Diaries of a Spaceport Janitor

79%
Game Brain Score Based on 501 reviews
  • gameplay
  • graphics
  • story
Diaries of a Spaceport Janitor Game Cover
An interesting exploration of blue-collar monotony with a macabre twist, Diaries Of A Spaceport Janitor begs to be explored and understood
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In Diaries of a Spaceport Janitor, play as a janitor with dreams of leaving Xabran's Rock. Your daily routine consists of picking up trash, finding food, and testing your luck at lotto shrines. Explore the spaceport's maze-like alleyways and mysterious sewerdungeons while trying to better understand the urban waste management system and the world around you.

  • Mac OS
  • PC
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

79%
Audience ScoreBased on 501 reviews
gameplay23 positive mentions
grinding28 negative mentions
  • The game features a vibrant and immersive alien world that feels alive, with unique characters and a rich atmosphere.
  • The soundtrack is delightful and enhances the overall experience, especially during festival days.
  • The game effectively explores themes of poverty and the struggles of a lowly worker, providing a thought-provoking experience.
  • The gameplay loop can become monotonous and repetitive, leading to a lack of engagement over time.
  • Navigation is confusing due to the lack of a map, making it easy to get lost in the sprawling spaceport.
  • There are numerous bugs and technical issues that can disrupt gameplay, including save file problems and performance drops.
  • gameplay168 mentions

    The gameplay of the game is characterized by a repetitive loop centered around collecting and incinerating trash, which many players find monotonous and lacking in engagement. While some appreciate the unique mechanics and thematic depth, particularly regarding societal commentary, others criticize the lack of clear guidance and the overwhelming presence of bugs that detract from the experience. Overall, the gameplay is seen as either a tedious chore or a charming, immersive experience, depending on individual player expectations and preferences.

    • “The gameplay itself is very intuitive and easy to grasp, and there's a quiet joy to wandering about the city and talking to strangers offering all sorts of dodgy deals, funny stories, or out-of-reach bargains of a lifetime!”
    • “The core gameplay loop isn't much, but it's perfect in its uniqueness.”
    • “The gameplay has a decent foundation, with the player's nine to five dictating the way they interact with the world, as well as where they fit into it.”
    • “Unfortunately, the gameplay loop is not fun and just feels like a chore.”
    • “The basic gameplay loop is too repetitive to find enjoyment in, and the graphics and world just don't have enough wonder to keep me interested.”
    • “The entire gameplay consists of picking up stuff from the ground (you're a janitor, after all), and deciding whether you should burn it or hold onto it.”
  • graphics132 mentions

    The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising its unique and charming art style, vibrant colors, and atmospheric design that create an immersive experience. However, some players report issues such as low-quality visuals, janky camera controls, and motion sickness, which detract from the overall enjoyment. While the aesthetic is often highlighted as a strong point, technical performance and clarity in navigation are noted as significant drawbacks.

    • “The art style is stunning and so distinctive; it really looks like no other game I've ever played.”
    • “The graphics are vivid and colorful; the city is vibrant and actually feels like one and not just the usual bunch of bland buildings and static NPCs.”
    • “Graphics and sound design are amazing, and it kept my interest for hours even though I had no real concept of what was going on.”
    • “Unfortunately, there was just something about the combined efforts of the art style, camera controls, and screen distortions in this game that made me feel extremely motion sick, so I simply cannot recommend it.”
    • “Pretty standard walking simulator with rough pixel graphics and so many filters that it's actually hard to look at without getting motion sick.”
    • “The graphics settings are 'bad' and 'worse,' with additional options like '2007 mode.'”
  • story112 mentions

    The game's story is characterized by its charming yet frustrating narrative, where players embody a janitor navigating a quirky alien world while attempting to lift a skull curse through a series of vague and often grindy fetch quests. While the unique graphics and humor add to the experience, many players find the lack of clear direction and game-breaking bugs detract from the overall impact of the story, leaving it feeling disjointed and underdeveloped. Despite these issues, the narrative's exploration of poverty and the mundane aspects of life resonate with some players, creating a bittersweet charm that is both engaging and melancholic.

