What do you get when you combine dirty money, literal washing machines, and one of the most unexpectedly satisfying game loops since PowerWash Simulator? You get Cash Cleaner Simulator — a title that turns the phrase “money laundering” into a sudsy, UV-lit, oddly therapeutic experience. Developed by Mind Control Games and published by Forklift Interactive, this delightfully absurd sim puts you elbow-deep in grime and spreadsheets. And lucky for us, Loekalization (that’s us!) had the honor — and the madness — of localizing this quirky gem into Japanese (and Chinese too, but we’ll save that for another blog). The Japanese localization was handled by Aya Pickard (translation), Rumi Tasaki (proofreading) and Noah van Kooten (QA), and the Simplified Chinese by Niu Pengfei.
We knew we were in for a wild ride when the first client email came from Andrew Vasiliev: a former Charlie Oscar dev who remembered our work on Gremlins Inc. and Spire of Sorcery. That kind of call-back always warms our translator hearts. Before we knew it, we were diving into spreadsheets full of shady clients, bloodstained banknotes, dark web orders, and lines like “Wrap ¥10,000 in plastic and place it in the suspicious-looking duffel.” The translation process required more than just linguistic finesse — it took serious narrative instincts, mechanical knowledge, and a keen eye for game logic and in-game humor. (And yes, we debated for a full day whether to translate “Money Gun” literally.)
We just cleaned the money. The language? That’s what made it shine.
They called the game weird. They called the localization flawless. We’re good with both.
High Stakes and Dirty Bills: The Challenges Behind the Suds
Every localization project has its puzzles, but this one came with counterfeit bills. Literally. A huge part of the gameplay involves detecting fake or marked bills using UV lights, which led to long discussions about how to localize those instructions with surgical clarity. A single ambiguity could mean the difference between a smooth tutorial and a ragequit. Plus, when you’re translating for players who are manually stacking hundreds of virtual yen bills while managing a laundry empire, you’d better make sure every word lands right.
Then came the cultural curveballs. One of the more delicate questions was about using real currency names like “RMB” in the Chinese version — something our local partners asked us to avoid due to legal and cultural sensitivities. That led to some creative problem-solving and a bit of political judo. Another debate: how do we distinguish “dirt” from “ink stains” from “blood” when it all just gets translated as 汚れ if you’re not careful? The answer: we don’t just translate. We contextualize, consult, and occasionally curse. Then we rewrite.
And of course, nothing’s ever in order. Dialogues arrived chopped up like confetti, IDs were missing, headers vanished mysteriously, curly brackets turned into angle brackets, and entire columns moonlighted as different things depending on the sheet. But we worked closely with Forklift Interactive and Mind Control Games, giving and receiving updates at lightning speed — sometimes manually copying changes into sheets like it was 1999. Fun? Not exactly. Rewarding? You bet your ¥100,000 bill.
Critics and Gamers Agree: “このゲーム、おもろい”
So, was it worth it? Ask the 91% of Steam reviewers who rated the game “Very Positive” on launch day. Or check out the full-page Game*Spark review, which not only praised the gameplay loop but explicitly called out how the Japanese localization made the dark, dry humor and shady contracts feel accessible and immersive. And when a media outlet with over 5 million monthly visitors in Japan name-drops your work? That’s the kind of exposure you can’t wash off — not even with an industrial dryer.
Gamers chimed in, too. One Japanese reviewer wrote, “数千枚の紙幣を数える間に偽札を選別してると、アタシ仕事できるぅううう！って気分になる。” Translation: “While I’m sorting counterfeit bills and counting stacks of cash, I feel like a badass at work.” Others compared it to PowerWash Simulator, praising the game’s strangely meditative pace and its ability to scratch the itch for obsessive tidying — with money.
Chinese reviews were equally glowing, with some players confessing to playing all night because they got addicted to the “欻欻欻” (that’s the sound of the bill counter, in case you’re wondering). Of course, there were bugs — like ink-stained bills that magically re-inked themselves after cleaning — but everyone loved the idea of building your own shady fortune-laundering empire. And no one got tripped up by the language. Which is the best feedback a localization team can hope for.
This Game Wasn’t Just Cleaned — It Was Loekalized
Localizing Cash Cleaner Simulator was a bit like handling one of its in-game missions: awkward at times, hilariously absurd at others, but ultimately deeply satisfying. It wasn’t just about words on a screen. It was about cultural translation, mechanical clarity, and storytelling. It was about making sure the guy running a dark web cleaning syndicate in Osaka could fully enjoy shouting “あぁアタシ仕事できるぅううううう！” at 2am.
We’re proud to say that Loekalization didn’t just clean this game up. We made it sparkle. And if you’re a game developer looking to reach a Japanese audience with your next weird, wonderful, or wallet-stuffing sim? You know who to call.
Now if you’ll excuse us, we have a few hundred virtual yen bills to wrap in plastic.
You can buy Cash Cleaner Simulator right here.
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