Spilled! Review — Tug Boat Environmentalism

I’ve always had a special connection to the ocean. Growing up in Monterey, California, I was privileged enough to visit the beach and its legendary aquarium multiple times and ride around the marina on a special school trip about ocean biology. That fascination with the ocean has formed a deep respect within me for the sea and its creatures, as well as the importance of their conservation. When I got the chance to review Spilled!, I couldn’t help but jump at the opportunity. If, as a gaming journalist, I can do my small part by bringing attention to a game about the importance of sea conservation, you bet your bippy I’ll do it.

Have you ever seen one of those mobile game ads? Specifically, the kind that features a goblin or a farmer in some kind of tractor-slash-mining rig, chopping down trees or gathering rocks with a big scoop in the front, only to drop the collected goods off at a marketplace and collect coins? The kind of mobile ads that you know are fake (as these games never actually play the way they advertise), but you keep watching the ad anyway because the gameplay is weirdly cathartic, to the point where you wonder, “Why don’t they actually make that game?”

Spilled! is that game.

I’m not exaggerating, either. If you’ve been on the internet in the last five years, you have definitely seen and are familiar with the type of clickbait ad I just described. Spilled! is actually built around that mythical gameplay we keep hoping someone would make.

Spilled! puts players in charge of a little tugboat in a body of water that has unfortunately been polluted by an oil spill (hence, the title). With a big scoop in the front, the game revolves around you sailing your little boat around the water, scooping up the spilled oil and other garbage, and hauling it to a barge where the waste will be collected and, presumably, recycled. Doing so earns you coins, which can then be spent on various upgrades to improve your boat’s speed, the amount of oil spillage you can carry before having to drop it off, and, of course, the size of your boat’s scoop.

The game’s simple gameplay loop is shockingly engaging—something I could tell the moment I saw one of those fake mobile game ads and knew it was something I wanted to play. There’s something about the simple premise of starting with a slow, low-hauling machine and gradually upgrading it through hard work that is supremely satisfying. Not only that, but the act of physically dumping trash and collecting coins at the recycling barge just tickles some neurons in my brain for reasons I can’t explain.

The simplistic art style is highly fitting for the game too, depicting an initially grimy and dirty pond that over time becomes a beautiful home to wildlife, full of vibrant colors and lots of cute sea creatures.

If I were to complain about one aspect of the gameplay, it would simply be controlling our little tugboat in Spilled! can be a bit awkward. The turning feels strange, almost like tank controls, for those familiar with the term. This problem becomes less intrusive as you upgrade your boat, though, as a little bit of speed can counteract the awkward controls.

The story behind Spilled! only makes the game more interesting. Solo developer “Lente” paused college and went out to live on a boat during the development of the game, eventually managing to complete the production with the help of Kickstarter backers. I can’t imagine the special connection they formed with the ocean while living among it and working on this title; one can even feel a bit envious, imagining the experience. How much does a houseboat cost, anyway?

There isn’t a whole lot more to be said about Spilled! because Spilled! isn’t a game that wants to be too much.

With about eight biomes and just under an hour of game time, Spilled! is something you can sit back and finish at your own pace in one afternoon. There are no difficulty spikes, no side quests, and the only other challenge is an optional animal collection game that you’ll more or less complete as you clean up oil spills anyway. The game doesn’t want to be anything but a relaxing little experience with a wholesome message, and for around $6, what else could you really ask it to be?

What’s more is that Spilled! is a game you can feel glad to own, not only because it ignites a warm, fuzzy feeling inside when you watch polluted waters liven up and become home once more to wildlife, but because when you purchase the game, you know your purchase actually matters. This is thanks to the game’s generous donation campaign, which donates ten cents from every purchase to Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC), a UK-based charity focused on conserving some of the ocean’s most magnificent creatures.

Spilled! is a charming little game about conservation and cleaning up the environment. It features cute graphics, a wholesome message about environmentalism, and simple gameplay that, surprisingly, I’ve been trying to find for years. There almost isn’t much more to say about the game; this lovely little title is relaxing, sends a heartwarming message, and manages to be fun in short bursts—it doesn’t try to overstay its welcome or be more than something you’ll play when you want to kill ten to sixty minutes.

TryHardGuides was provided a PC review code for Spilled! Find more detailed looks at popular and upcoming titles on our Game Reviews page! Spilled! is available on Steam.