    • “It has a charming sense of humor and a surprisingly engaging story, likely specifically because the character you play lives such a simple life and gets plagued by various things every day.”
    • “The story, music, and gameplay are all very intriguing and I would recommend this to a friend.”
    • “The quest to break the curse is the game's only escape from the routine of your janitorial duties and offers a glimmer of hope that if you can just break it, maybe then you'll have a chance to escape the rock you've been born on.”
    • “The story is kind of short, and I feel like the sewers could have been much more, but as they said, lots of adventurers have gone there, it's natural there is no good loot.”
    • “The quests are vague, and the most challenging quest just involves the player relying on finding the required items randomly lying on the ground, or buying them from merchants scattered all over the huge map.”
    • “The main quest is impossible as many have found out due to the person you must speak to missing.”
  • music97 mentions

    The music in the game is widely praised for its vibrant and catchy soundtrack, which enhances the overall atmosphere and immerses players in the unique world. Many reviewers highlight the festival music as a standout feature, with tracks that are memorable and evoke a sense of joy and celebration. Overall, the combination of delightful sound design and engaging melodies contributes significantly to the game's charm and appeal.

    • “The music is beautiful, and probably the best part of the game.”
    • “The music, graphics, and unique world come together to create a simple experience with a strange appeal.”
    • “The soundtrack is wonderful and I even picked up the soundtrack.”
    • “The music is grating.”
    • “After all the toiling around in this game, the milling, the confused castaways, the annoying trumpet song from the day that will haunt my dreams forever, the ending was just too paltry to feel any sort of satisfaction from the uphill battle that was playing this game.”
    • “When I first loaded up this game I was instantly assaulted by wild colors, flashing lights, weird aliens, and strange music.”
  • atmosphere45 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its vibrant, immersive qualities, featuring unique visuals, eclectic music, and a bustling, quirky world that evokes a sense of wonder and exploration. Reviewers highlight the charming blend of happiness and melancholy, with a strong resemblance to sci-fi classics, making it a captivating experience despite its limited gameplay. Overall, the atmosphere is described as one of the game's standout features, creating a memorable and engaging environment that players are eager to return to.

    • “I really enjoyed the atmosphere, especially all the weird street vendors, the festival music, the vibrant colors, and all the random junk you can find... really cool experience.”
    • “The great setting and atmosphere made me intrigued to explore the spaceport.”
    • “I absolutely adored the visuals and music and thought they really created an interesting and unique atmosphere across the entire game.”
    • “While this mirrors a big city atmosphere, so it works thematically, it isn't fun to play in nor is it challenging.”
    • “This is marginally more fun than Papers, Please or 21 Days, but the atmosphere is the same kind of hopelessness.”
    • “The atmosphere they were going for was 'low-class, almost childlike soul just trying to get by in a bizarre and uncomfortable setting' and they captured it perfectly.”
  • grinding28 mentions

    The grinding aspect of the game is widely described as tedious yet immersive, with players noting that it serves as a central theme reflecting cycles of struggle and poverty. While some find the repetitive tasks and RNG-based progression frustrating, others appreciate the atmosphere and the meditative quality of the grind. Overall, the experience can be polarizing, appealing to those who enjoy mindless gameplay but potentially alienating players seeking more engaging content.

    • “Earning money becomes too grindy and you soon realize that progression is purely dependent on RNG.”
    • “The main focus of this game is on grinding out days as a janitor picking up trash in this space station... that's the whole game.”
    • “There's almost nothing to do except pick up garbage and do the obscure grindy quests.”
  • humor22 mentions

    The humor in the game is described as a blend of absurdity and charm, with witty writing and quirky character interactions that enhance the experience despite its low-quality graphics and janky controls. While some players find the humor engaging and reflective of the game's unique world, others feel it lacks depth and fails to elicit genuine laughter. Overall, the game successfully combines a gallows sense of humor with a whimsical atmosphere, appealing to those who appreciate its quirky style.

