One of this year’s surprises is The Werecleaner from Howlin’ Hugs. The premise is really simple: You play as Kyle, a janitor at a corporate company. The twist? You’re actually a werewolf forced to work the night shift during the full moon. The goal? Manage to perform you janitorial duties as a werewolf without getting caught and preferably without eating your coworkers and get paid.
The game progresses as you go to work each night. To be fair, Kyle knows he shouldn’t be around people when he’s in his werewolf form. However, if he spots anyone , he loses control and kills the person. You then have to eat that person and clean up the mess as stealthily as you can.
Daryl—the security guard and Kyle’s best friend—starts to suspect there’s an animal loose in the office that leaving hair behind. The game culminates as you try to complete a level without getting caught by Daryl and cleaning everybody’s mess.
There are some collectibles for you to catch around the different levels. You can also receive rewards if you clean the floor fast enough. Every time there’s a break in the plot, there are some short animations that give you more insight into Kyle’s state of mind and his working conditions.
The game is not particularly subtle about its anti-work message. It’s refreshing to play a game that knows working is pretty much a prison and the only ones who benefit from overworking employees are the higher ups. Oh, and did I mention Kyle has to work extra hours without pay and if he refuses, he won’t get paid at all? The tone of the game is mostly silly, but every time Kyle receives a message from human resources or the company’s CEO, there’s this foreboding feeling.
Additionally, the whole company revolts and destroys the office because they’re all being forced to work overnight without compensation. And the question of what the horror in the game really is arises: having to work where you’re seen as nothing but a number and get exploited at the slightest provocation, dying and still thinking about whether or not you’re going to get paid, or being a werewolf that kills people just because you can’t help yourself? I have a feeling it’s not really the last one.
I definitely enjoyed playing the game—it’s short, sweet, and devastating at the same time. Kyle’s design is sweet and goofy—so much so that there are even plushies of him! The ending tugged at my heart strings, and I was absolutely rooting for the employees to set fire that office on fire. If you’re looking for something to play on your phone, The Werecleaner will show you a good and fun time.
Adriana Acevedo is an editor, writer, and sleep paralysis demon. She's been published in magazines like samfiftyfour and Impostor. She's bilingual and living in the monstruos Mexico City. Whenever she's not reading horror stories or watching horror movies, she's baking sourdough bread. Read more of her writing here.