additionally get to scrub up a few bosses, the Air Buster and Scorpion Sentinel. There are two areas as properly: Tifa’s “Seventh Heaven” bar and the massive diorama of Midgar that you need to piece again collectively as a puzzle within the authentic 1997 recreation.
If you happen to’ve performed Powerwash Simulator, you’ll know what to anticipate: You get an influence washer with varied nozzles, in addition to cleansing fluids to ease the method. A fast faucet of the suitable directional button and you’ll spotlight all of the grime that wants cleansing. A helpful proportion meter within the nook of your HUD lets you understand how a lot progress you’ve made. These are your instruments and skills, now off to work with you!
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At first look, the good factor about this DLC replace is that you just get to spend a critical period of time with some iconic online game areas and props. It’s kinda like a neat little FFVII museum that you just get to…clear. Hey, a minimum of there isn’t an overpriced cafe.
Whereas the extent of grime these locations have on them feels a little bit laborious to think about (severely, somebody would possibly wish to name Chris Redfield to cope with regardless of the hell occurred in Tifa’s bar), these are very genuine recreations. For example, Tifa’s bar has screenshots from the unique 1997 recreation on the partitions, simply because it does in 2020’s Remake. And the way did I not know the Scorpion Sentinel had wheels underneath its chassis?
These units and props require some deep cleans. Every merchandise has a number of sub-parts, and although highlighting the soiled areas helps you focus a bit, there’s a superb few hours right here of time spent doing what’s principally digital laborious labor. I’m truly now a little bit irritated at Cloud and Barret for destroying the rattling Scorpion Sentinel given the quantity of hours I put into cleansing it. And for stealing these autos. However it’s a enjoyable, nearly meditative expertise, and also you’ll come to know areas like Tifa’s bar and enemies just like the Scorpion Sentinel just like the again of your hand when you’ve wrapped up. It’s a cool expertise, however the delicate narrative tie-ins actually assist promote the entire expertise.
As you go about energy washing, you’ll get texts from just a few Ultimate Fantasy VII characters, resembling Tifa Lockhart and Reeve Tuesti. The early ones seem to be commonplace universe tie-in fluff—principally ignorable. However issues do begin to get attention-grabbing as time goes on, significantly whenever you be taught that it’s a rattling good factor you weren’t on the cleansing shift on the previous Sector 01 Mako reactor when a sure prepare pulled into the station…I gained’t say an excessive amount of about when precisely this takes place within the Ultimate Fantasy VII story, however the period of time you spend cleansing these areas will definitely get you to assume a bit about what day by day life is like on your common Midgar laborer—one thing we don’t spend an entire lot of time on in the primary video games.
As a free replace for a $25 recreation, it’s not a foul technique to spend just a few hours for those who’re a Ultimate Fantasy VII fan. The narrative tie-ins are a neat addition that surprisingly broadens the world of VII a contact, and locations you proper there on the heart of this little facet story…you simply gained’t get to wield that cool huge ass sword. You’ll get to scrub it although!
Powerwash Simulator is out there on Home windows, Xbox consoles, PS4 and 5, and Nintendo Swap.