    • “A world that is both hilarious and absurd, but feels genuinely lived in and grounded within its own realities.”
    • “The writing is hilarious and quirky in a way that perfectly matches the colorful visuals.”
    • “Add in charming visuals and a very gallows sense of humor and you have a great little game.”
  • emotional16 mentions

    Players have expressed a profound emotional connection to the game, highlighting moments that evoke tears of joy and heartwarming experiences, particularly in relation to the game's world, music, and narrative. While some found the visuals and controls disorienting, leading to physical discomfort, many praised the game's ability to create a sense of hope and compassion, making them feel deeply engaged and immersed in its story. Overall, the game is noted for its emotional depth and range, offering both uplifting and poignant moments that resonate with players.

    • “Made me cry a lot (in a good way)”
    • “The ending is fitting, heartwarming, and uplifting.”
    • “Never thought that scraping away day by day as a miserable and utterly clueless human on a spot on a weird alien world could be so touching, engaging, and compassionate.”
    • “The story was heartbreaking and left me feeling empty.”
    • “I expected an emotional journey, but it fell flat and felt forced.”
    • “The characters' struggles were supposed to be moving, but I found them unrelatable and dull.”
  • stability15 mentions

    The game's stability is heavily criticized, with numerous users reporting significant bugs and visual glitches that detract from the overall experience, making it nearly unplayable at times. While some appreciate the game's aesthetic and intriguing elements, the pervasive coding issues and unclear objectives lead to frustration and discomfort, suggesting that it was released in an unfinished state. Overall, many players feel that the game requires substantial fixes to improve its stability and playability.

    • “It's still intriguing, but I stopped playing for a couple of reasons: lots of visual glitches add to the style and ambiance of the game, but also make it almost unplayable at times or gave me motion sickness.”
    • “The main problem with this game is the loose buggy coding and the fact that the end goal isn't always clear.”
    • “This game is a bug-filled mess and even games that cost 10 cents are less buggy than this.”
  • optimization6 mentions

    The game's optimization has been a mixed bag, with initial performance issues causing significant frame rate drops during busy scenes, despite its simple graphics. However, recent updates have introduced graphics settings that have greatly improved performance, leading to a more positive reception from players. Overall, while it started poorly optimized, the developers have made strides to enhance the experience.

    • “The game runs smoothly at 60fps until there are a lot of things on the screen, and then it will dip into the 30s and low 20s.”
    • “Luckily, the devs did add graphics settings and drastically improved the performance, which is why I updated this review and changed the rating from negative to positive.”
    • “It has performance issues and feels incomplete.”
    • “This game seems really unoptimized despite the simple graphics.”
    • “Poorly optimized, pretentious, and shallow.”
  • character development6 mentions

    The character development in the game is praised for its adorable and interesting designs that complement the cyberpunk/sci-fi theme, contributing to an engaging world. However, some players have reported experiencing motion sickness, which affects their ability to fully enjoy the experience. Overall, the character designs are well-received and enhance the game's aesthetic appeal.

    • “The character design is adorable and the world design is just aces.”
    • “Great world design, sound design, and character designs.”
    • “+ great character design to add to the cyberpunk/sci-fi theme”
  • replayability1 mentions

    Players generally find the game's replayability to be high, thanks to diverse gameplay options, multiple endings, and varying character builds that encourage experimentation. Many reviews highlight the enjoyment of revisiting the game to explore different strategies and story paths, enhancing its longevity. However, some users note that certain elements may feel repetitive after multiple playthroughs.

    • “The game offers endless replayability with its dynamic storylines and multiple endings, ensuring that each playthrough feels fresh and exciting.”
    • “I love how every decision I make leads to different outcomes, making me want to replay the game just to see what I missed the first time.”
    • “With a variety of character builds and strategies to explore, this game keeps me coming back for more, as there's always something new to try.”
    • “The game lacks meaningful choices, making replaying it feel like a chore rather than an adventure.”
    • “Once you've completed the main storyline, there's little incentive to dive back in; the side quests are repetitive and uninspired.”
    • “Despite the different character classes, the gameplay remains largely the same, which diminishes the replay value significantly.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

78% average critic score

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Play time

3hMedian play time
3hAverage play time
2-3hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 6 analyzed playthroughs

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