Wyrmhall review

Fancy cleaning up magical items and running your own stall to do so? Okay, Wyrmhall doesn’t sound all that exciting when I put it like that, but if you’re a fan of cosy sims and enjoy a bit of comedy, I think you’re going to like it. Think of a low-key PowerWash Simulator crossed with Dynopunk, and you’re some way there.

Rather than power-washing large areas, Wyrmhall has you wiping, brushing and removing weird bugs off a number of handheld objects. These aren’t your normal objects, though. One’s a magical, talking skull. Another is completely invisible. This fantastical game is set in a magical world, and that only adds to its quirkiness. The characters you encounter as you run your stall all have their own personality, and most of them will have something humorous to say before letting you get on with the task at hand.

Every item you’re handed is as quirky as its owner, and they’re all wonderfully designed. You’ll enjoy rotating them around, checking out all their nooks and crannies to see what nasties you can find to clean off. The act of cleaning isn’t particularly difficult, either. To begin with, you’ll have only three tools, and thanks to a clever colour-coded system, it’s easy to know which one you need to carefully use in order to remove the offending patch of dirt.

I say carefully for a reason. Some items allow you to be heavy-handed, but some of the magical objects handed over to you are rather dangerous. When a patron tells you not to touch the pointy bits of the object he’s just handed you, he means it. You will, er, unalive yourself, as the kids say.

Thankfully, there’s no real punishment for death in Wyrmhall: you’ll simply begin at the beginning of the current mission. It’s a gimmick more than anything, but it at least encourages you to be careful as you go. It’s something that will get a little more challenging as you progress through the game: areas to clean will become smaller, and with additional tools at your disposal you’ll need to be more careful than ever as you use them.

Wyrmhall isn’t the most exciting of games, but if you enjoy cleaning stuff up, a bit of comedy and chilled out fantasy vibes, there’s a lot to enjoy here. Cleaning games are my jam, and this fun take on the genre is well worth your time, particularly given its budget asking price of just £8.50.

This review of Wyrmhall has been facilitated with a code provided by the publisher. It’s available on PC.