Reviews / 16 November 2023

Loddlenaut – A Cosy Underwater Clean-up Mission

Play as an interstellar custodian sent to clean up a polluted ocean planet. Pick up trash, explore the vibrant waters, and take care of axolotl-like alien creatures!

One of my life’s greatest mysteries is why do I enjoy cleaning up in games but not in real life? Games like Unpacking and PowerWash Simulator can give you such a boost of serotonin from cleaning without you even needing to leave the comfort of your sofa or bed which sounds a lot nicer than tidying up the mess I just made in the kitchen.

Loddlenaut, created by Moon Lagoon and published by Secret Mode, is another prime example of this serotonin hit in videogames. In this beautiful underwater themed clean-up game, you play as an interstellar custodian who has been tasked with cleaning up a polluted ocean planet. Your job is to clean up any rubbish you find and to clear away any sludge that is clinging to the plants and flora.

As mentioned, the basics of Loddlenaut is to clean the planet by picking up trash and cleaning goop. To begin, you are introduced to the first area of the game for you to clean, Ripple Reef. This area is introduced almost like a tutorial area with it being relatively small and only taking around 15 minutes to fully clean the area of all the rubbish and gunk that covers the area. As you clean each area, you get introduced to new and bigger areas of the planet to take care off, such as Flotsam Flats and Tangle Bay.

When you leave your hub area you have a limit to how much oxygen you have for cleaning an area. This may sound like a stressful element to the game, however there are plenty of way to regain oxygen, and even if you mistime an area, you do not die. You just get brought back to the safety of your hub, with the only downside being that you may lose some items in your inventory which you will have to travel back to collect.

The trash you pick up can be recycled into useful items and upgrades. For example, if you collect enough recycled materials you can upgrade your oxygen tank, which will let you swim for longer without needing to refill, and you can upgrade your cleaning gun, which allows you to tackle heavy metal crates lining the sea floor. There are a fair few upgrades so it is always worth checking out what you can get to help you in your cleaning adventure.

Another item you can craft are Cleaning Rings, which are extremely useful as they refill your oxygen levels. These Cleaning Rings can be deployed anywhere and are also reusable. Another mention is that this game has no autosave, so make sure you save your game as you progress.

Now onto what is my personal favourite part of Loddlenaut. As you clean up the ocean, you will gradually be introduces to little axoltol-like creatures called Loddles. They grow over time, feeding on the plants in their vicinity, and you can interact with them, checking they’re happy and healthy. I love taking the time to get to know the loddles – and you can even find special evolutions by feeding them certain fruits. THEY ALSO CANNOT DIE!!!

The only main complaint I have with Loddlenaut is that the noise of your cleaning machine can get annoying quite quickly. However, the game allows you to change the volume for different sounds in the game, allowing you to turn down the cleaning sounds. This means you can listen to the calming and serene background music in peace without the whirring cleaning noises.

Overall, Loddlenaut is a prime example of a perfect wholesome and cosy game. It offers a chill experience for players who enjoy clean up games, while also looking after Loddles in a stress free environment. The game is short, at around 4-5 hours long, however you can spend as long as you like with your Loddle friends. I personally feel that this game would be perfect for the Nintendo Switch, and I have all my finders crossed that hopefully we may see this title on the console one day. For now however, I will continue looking after my Loddles on Steam.

I played Loddlenaut on Steam Deck with a gifted copy from Secret Mode. The game is available now on Steam. While my copy was gifted, my review remains unbiased.