MOLE Review Summary

Immersive atmosphere and emotional story with fluid gameplay are let down by weak guidance, bugs, and poor monster design.

Immersive and oppressive atmosphere: The atmosphere is described as oppressive, suffocating, creepy, and claustrophobic, with horror built on dread and suspense rather than cheap scares.

Excellent and emotional story: The story is consistently described as excellent, deep, emotional, and engaging, with a good twist and world-building that sticks with players.

Engaging and fluid gameplay: Players praise the gameplay as fluid, fun, and easy to learn but hard to master, with satisfying tactile mechanics and non-repetitive puzzles.

Short but satisfying experience: The game is short (2.9 to 3.5 hours) but provides a great, fun experience that can be finished in one sitting.

Effective horror and scares: The game is scary, terrifying, and exciting, with creative scares, effective chase scenes, and a new fear of losing glasses.

Weak guidance issues: Multiple reviews mention weak or non-descriptive guidance, leading to confusion and getting stuck. The minimalist UI and lack of direction are common complaints.

Multiple bugs reported: Several bugs are reported, including a softlock bug fixed by restart, a control bug in the last chapter, a bug forcing a reload, and a bug preventing clicking off a paper.

Poor monster design: The monster design is criticized as not fitting the horror theme, with a messy appearance of shiny poly-limbs and a disjointed face, reducing the scare factor.

Ending pacing issues: The game gets weird towards the end, and the plot overstays its welcome, suggesting pacing issues.

Annoying crawling mechanics: Crawling mechanics are a gripe, with players finding them annoying and wanting to just hold a key to move.

Claustrophobic atmospheric horror: The game creates a tense, claustrophobic atmosphere reminiscent of Iron Lung and Mouthwashing, relying on dread and suspense rather than frequent jump scares.

Varied gameplay mechanics: Gameplay includes mechanics like crawling, drilling, and heavy machinery operation, with the environment and madness influencing gameplay, making it interesting and not repetitive.

Short 3-hour playtime: The game is a tight 3-hour experience that can be finished in one sitting, offering a short but complete story.

Functional vessel puzzles: Puzzles are functional and revolve around unlocking and using parts of the vessel, providing a satisfying challenge without being arbitrary.

Mystery-driven narrative: The story is narrative-heavy with a structure that involves mysteries and uncovering secrets, driving the player forward.

Performance varies on Steam Deck: While some players report smooth performance, others experience very low frame rates on Steam Deck, even at the lowest settings.

Great value for money: Several clusters highlight the game's value for its price, with phrases like 'worth every penny', 'fair price', and 'great value'. This suggests players feel the game offers good content for the cost.

Strongly recommended overall: Multiple clusters express strong positive recommendations, using terms like 'highly recommended', 'masterclass', and 'overwhelmingly positive'. This indicates the game is well-regarded by many players.

Recommended for horror fans: Clusters recommend the game to fans of horror, story-driven experiences, and dark subject matter. This indicates the game appeals to specific genre preferences.

Appeals to Mouthwashing fans: Multiple clusters compare the game to titles like Mouthwashing, Iron Lung, and SOMA, suggesting it will appeal to fans of those games. This provides a clear reference for potential buyers.

Some negative feedback exists: Two clusters indicate the game is not recommended currently, with one requesting a refund. This suggests some players are dissatisfied, possibly due to bugs or personal taste.

Community fair range: $10.00 - $15.00.

Game completion: 3.5h.

Story completion: 3.5h.

Narrative Horror Connoisseur: Focuses on story, atmosphere, and narrative payoff; reads all text and explores for lore. Motivation: Immersive psychological horror storytelling. Stance: buy.

Detail Detective: Meticulously reads all notes, examines environments, and seeks complete understanding of the world. Motivation: Uncovering every hidden detail and fully understanding the world. Stance: buy.

Early Bird Discoverer: Actively seeks out lesser-known indie horror games and recommends them early, before mainstream hype. Motivation: Discovering hidden gems before they become popular. Stance: buy.