Vacuum Story is a paid simulation game by developer Simone Filippini. This indie game is literally about a vacuum cleaner sucking up dirt on the floor. However, cleaning up dirt isn’t really the main attraction in the game — it’s the events you witness and the story you piece together. 

Like the award-winning game Outer Wilds, Vacuum Story uses the environment to tell a story. As the vacuum cleaner, you will find bits and pieces of information from the environment as you clean the floors. These pieces will eventually connect to reveal the story of the apartment’s inhabitants.

One-of-a-kind storytelling 

Environmental storytelling isn’t new in video games, but the way Vacuum Story uses it is fresh and interesting. The game is presented in a top-down view, similar to games like Hotline Miami. This manner of presentation means the player doesn’t see a lot of the environment, but this makes the storytelling more interesting. Players would have to piece together the hints they find along the way.

Unfortunately, the game fails to fully utilize its one-of-a-kind concept. Players can open the vacuum’s built-in map of the apartment, which displays every room. If a room is blinking on the map, it means dirt is present and it needs to be cleaned. This usually leads to new bits of information, but since there isn't anything else to discover in the apartment, players don’t have a reason to further explore. 

In terms of visuals, the game looks minimalistic yet pleasing to look at. Each room uses different colors that provide them with a distinct personality. There isn’t much to see in Vacuum Story, which is a shame given how well it’s presented. The environments could be more dynamic and more elements could’ve been added to make exploration more rewarding. It also doesn’t help that it’s only around 15 minutes long.

Great concept but lackluster execution

Given how restrictive the top-down presentation is, Vacuum Story should have used the environment more. Adding more types of dirt, objects, and furniture could have enhanced the storytelling. Introducing more dynamism to the environment would also be helpful, but things pretty much remain the same all throughout. All things considered, it’s still an interesting game that’s worth the 15 minutes of playtime.