POOLS

Item: POOLS
Rating: 90
Author: VaporLens

Last updated: 2025-11-17

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Summary

Masterful atmospheric liminal horror experience.
Engaging walking simulator with strong level design.
Stunning graphics and immersive ambient sound.
Inconsistent horror intensity; lacks clear story.
Short duration; can feel repetitive for some.
VR causes motion sickness; inconsistent performance.

Emotions

Satisfaction28%Excitement8%Disappointment6%Admiration6%Enjoyment6%

Reviews (sample size): 1865
Helpful reviews: 77%
Unhelpful reviews: 23%
Protest reviews: 0%

90%
Helpful reviews with positive sentiment
10%
Helpful reviews with negative sentiment

Positive points: 4511
Negative points: 1020
Gameplay points: 1257
Perf. points: 100
Rec. points: 685
Misc points: 361

Point	Description	Importance
Masterful Atmospheric Horror Description The game excels at generating deep psychological horror and profound unease through its immersive atmosphere, stunning visuals, and subtle sound design. It deliberately avoids cheap jumpscares and monsters, instead leveraging environmental cues and the player's imagination to create a constant, palpable tension that is both unnerving and captivating. Importance 100%	The game excels at generating deep psychological horror and profound unease through its immersive atmosphere, stunning visuals, and subtle sound design. It deliberately avoids cheap jumpscares and monsters, instead leveraging environmental cues and the player's imagination to create a constant, palpable tension that is both unnerving and captivating.	100%
Engaging Walking Simulator & Level Design Description Highly praised as an exceptional walking simulator, the game offers compelling exploration through cleverly designed, maze-like yet non-frustrating levels. Its creative environments, evolving water features, and unique elements (like non-Euclidean geometry and slides) keep players engaged and curious without relying on traditional objectives or repetitive tasks. Importance 39%	Highly praised as an exceptional walking simulator, the game offers compelling exploration through cleverly designed, maze-like yet non-frustrating levels. Its creative environments, evolving water features, and unique elements (like non-Euclidean geometry and slides) keep players engaged and curious without relying on traditional objectives or repetitive tasks.	39%
Authentic Liminal "Poolcore" Experience Description The game is widely celebrated for perfectly capturing the "Poolcore," "Backrooms," and broader liminal spaces aesthetic. It masterfully evokes the specific blend of familiarity, nostalgia, unease, and isolation characteristic of these surreal, empty environments, often hailed as the definitive experience in its niche. Importance 32%	The game is widely celebrated for perfectly capturing the "Poolcore," "Backrooms," and broader liminal spaces aesthetic. It masterfully evokes the specific blend of familiarity, nostalgia, unease, and isolation characteristic of these surreal, empty environments, often hailed as the definitive experience in its niche.	32%
Stunning Graphics & Art Direction Description Players consistently praise the game's exquisite graphics, photorealistic quality, and impressive attention to detail in lighting, reflections, and water effects. The visual aesthetic is described as beautiful, immersive, and a significant contributor to the game's overall artistic merit and eerie ambiance. Importance 26%	Players consistently praise the game's exquisite graphics, photorealistic quality, and impressive attention to detail in lighting, reflections, and water effects. The visual aesthetic is described as beautiful, immersive, and a significant contributor to the game's overall artistic merit and eerie ambiance.	26%
Relaxing & Therapeutic Qualities Description Despite its unsettling nature, many players find the game profoundly relaxing and therapeutic, offering a unique form of stress relief and mental escape. It provides moments of calm and introspection, allowing players to unwind, explore at their own pace, and appreciate a strange sense of peace amidst its eerie environments. Importance 15%	Despite its unsettling nature, many players find the game profoundly relaxing and therapeutic, offering a unique form of stress relief and mental escape. It provides moments of calm and introspection, allowing players to unwind, explore at their own pace, and appreciate a strange sense of peace amidst its eerie environments.	15%
Deep Personal & Dream-like Resonance Description The game frequently evokes strong personal connections, reminding players of childhood dreams, forgotten memories, and a persistent sense of déjà vu. This deeply personal and dream-like quality, combined with its ability to engage the player's imagination, makes the experience highly memorable and often results in it becoming a long-term favorite. Importance 12%	The game frequently evokes strong personal connections, reminding players of childhood dreams, forgotten memories, and a persistent sense of déjà vu. This deeply personal and dream-like quality, combined with its ability to engage the player's imagination, makes the experience highly memorable and often results in it becoming a long-term favorite.	12%
Enhanced VR Immersion Description The game's VR support is a significant highlight, dramatically increasing immersion and intensifying the atmospheric horror. Many reviewers consider VR the optimal way to experience the game, praising its ability to create a deeply surreal and realistic presence that blurs the line between virtual and reality. Importance 9%	The game's VR support is a significant highlight, dramatically increasing immersion and intensifying the atmospheric horror. Many reviewers consider VR the optimal way to experience the game, praising its ability to create a deeply surreal and realistic presence that blurs the line between virtual and reality.	9%

POOLS

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