The developers at North Star Video Games combine their industry knowledge from working on games such as Lawn Mower Simulator to bring another virtual work experience. If you’re someone who just can’t get enough of the chill vibes in Powerwash Simulator, then Spray Paint Simulator might be ideal for your next podcast-listening game.
Spray Paint Simulator is available on PlayStation, Xbox and Steam from £11.99 ($14.99).
Story – A Simple Base Coat
The story of Spray Paint Simulator is fairly simple, following the simulator trend of starting a business in the field depicted in the title – in this case a professional spray painter, if that wasn’t clear. You start out small, repainting a car in exchange for some cash, and work your way through the 7 levels varying in size and fun.
Your objectives are selected through the menu screen, with little bits of narrative popping up in the form of text messages or the occasional hidden letter. While I found the story to be slightly lacking in personality – perhaps hoping for more street art based objectives or something of a livelier nature than “here, paint this” – Spray Paint Simulator doesn’t set out to deliver a cinematic narrative, with the focus instead on relaxing gameplay.
Start small and complete jobs to earn cash and unlock bigger jobs.
Gameplay – Powerwash Adjacent
Spray Paint Simulator has a very friendly ‘pick-up and play’ nature to its controls in terms of actually painting an area, even if it is a bit of a menu slog having to manually equip the spray gun after each preparation stage. It is easy to fall into the trap of constantly comparing Spray Paint Simulator to its cleaner counterpart, but this element is what truly makes the difference; the ‘preparation’ for each area.
This is as straightforward as the rest of the gameplay, purchasing your masking paper and tape from the shop, equipping it, and then applying it to the designated areas with a press of X. The areas to mask/paint are highlighted by pressing R3, and the amount of time they are highlighted for as well as the colour can be modified in the settings.
Unmasking the area after painting creates a satisfying reveal.
Although it is simple, authentic, and leads to satisfying reveals, the masking of areas can sometimes feel a little finicky, with some difficult to reach areas. It is possible to skip the first stage by equipping the spray gun straight away. However, not only is this unclear, but you’ll still need to manually remove masking as well as manually replace it for the remainder of the level, making the option feel slightly redundant and not fully delivering in the accessibility it tries to offer.
Besides that, the spray painting itself is very therapeutic, being able to either tap R2 for continuous spraying or holding it down for a little bit more control. I would often find myself spraying all over the place while adjusting my stance or placing equipment, so I preferred to keep my finger on the trigger.
A Cherry to Pick
If you have no time limit, and enjoy switching your brain off while listening to a podcast or audiobook, then Spray Paint Simulator should bridge the gap. Speaking of bridges however, painting began to feel less relaxing and more like the job it was trying to simulate when I reached the Iron Bridge level. With multiple awkward angles at varying heights, this was the first time I found myself wishing to be able to progress without the full 100%.
I thought this wish was granted when being taken away to fix up the cherry picker, only to return and face some difficulties in controlling the aforementioned cherry picker. While not difficult, manoeuvring the vehicle required slightly more brain power than the rest of the game. That being said though, once I had mastered it the Iron Bridge level was certainly easier to complete – even if it took me an hour to spot the “exit vehicle” option without needing to exit the level.
A big chunk of my play time was spent on the Iron Bridge level.
As you progress, you unlock more advanced spray guns to purchase from the shop. While the most notable difference between the advancement in spray gun was the extended battery life, this was very useful during bigger levels, saving me needing to repeatedly return to the spot I placed the spare battery pack.
The attachments on offer for the spray paint gun were limited, with only two or three nozzles being available throughout, including the ‘tartan pattern’ attachment acquired towards the end of the game. You are able to replay levels in Free Play mode and paint with the colour of your choice, but with limited equipment and accessories there is little motivation to do so.
Audio and Graphics – Chill and Vibrant
The world of Splatterville is animated in a bright and vibrant style, even more so after you have fixed up the dull objects with a spray of colour. There is a decent sized colour palette to choose from, with various (interestingly named) shades. You won’t make use of the whole paint collection throughout the game’s levels though, unless you decide to return in Free Paint.
Of course, Spray Paint Simulator would not be complete without the hissing sound of the spray gun, accompanied by the gurgling of an empty paint compartment, both of which were executed perfectly. You can spray in silence or listen to the radio which you can equip through the menu, though for the longer levels the loop can be slightly maddening. If you hadn’t guessed, I liked to play while listening to a podcast.
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- Highlight areas which still need preparing or painting with R3.
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- Some levels require multiple prep stages, completing the objective layer by layer.
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- There is a variety of ladders and scaffolding of different heights to help with the hard to reach spots.
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- Slight spoiler, but if you survive the Iron Bridge, the big robot is your reward.
Spray Paint Simulator was reviewed on PS5 with a key provided by Whitethorn Games.
