Undusted: Letters from the Past Preview – An Intriguing Concept That Needs a Little Polishing

Whilst digging for new games to play on Steam, I found this interesting game, titled Undusted: Letters from the Past. The concept is very simple: you clean up old items and they have backstories that are revealed after completely cleaning them. I played the demo and was able to (nearly) clean up two objects. Whilst Undusted does need work before it is released, I was still intrigued, as well as impressed, by its concept and thought I’d share it in this preview.

The demo of Undusted: Letters from the Past is available through Steam. There is currently no set release date.

Story – Dusting Away to Reveal Old Memories

Although this was just a demo, I did get a good taster of the concept of Undusted and its story. You’re played as a young woman who busily spends her time cleaning up dirty old items. These aren’t just any objects; they’re personally connected to her and her mother. After cleaning the items, there’s a little dialogue between her and her mother, who discusses the object, before moving onto the next item to clean. For example, in the demo, the first object is a teacup. Seems insignificant, until you clean the bottom and see a date on there. What does the date signify? We don’t find out, but it did leave me interested.

I wish there had been a little more story involved with the demo of Undusted. I wanted to learn more about the cup. Perhaps you get more with the full release? At least it left me feeling interested and wanting to learn more, rather than not caring.

Every item you clean in Undusted has its own backstory and holds different memories.

Gameplay – Clean Away!

The core idea of Undusted is meticulously cleaning old items with some storytelling thrown in. These two concepts combined is a recipe for a good game. For the most part, Undusted does achieve this – but it needs a little work to improve the experience to make it more immersive and less frustrating. Read on to see what I mean.

Cleaning Is Therapeutic…

Undusted is very simple. You’re given dirty items to clean and it’s your task to give them a thorough sprucing up – and when I say thorough, I really do mean it!

You’re given two tools for the cleaning process: a sponge and a brush. The sponge is good for getting the initial dirty off, the worst of it at least. The brush I used for the last bits to clean, those small spaces that’s harder to get at with the brush.

I actually found the cleaning process quite relaxing and got into the groove of it. It’s one of those things that is quite therapeutic. This sort of gameplay reminded me of Unpacking, as well as a similar game I recently demoed called The August Before. In this aspect, Undusted ticked the box of making a normally tedious task quite calming. 

The highlighter was very useful for finding those remaining spots of dirt.

…But It’s a Bit Too Fussy

However, this isn’t without its flaws. Recall earlier that I mentioned the cleaning process being meticulous and thorough. I’m not joking. In order for an object to be deemed “clean”, you have to get it 100% clean. Not a single speck can be left over. Fortunately, the game does help you out in two aspects. First, there’s a progress bar at the bottom, with the cleanliness of the object noted as a percentage. Second, there’s a useful tool that highlights what’s left to be cleaned, pointing out the tiniest of smudges left behind. Believe me when I say that this game is very picky when it measures how clean your object is!

That’s unfortunately the biggest flaw of this game. On the second object, a cassette player, I got as far as 99.99%, cleaned and scrubbed it within an inch of its life, and it still wasn’t clean. Even the highlighter didn’t help. If they let you progress with, say, 99.5% of the item cleaned, isn’t that enough? There should been an option to skip if you get the item cleaned to a point. Is one tiny speck really that important that it stops me from progressing? I think this is where the cleaning accuracy is a little too finicky. Hopefully the creators of this game will take this onboard when it is finally released.

Saying this though, getting the object so clean and then getting stuck actually made me want to go in and find that final speck. Although I had to give up in the end, it hasn’t made me give up on the game completely. I want to have another go. Also because I found it quite relaxing – ignoring the frustration of that 0.01% dirt.

This cassette player was a really tricky one to clean.

Easy Controls

To round off the gameplay, I found the game very easy to play on the whole. The demo does walk you through the controls and how to play, and it’s not overcomplicated, so you can quickly jump in and start scrubbing away to your heart’s content. Never did I find the game clunky to play, which is just what you need with such precise and relaxing gameplay.

Graphics & Audio – Easy on the Eyes and Ears

For a game that involves meticulous cleaning of interesting items, the graphics are important. Fortunately, Undusted does not fail in that department. The graphics are on the whole very pleasant to look at. The objects are slightly pixelated, but I don’t think they’re going for a hyper-realistic look, and I don’t mind that at all. So long as I can see where the dirt is I need to clean and appreciate the newly-cleaned items. It is very satisfying watching a dirty item become clean. The bubbles from the brush also added a nice touch of realism as I cleaned. I also liked the backdrop of the game, as well as the illustrations of the characters when the story is presented.

The music that played throughout Undusted was also pleasant to listen to. It was the right background music for when you’re busy cleaning. There are also sound effects for the sponge and brush as you clean to add to the authenticity. As far as graphics and sound goes, Undusted ticks the right boxes.