Info about MOLE:

Official game description:
Join the Community!
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About the Game
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MOLE is a psychological horror experience with tactile simulation elements about madness, faith, and the depths we choose to dig. You are the Navigator aboard a deep-bore vessel, a colossal drilling machine. But the crew is gone. The vessel is silent. And the Signal won’t stop calling.
Spiral into your own history as fragments of your memory surface with choices that refuse to stay buried. Interact with the vessel's complex systems, solve diegetic puzzles, and unravel the mystery behind your missing crew.
Keep the vessel alive as you descend into impossible depths at the cost of your sanity eroding.
**Keep it Together**
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**Operate the Vessel**
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**Survive**
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**Reveal the Truth**
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Release date: Jun 15, 2026

Categories: Psychological Horror, Immersive Sim, Puzzle Solving, Atmospheric Horror, First-Person Perspective, Exploration, Survival


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price:
  - Community fair range: $10.00 - $15.00
  - Reasoning: All three reviews explicitly state that the current price of $12.99 is fair. One review notes the game's shorter length but still considers the price fair, while another mentions potential future content. The Portuguese review also selects 'Fair price' from the rating options. This consensus indicates the community would accept a base price around the current value, with a reasonable range of $10–$15 to account for slight variations in perceived value.
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: 3.5h
  - Story completion: 3.5h
  - Session length: N/A
  - Endgame: N/A
  - Reasoning: Multiple reviews consistently report total playtime between 2.9 and 4 hours, with a central tendency around 3.5 hours. One review explicitly states '3.5 to 4 hours long', another says 'tight 3 ish hour package', and a non-English review gives '3h e meia' (3.5 hours). The 2.9-hour figure includes demo experience, so typical fresh playthrough is slightly longer. No evidence distinguishes story/campaign from full completion, so both are set to the same value. No reviews mention post-story content or typical session length separate from the full game, so endgame and session length are null.
- Time-to-fun: No data
- Player Archetypes:
  - Narrative Horror Connoisseur (buy)
    - Motivation: Immersive psychological horror storytelling
    - Playstyle: Focuses on story, atmosphere, and narrative payoff; reads all text and explores for lore.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: horror game fan; Mike Klubnika fan; Mouthwashing fan
    - Reference games: Mouthwashing; Iron Lung; Mike Klubnika games
  - Detail Detective (buy)
    - Motivation: Uncovering every hidden detail and fully understanding the world
    - Playstyle: Meticulously reads all notes, examines environments, and seeks complete understanding of the world.
    - Experience: mixed
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: completionist; lore hunter
    - Reference games: N/A
  - Early Bird Discoverer (buy)
    - Motivation: Discovering hidden gems before they become popular
    - Playstyle: Actively seeks out lesser-known indie horror games and recommends them early, before mainstream hype.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: indie game enthusiast; early adopter
    - Reference games: N/A
  - Horror Rookie (buy)
    - Motivation: Exploring a new genre with a well-crafted entry point
    - Playstyle: Approaches the game with fresh eyes, likely follows guidance and reads everything to understand the genre.
    - Experience: newcomer
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: new to horror games
    - Reference games: N/A


