Project Shoreline

While the “Simulator” genre is not new, one of the more successful takes in recent years has undoubtedly been the Square Enix-published Powerwash Simulator from 2022, which has inspired similar titles based around different occupations with similar core gameplay. This brings us to an indie platformer from 2024 called Project Shoreline, which was brought to my attention through my Steam recommendations. Due to physical health circumstances after playing PIO (as well as a particularly difficult stage in Astro Bot), I wasn’t sure about playing it at first since it was a platformer, but later decided to give it a try upon making a connection with the gameplay of Powerwash Simulator (and also the fact it was free). After managing to 100% the game while playing with a much more comfortable DualSense controller, I came away wanting more from its surprisingly fun and relaxing combination of elements.

There isn’t really much of a story, but you play as a fish-mouse creature named Muri (per the Steam page) trying to clean a corrupted beach. There are three sections of the beach to clean, each with their own unique challenges and a puzzle to solve to clean some more stubborn gunk. Aside from basic platforming skills, you are armed with a water gun designed to clean gunk from the environment, cleaning patches of which will restore the natural splendor. Pressing L2 (DualSense) can let you zoom in for more precise cleaning in certain sections, which is also useful for taking care of crystals as well as cleaning small critters.

 

Some gunk takes the form of crystals.

While getting a 100% clean beach is very satisfying to look at, I will admit that the closer I got to this goal, the more I wished there was a feature similar to Powerwash Simulator in which you can see where the remaining dirt is, since the comparatively more complex environment can result in a lot more intense backtracking. It’s also possible to get stuck in certain parts of the beach, however there is a built-in feature where you can get yourself unstuck by teleporting back to the starting area in the options menu, which it notes does not erase your current progress. Also worth mentioning is that, if you’re worried about straining your hands, you have the option to change the spray (R2) to a toggle instead of holding it. Additionally, you can increase jump height on trampolines by timing your jumps right, but the game does not tell you this and I only knew from glancing at a random Steam review before playing.

 

Cleaning everything is oddly satisfying.

 

Reaching the end of the game unlocks a Time Trial mode in the main menu, essentially a speedrun mode in which you try to complete the game in as little time as possible. Although your progress is not saved when you exit before reaching the finish, the timer does fortunately pause during cutscenes.

While the gameplay itself is actually pretty relaxing, one thing that helps is the consistent use of earth tones that even extends to the character designs. In a good example of character design, Muri still manages to stand out despite sharing a color palette with his surroundings, not to mention his design is instantly endearing (as are the cute critters inhabiting the beach). The music and sound design also help make for a relaxing experience, though I will note an odd metallic noise when standing on top of coral.

 

Muri stands out from his surroundings despite having the same color palette.

For those looking for a more relaxing gaming experience in the vein of games like Powerwash Simulator, Project Shoreline is a great option, especially since it’s available for free. Shortly after the game launched it was revealed that a new game expanding on Project Shoreline’s world and mechanics, Muri: Wildwoods, is in development. Based on the current information about it, I am looking forward to Muri’s next advanture.