Developer Manic Mice, who have brough a fair share of horror titles to the table have done it yet again. True to their specialty, Paranormal Clean Up throws you into the shoes of one of four cleaners, sent to take out the trash on both a physical- and perhaps "spiritual" level. Players familiar with more traditional job simulators will feel right at home, and perhaps fans of titles such as Paranormal Activity will as well. Though personally, I found this much more of a unique twist off of a cleaning sim than the other way around.  So while there may be some similarities, I do think perhaps one group will be drawn to it more than the other.  Regardless, I dove into this title with fairly low expectations, yet found myself pleasantly surprised. So, let's break out the scouring pad and take a deeper look.

Currently a small selection, but with plenty to do at each location. Clean house, and burn ritual artifacts, and possessed items, allowing you to banish the unwelcome residents. 

Starting off in a garage make-shift HQ, you are able to invite other players, manage your perk tree, change your missions, and change what cleaner you play as. Fairly standard fare. While I sincerely wished there was more than just this thinly veiled UI (like being to upgrade the HQ as you progressed, or have some other modifiable features) it works well enough. There are tweaks that could be made, like not needing to re-check hard mode every time you go to play- but most thinks like that are minor qualms. However, when it comes to the skill tree, perks, and overall in game UI- things are fairly straight forward and very easy to understand. Inability to move around the order of your equipped tools can be frustrating (the sponge MUST be in the first slot. ALWAYS!) and lead players to just "dealing with it" until the end of the run, as well as some other technical issues that are going to require some ironing out.

Clean alone, or with friends! Though slightly buggy at the present moment, cleaning (and banishing) is ALWAYS more fun with a group.

When it comes to the gameplay, it is very simple: Clean the house. Or, to be much more specific: SURVIVE cleaning the house. You have a small selection (at the time of writing this article) of locations to clean. The simplest of them is a humble, quiet and "peaceful" two story home, while the largest is multiple homes spanning the whole street. Each location has it's own unique problem, be it a restless spirit, or relentless cultists. On "Normal" difficulty, just about every instance is manageable, be it solo or with friends. Though personally, I had a good friend playing along with me during my test duration, and it made the time MUCH more fun.  Clean, earn your wage, upgrade your tools and unlock perks that ultimately make life more enjoyable as you go. However, once you step into hard mode, things take a much more difficult turn. While in Normal, hunts are events that have a start and an end, in Hard mode, it is All Hunt All the Time. While upping the difficulty (sometimes to an infuriating extreme) it makes the use of some perks absolutely needed. This is where some of the games flaws begin to make themselves known.

Put that well-earned money to good use. Invest in perks, or upgrade you equipment. A balance of both is vital to be successful. 

Paranormal Clean Up is un unexpected gem, to be sure. It is VERY clear that the developers are absolutely invested in the betterment of this game. Some of the Entities are currently bugged, and a lot of the perks are only useful to the game host, which can absolutely be frustrating (and feel like a waste of a skill slot) as it puts you at a marked disadvantage. Difficulty and functionality seem to lack balance in higher difficulty, and on occasion the Hunter will absolutely hover your locations- leaving you shoved inside of a closet. Which, while it's nice to have it absolutely know what is a hiding spot, a variance in items to hide in would be nice. Dumpsters, under large tables, things to bring a little more variety. Additionally in cultist levels, the enemies teleport, going through walls, and not giving you any hope of escape. Realistically, what this seems to do is effectively make single player impossible some of these levels on harder difficulties.

Pay attention to your heartbeat. Your vision will blur, and your pulse will quicken. In that case, hide. Run. Or both. But don't let them see you slide into a closet...

Ultimately, this game is absolutely a blast to play with friends. It needs some fine tuning, but at the end of the day is far from a lost cause, and has thusly stood well on it's own, as have the other titles by Manic Mice. I imagine with some additional love, additional levels and a little more shine, Paranormal Clean up will be one of the most entertaining Job Simulators on the Steam Marketplace. Littered with achievements, and a prestige system, there's some replay value that I feel can be built upon and bring additional draw to the title, ultimately providing what I've found to be a phenomenally fun title.