In Loddlenaut, you’re an interstellar custodian cleaning up a polluted ocean planet. Armed with a bubble gun, you gather trash or blast away gunk to make planet GUP-14 habitable again. In the process, you meet and care for various Loddles (axolotl-like creatures). This game makes me incredibly happy and relaxed. It's a must-play for anyone who loves cleaning and collecting in cozy games.

The loop of combing over an ocean planet while keeping an eye out for floating cans to collect and purple globs to zap is right up my alley. But when I reflected further I realized my love for Loddlenaut isn’t just from a love of cleaning; it’s about focusing on work, enjoying the process, and celebrating wins. Getting to live out what I strive for in real life made for an immensely healing gameplay experience. 

Cleanliness Is Godliness

It turns out I’ve always loved cleaning in games: from small tasks like curing the dark eco-infested plants in Jak and Daxter to overarching games like Super Mario Sunshine. Cleaning an area is an easily attainable form of completionism and the pleasing visual of it feels like its own reward.

I’ll even clean when given noncleaning tasks: I’ll cut down all the grass in a Zelda game, I’ll close doors behind me in any game that lets me. My love of cleaning in games comes from my real-life desire to tidy: it’s order and it’s an action where I can (almost) immediately enjoy the fruits of my labor. 

Loddlenaut’s approach to cleaning is one of the most enjoyable ones I’ve experienced because it takes the usual reward and goes a step further. In Loddlenaut, you’re not just getting rid of stuff; you’re bringing an ecosystem back to life. 

When I finally clear off my kitchen table IRL, it’s inviting because there’s space for whatever’s next. When I finally 100% an area in Loddlenaut, I’m not just looking at the potential of what could be, I’m looking at the promise of what is. And the pride of accomplishment is enhanced by the pleasure of the process. 

Locked In

Loddlenaut uses one of my favorite methods for highlighting quests. The list is kept short so you can focus on the task at hand. It’s also possible to complete some quests before they’re listed but when it comes to the exploration you’re heavily encouraged to stick to the instructed area before moving on. It strikes a good balance between structure and freedom. 

The result is an intense amount of focus on my part. I have no temptation to check my phone and even though Loddlenaut has all the makings of a good “podcast game” I have no desire to put anything else on. I don't want to split my attention. I have everything I need already.

In real life, it’s easy for me to spend too much time planning. Trying to figure out how to handle a seemingly never-ending to-do list only to get nothing done and then repeat the process as the list gets longer and longer. The solution is to pick one thing, work on it for a set time or until it’s done, and then continue. I’m working on systems that emphasize my today-list over my infinite to-do list. 

Happiness Loop

At the end of the day, I crave the focus, calmness, and joy Loddlenaut provides. It's a simple game but it achieves so much and it makes my own pursuit of equilibrium feel possible.

It’s why I’ll keep going back to Loddlenaut until I’ve 100%-ed it: uncovering different Loddles until the ocean is clean and collecting cans to get that next upgrade to clean even more efficiently.

When the chase is continuing the journey it's impossible to lose.