Viscera Cleanup Detail

     Viscera Cleanup Detail is an odd mixture of an FPS, a puzzle game, and a good way to train your kids to clean up their room. VCD does not have level-after-level play, but instead you choose 1 level and clean it up. The Main Menu will show you how long the developer thinks it will take an average player to clean it up, and you are on your way. You are not really given any directions or know what anything does, so this is a trial by fire, but it will not take long to pick it up.

     The best way to describe the game is that you are the cleaning crew after some event took place and there is a mess left over. Whether it was an alien invasion, a science experiment gone wrong, or even a space station that lost gravity, you have to clean it up as best you can.

     Every level contains 5 interactable machines that will help you accomplish your goal. You will have a Disposal Bin machine, the Slush-o-Matic water bucket machine, the Incinerator, a Vending Machine, and your Punch Out clock. The Bin and Bucket machines are your constant visit as you need to put trash and body parts in the Bin, and mop up the mess! Once you dirty your water bucket (or spill the bucket on the floor.... AGAIN) or fill up your bin, you take it to the Incinerator to dispose of it completely. The Vending Machine will have useful things such as Lanterns or Plant Seeds and all you have to do is select the item and press Vend. The last thing to worry about is your Punch Out clock. If you feel you have straightened the level out as best you can, you can punch out and this ends the level, grading your accomplishment.

     Each level starts you off in a disaster zone. There are body parts all over, blood smears, alien blood, weird plant life, and weeds that need to be pulled and replaced! As you start clearing things out, you will feel pride take hold as you see progress being made with each section you work on. I was really proud of myself in some sections, but the physics with the water bucket will eventually anger you at some point. You will find yourself knocking the bucket of water all over, which is fine if it is just clean water and not alien or human blood as you just made a huge mess that you now have to clean.... again.

     The game has a ton of different levels already pre-packed and will include 2 extra DLC packages from Shadow Warrior and a morbid Santa's Workshop. There are also dozens of user created maps on the Steam Workshop, so you will have tons of time invested in this game; especially if you are after the 85 Achievements and Steam Trading Cards that the game has.

     Every level feels very different from the next, even if you are doing the exact same thing every time. There can be a lot of walking due to where your machinery is located, and no, you cannot move them! I do suggest taking the Head Bobbing option Off, unchecking the "Always Run" option, and mess with the Physics settings that work for you and your PC. Too much over movement can cause you to smear blood on a wall accidentally or dumping that disposal bin of body parts on the floor.

     The game also includes Multiplayer! The multiplayer can be setup to play Splitscreen, Local LAN, or Internet. In order to play Splitscreen, you will need 2 Xbox Controllers hooked up and it handles pretty well! I could not get the Internet game to function, so I am not sure how that runs. Reading a few forums, it will show up that numerous people have had issue with MP games, and the developer has been unable to help people get it fixed. Although I could not get Online play to function, this was a lot of fun 2-player.

     VCD is a lot of fun, but it is not for everyone. It has its own issues, but the monotony and trace-like state you can get in are a good way to melt some of the day away. I do recommend it when it is on sale as some may say it is not worth full price due to the Online MP having issues. If you want something "different" grab this one, it is worth at least a day or two on your machine!