From Jony Pazu Games, One Man’s Trash is out now on PC/Steam. This is the second title being released and self-published by Jony Pazu Games, the first being Raiders of the Apocalypse.

You have used every cent you own to purchase some land that has somewhere buried beneath the ground a Hard Drive with $100,000,000 Bitcoin cryptocurrency within the storage. Inspired by the true story of a man who accidentally threw away 8,000 Bitcoin.

The premise is simple: you have a vacuum cleaner and need to begin collecting dirt and items you find, then sell them on Junkbay using your laptop. You have limited storage space for the items you collect, ranging from traffic cones and garbage bags to Uranium and Gold. Additionally, you have limited space within your vacuum for dirt, but both can be upgraded through Junkazon on your laptop using the funds earned from selling junk.

I must say, they have found a way to keep your progress within a limit, so you don’t focus too much on any one area. This is done by a progress bar, which levels up a membership to collect, so each stat will level to a limit until you must purchase a license upgrade.

You begin with a squared-off area with a rope lowered into the center with a crane. This will become your primary mode of transportation as you delve deeper into the dig. This is also behind an upgrade, which you will need to purchase to make longer on each upgrade.

This has its hazards and is all down to how you tackle your dig, as you will need to leave some dirt to get back out of the pit. As I discovered on my OCD run of clearing all the dirt as you get deeper.

You will leave behind broken paths and falling hazards that can be fatal. During your dig, you will come across items for use, such as sandwiches to heal, vouchers to decrease the cost of purchasing or increase the price of selling, and other consumables. For the satire of the game, you will also come across whoopee cushions to help you jump higher with a chuckle-inducing fart sound. Among the items to collect are collectables that have nods to popular culture, one of my favourites is a Pulp Fiction reference.

Around the area for the dig, you have units with pedestals to display your collectables, the amount of trash found, and cosmetic upgrades for your vacuum cleaner. So, for completionists, this is a great way to track your progress. You will encounter an enemy type as you get low enough, along with some unusual sights, so the game gets a bit deeper (see what I did there?) with hints to a story and an amazing discovery. Once you find the hard drive, you are given two choices: the cryptocurrency you were searching for or a mystery box. I

chose the mystery box, and the game expanded with more to do. I do apologise for the vagueness in some parts of the story and enemy types, but it was a nice surprise and eerie to boot, and I do not want to give spoilers. I managed this in just over four hours of gameplay. If you find yourself dying in-game due to attacks from that mystery enemy or from a fall, you will respawn at the top and lose all inventory items you have collected for good.

Graphically, it is vibrant and hints at a cartoon style, fitting in with the satire aesthetic. It looks great for an indie game and effectively portrays everything it needs to, from the physics of sucking up dirt and watching it diminish satisfyingly, to when you can use the vacuum cleaner to blow, so in theory, a build mode to create ledges and paths.

The soundtrack features a diverse array of comic acoustic guitar riffs with a jaunty feel. With the sounds of the vacuum cleaner being clear and crisp. You will hear this sound effect a lot. But within the options, you have the usual abilities to lower sound, vacuum, and music in-game.

Controls on PC revolve around the WASD with the mouse. There are not many controls to remember, but they still add enough to make the game feel immersive. The Steam page, at the time of this writing, states that it does not support controllers, but I found that my Xbox Series X controller worked well. The option screen displays the button configuration for controllers, so I’m guessing this may be an oversight. Once they are satisfied, it will be changed on release.

I found the keyboard and mouse to be more precise and easier to adjust for small pieces of dirt or unusual angles. However, the controller works fine, but you may need to adjust the sensitivity, as it seems a little slow by default.

I enjoyed this game; it’s not overly complicated and makes for a great time-eater. I found myself losing track of time while exploring and clearing the areas to uncover hidden secrets. With great nods to popular culture, a lovely artistic style, and general good fun, I could recommend it to many. One Man’s Trash is a great Indie game with enough to make you want more.

Written by: Kevin Lal