Woden's Cleaners

Lore & Background

The Cleaners are ultimately revealed to be a tool of Vladimir Lem's deception, used to eliminate anyone who knows about the Inner Circle. Vlad is the mastermind and employer behind the Cleaners, using them to eliminate his opposition in order to take over both the Inner Circle and New York's criminal underworld.

In Their Own Story

The furnace roared, a hungry beast fed by the sins of the city. Vladimir Lem watched as his men hosed down the blood-spattered walls with accelerant. 'Faster,' he said, his voice flat. 'The Payne is coming.'

A cleaner named Dmitri hesitated, staring at the photograph half-melted in the flames—a woman, a child. 'This one was different,' he muttered. Lem grabbed him by the collar. 'They're all different. That's why we burn them. Now move.'

The flamethrower ignited with a whoosh, and the last traces of another crime vanished into ash. But in the smoke, Dmitri thought he saw a shadow moving—a man in a leather jacket, carrying twin pistols. The shadow was already inside.

Reader's Guide

The player encounters the Cleaners in several levels. They are fought at the warehouse, Max's apartment, the police station, Mona's hideout, and their construction site base. They are armed with various weapons and can be engaged using bullet-time and shoot-dodge maneuvers.

Did You Know?

• The Cleaners are first encountered during Max's investigation of a gunfight at a warehouse owned by Vlad.
• The Cleaners attack the police station to kill Mona Sax.
• Their base is a construction site discovered by Max alone after Mona is kidnapped.
• Vlad Lem is revealed as the mastermind and employer behind the Cleaners.