Goblin Cleanup is an upcoming indie simulation game by studio Crisalu Games where players take charge of cleaning procedurally generated and fantasy-themed dungeons. While that sounds straightforward enough, there's plenty to keep players occupied as they avoid traps and try not to make more of a mess by dying. Such features add a distinct level of challenge to otherwise seemingly ordinary tasks like mopping the floor with the Slimop, a cute slime on a stick. Fans of Dungeons and Dragons games may also appreciate chomping up chunks of flesh with a mimic-like chest. This game entails all that, plus moving everything back to its original place as if no one was there. If that wasn't enough, Goblin Cleanup plans to give players even more challenges in the shape of dungeon creatures.
In a recent interview, The Best War Games spoke with senior gameplay programmer Santiago Arriazu, senior technical artist/programmer Cristian Trinidad Lima, and senior 3D artist Lucas Rollano about Goblin Cleanup's creatures and monsters. Specifically, Arriazu spoke more about their first announced creature, the Shadow Cat, who can serve as an annoyance. While the developers are working on adding monsters to the game, Arriazu also revealed more about their role and the types of monsters Goblin Cleanup may include in the future.
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Goblin Cleanup's Dungeon Creatures
First off, Arriazu explained more about the purpose of dungeon creatures in general, like Shadow Cat, a seemingly cute cat that's attracted to light sources:
In Goblin Cleanup, you can't kill creatures, but they can kill you. The purpose of the creature is to complicate the dungeon cleanup in different ways.
While it might sound like a welcome companion to keep players company, Arriazu added that Shadow Cat makes cleaning life more challenging for players by inconveniently switching off torches. Arriazu didn't mention if players can do anything to help prevent this other than, presumably, completing tasks quicker. However, Arriazu added the team is also working on another creature that attacks players if they stay too long in the shadows, something he said should "make for some very fun situations." While Arriazu didn't reveal any other creatures or such possibly evil animals, it sounds like they could add some exciting twists to the existing potential chaos.
Dealing with Goblin Cleanup's Monsters
Arriazu also spoke more about some of the monsters the team may add in Goblin Cleanup in the future, with many possible fantasy-themed additions for its monsters. This includes, but is not limited to, "a tied-up angry dragon, a sleeping grumpy old necromancer, a snow golem missing its heart, and many other fun surprises." Interacting with these creatures will be as varied as they are, with Arriazu also adding how some light monster-taming mechanics may be future possibilities.
You don't get to tame them at 100%, since they never lose their "wild" state influenced by the dungeon, but you can "guide" or "manipulate" them at some point to keep going. For example, the Shadow Cat eats light, so you might use a tool to create light or make a road with torches. Remember the PS1 game Sheep Rider? Same as the sheep with cabbages. You move the cat with light sources.
It certainly sounds like Goblin Cleanup could add a bunch of monsters of creatures to add some interesting dynamics to its dungeons and keep players busy with even more tasks to manage. It will be interesting to see how chaotic this could make its core experience, and whether players keen to relax in the game could still get this kind of effect. That said, it sounds like a promising way for Goblin Cleanup to expand and further appeal to fans and cleaning simulation games in a broader sense, especially as two areas that are not typically combined.
Goblin Cleanup is currently in development.