Loddlenaut

It won't challenge you in any shape or form, but Loddlenaut is a feel-good, low-stakes ocean clean-up adventure that scratches that PowerWash itch with charm and characterful precision.

Loddlenaut is sort of a job sim where the job in question feels futile. Cleaned places need re-cleaning, fed loddles need re-feeding. Given that the project at hand is to purify a mega-corp-abused ocean, it's quite a downer that the game feels so unwinnable – but maybe that's the point, in a melancholy kind of way. In any case, if you don't overthink it, the environment is calm, the loddles are cute and the execution leaves few irritations. If this is a PowerWasher's fever dream, then it would be a shame to wake up.

Loddlenaut is so perfectly simple, relaxing, and beautiful that I can't help but want to dive straight back into the planet of GUP-14 to breathe life into it all over again. Its gameplay is satisfying and grants the player enough control to not bring down the pace in bogging down the mechanics; it never overstays its welcome but provides a plentiful amount of stress relief and fun to stand out in the indie world. With its gorgeous graphics and style, I hope I can venture across space again with Moon Lagoon to clean up its planets.

Loddlenauts is one of those satisfying games that balances a clear and important message with fun gameplay and a population of adorable creatures that it is all too easy to become deeply attached to.

The striking aesthetic of Loddlenaut's 3D world pulled me in and its gameplay kept me immersed in its impressively deep waters. Superb!

If you go into Loddlenaut expecting anything in the way of stakes or drama or a challenge, you’ll probably be underwhelmed. But if you just want a relaxing, chill game that you can escape into for a couple of hours, it’s hard to think of a nicer, more pleasant way to pass the time.

Loddlenaut is a relaxing survival-lite title which offers up a satisfying gameplay loop with a beautiful and important message at its core.

Cute, joyous and packing in an important message to boot, I adore Loddlenaut. This is the epitome of relaxing, stress-free gaming, with the only thing you need to worry about being keeping your oxygen topped up. Cleaning up the oceans is fulfilling in a way that few video games are – and getting to interact with the adorable loddles is simply a bonus you’re going to want to keep coming back for.

It's a very short and simple experience, as the Steam page suggests, but it's definitely worth the time if you like the idea of cleaning an alien ocean to help the fishies out.

There’s very little to dislike about Loddlenaut. It ticks all the boxes of an ideal cozy game, with adorable companions, a calming atmosphere, and uncomplicated mechanics. You’ll be zapping away goop and caring for Loddles during this roughly 4-5 hour clean-up adventure, making it a great game to curl up with on a lazy afternoon. Its only downsides are its upgrade limitations and bare-bones story, which could have seen this little indie float to the top. Despite this, if you’re looking for your next wholesome game, and one with an ever-important message, you and Loddlenaut will get along swimmingly.