Mouthwashing
Last updated: 2025-02-28
- Compelling narrative, intricate characters drive the story.
- Visually stunning art style creates unique atmosphere.
- Disturbing world creates immersive horror experience.
- Walking simulator with light puzzle elements.
- Disturbing content may cause emotional distress.
- Uninspired, relies too much on shock value.
Verdict
Mostly positive
Summary
Positive 92% · Negative 8%. Score: 8 / 100
Positives:
- The game features a compelling, intricate narrative with well-developed characters, symbolism, and twists. The non-linear storytelling, emotional depth, and exploration of heavy themes create a lasting impact, prompting reflection and analysis. Many reviewers found the story to be a major strength of the game.
- The game has amazing visuals and art style. Reviewers praised the graphics, character designs, and overall presentation, noting the attention to detail and unique aesthetic. The game is a work of art.
- The game creates a disturbing and immersive atmosphere through its unique visual style, sound design, and claustrophobic environments. The retro graphics, unsettling audio cues, and detailed world-building contribute to a sense of unease and psychological tension. The ship itself feels like a character.
- The game features an interesting and well-planned plot with twists and turns, often presented in a non-linear fashion. The narrative structure is meticulously crafted to reveal information at specific moments, fueling curiosity and encouraging multiple playthroughs. The story is unique.
- The game explores complex themes such as responsibility, guilt, and the darker aspects of human nature, often through the lens of a flawed or unreliable character like Jimmy. The narrative prompts reflection on morality, societal issues, and the consequences of one's actions. The game is a character study.
Negatives:
- The game contains disturbing content, including body horror, gore, and themes like sexual assault and suicide, leading to emotional distress and potential trauma for players. Many reviewers found the experience deeply upsetting and not enjoyable. The game also lacks sufficient content warnings.
- The game's horror elements rely heavily on shock value, disturbing imagery, and jump scares, which some reviewers found clichéd and ineffective. The game also suffers from inconsistent tone, with some finding the horror elements more disgusting than scary. Some reviewers also noted the game relies on overused horror tropes.
- The game features frustrating gameplay sections, including mazes, unclear puzzles, and repetitive tasks, which negatively impact pacing and storytelling. Some reviewers needed external help to progress due to unclear objectives or solutions. These sections felt like filler and artificially extended the game's length.
- Some reviewers found the game's puzzles confusing or poorly designed, requiring trial and error to solve. The game's difficulty was generally low, which may not appeal to players seeking a challenge. Some reviewers also noted that the gameplay mechanics could become tedious.
- Reviewers pointed out inconsistencies and implausible elements in the game's plot and world-building. The characters' motivations and actions were sometimes nonsensical, and the game failed to capitalize on the potential of its setting. The crew was also seen as a failure.
Gameplay:
- The core gameplay is that of a walking simulator, with players exploring environments, interacting with characters, and solving simple puzzles. Some reviewers felt the gameplay was minimal and primarily served to advance the story, while others found it accessible and enjoyable. The game is sometimes described as halfway a walking simulator.
- The game employs a non-linear narrative, jumping between different timelines (before and after a central event, or across different time periods). This structure requires players to piece together the story and can lead to confusion or a sense of discovery. The narrative is presented as a puzzle.
- Some reviewers found puzzles and gameplay sequences to be aggravating, simplistic, or lacking in challenge. Horror segments may become less scary after the first encounter due to being easy to avoid. Interactive sections don't allow for mistakes.
- The game features perspective shifts between different characters (Jimmy and Curly) in different timelines (before and after the central event). This narrative technique provides different viewpoints on the story and enhances player immersion. The narrative alternates between "before" and "after" the catastrophic event.
- The game includes creative mechanics that require attention to detail and symbolism. The puzzles focus more on existential crises than traditional problem-solving. The game requires cognitive skills such as lying, detection, and reasoning.
Performance:
- The game's graphics are frequently described as resembling those of older consoles like the PS1 or PS2, with some finding this retro aesthetic charming and fitting, while others consider it outdated or rough. The intention of the developers seems to be to create a retro experience.
- Many reviewers report a bug-free experience with minimal technical issues. The game appears to be technically sound for many players.
- Some players report experiencing performance issues such as stuttering, frame drops, and even crashes, even on systems that exceed the recommended specifications. This suggests that the game may not be well-optimized for all hardware configurations.
- The game runs well on the Steam Deck, with the art style being particularly well-suited to the device's OLED screen. Players report a smooth experience with cloud saves and desktop toggling.
- The game is optimized to run on very low-end hardware, even described as 'potato' PCs. This makes the game accessible to a wide range of players, even those with older or less powerful systems.
Recommendations:
- Many reviewers highly recommend the game, praising its story, atmosphere, and unique horror experience. They suggest it's a must-play for fans of psychological horror and those seeking thought-provoking narratives. Some even consider it a masterpiece and a contender for game of the year.
- A recurring suggestion is to play the game without prior knowledge or spoilers to maximize the impact of its story and surprises. Experiencing the game firsthand is considered essential to fully appreciate its nuances and avoid tainting one's perspective.
- Reviewers often mention the game's short length, with many recommending it for players seeking a concise experience. Some suggest waiting for a sale due to the playtime, while others believe it's worth the full price for the quality and impact it delivers.
- The game is recommended for fans of psychological and body horror, but it is not for the faint of heart. Reviewers advise caution due to intense themes, gore, and potential triggers, suggesting players assess their tolerance before playing.
- Some reviewers express disappointment, citing issues with the game's content, interactivity, and overall value. They suggest waiting for a sale or watching a playthrough instead, indicating that the game may be overhyped or not worth the full price for all players.
Miscellaneous:
- The game's length is divisive, with some finding it a concise, rich experience (2-3 hours), while others feel it's too short. Some reviews suggest the game's popularity is driven by online hype and edgy content shared on social media, similar to other internet-famous games.
- The game is set on the spaceship "Tulpar," a cargo ship owned by the Pony Express Company, after a crash. The crew consists of Captain Curly, co-pilot Jimmy, medic Anya, mechanic Swansea, and intern Daisuke. The name "Tulpar" references Turkic culture.
- The game features a distinct visual style reminiscent of the PS1 era, utilizing low-poly graphics and a vaporwave aesthetic. The narrative is non-linear, revealed through fragmented memories and ambiguous dialogues, with musical themes inspired by Twin Peaks and Cannibal Holocaust.
- The game's plot involves the crew consuming mouthwash (70% alcohol) after their ship, carrying only mouthwash, is sabotaged. However, the mouthwash element feels disconnected from the main story, serving more as a recurring reference than a significant plot driver.
- The game does not feature grind elements, bugs, or microtransactions. There are no choices that have consequences.