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Immersive and oppressive atmosphere (weight 0.97): 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 (weight 0.81): 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 (weight 0.56): 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 (weight 0.54): 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 (weight 0.54): The game is scary, terrifying, and exciting, with creative scares, effective chase scenes, and a new fear of losing glasses.
- Great art and visuals (weight 0.5): The art direction, retro theme, and visuals are praised as great, stunning, and well-polished, contributing to the overall experience.
- Well-designed puzzles (weight 0.5): Puzzles are cool, fun, interactive, and require thinking, with a satisfying tactile feel and non-arbitrary design.
- Highly recommended indie horror (weight 0.45): The game is recommended for horror and story fans, described as a hidden gem, masterpiece, and best indie horror game of 2026.
- Comparable to horror classics (weight 0.39): The game is compared to Mouthwashing, Iron Lung, and Silent Hill, with a similar feel and horror inspiration.
- Good value for price (weight 0.35): Multiple reviews highlight the game as a good value for its price, with specific mentions of being worth the asking price and fair pricing.
- Well-developed characters (weight 0.34): Characters are well-done with personality, and the protagonist's backstory is heartwrenching, revealed through map details and mental issues.
- Polished performance (weight 0.28): Performance and level design are great, with excellent optimization and no bugs encountered, making it well-polished.
- Great sound design (weight 0.27): Sound design and music are great, well-chosen, and contribute to the atmosphere, though some find sound acceptable.
- Thought-provoking themes (weight 0.27): The game is thought-provoking, dives into dark topics, and allows players to get lost physically and mentally.
- Interesting setting (weight 0.27): The setting is cool, interesting, and surprising, with great exploration and a claustrophobic atmosphere.
- Perfect ending credits (weight 0.21): The ending credits are amazing and perfect, with a knew-it ending that satisfies players.
- Desire for more content (weight 0.21): Players are interested in more lore or a sequel, excited to see what the devs cook up next, and suggest additional content from Discord.

Common complaints:
- Weak guidance issues (weight 0.56): 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 (weight 0.3): 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 (weight 0.17): 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 (weight 0.16): The game gets weird towards the end, and the plot overstays its welcome, suggesting pacing issues.
- Annoying crawling mechanics (weight 0.16): Crawling mechanics are a gripe, with players finding them annoying and wanting to just hold a key to move.
- Irritating experience (weight 0.15): The experience is described as irritating and breaks immersion.
- Hard to decipher lore (weight 0.09): The lore is very hard to decipher, making it difficult for players to understand the story.
- Controls not smooth (weight 0.08): The controls are described as not smooth, but this is noted to add to the game's immersion.
- Last segment trope (weight 0.08): The game uses a last segment trope, but the ending is considered helpful or redeeming.
- Photosensitivity effects (weight 0.08): The game contains visual effects that may trigger photosensitivity in players.
- Avoiding monster too easy (weight 0.08): Getting caught by the monster is described as truly difficult, possibly making it too easy to avoid, which may reduce tension.
- Missing cursor lock (weight 0.08): The game lacks a cursor lock option, which may be a minor inconvenience.
- No Turkish support (weight 0.08): There is a lack of Turkish language support, which may affect some players.
- Religious content off-putting (weight 0.06): One player lost interest due to content related to Eastern Orthodoxy.

Gameplay feedback:
- Claustrophobic atmospheric horror (weight 0.48): 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 (weight 0.45): 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 (weight 0.36): The game is a tight 3-hour experience that can be finished in one sitting, offering a short but complete story.
- Functional vessel puzzles (weight 0.35): Puzzles are functional and revolve around unlocking and using parts of the vessel, providing a satisfying challenge without being arbitrary.
- Mystery-driven narrative (weight 0.35): The story is narrative-heavy with a structure that involves mysteries and uncovering secrets, driving the player forward.
- Psychological dark horror (weight 0.35): Psychological and environmental horror with heavy, dark subject matter, including Eastern Orthodoxy themes and philosophical sci-fi elements.
- Retro tech underground descent (weight 0.35): Players descend 8 kilometers underground using 1970s PC equipment and cassette-futurism mechanics, with a cassette timer and no HUD, requiring environmental search.
- Creepy Soviet drilling world (weight 0.34): The world is creepy and scary, set in a Soviet drilling station, with environmental storytelling that builds a rich, oppressive atmosphere.
- Chase and jump scares (weight 0.34): Jump scares and chase sequences with power-able lights, where monster pathing slows near the player and the player can be caught two times.
- Tactile repair tasks (weight 0.32): Tasks include fixing things, managing the vessel, and using a communication room, with tactile interactions and a reference to 'FATHER WANTED CHEESE' as a puzzle element.
- Environmental lore exploration (weight 0.3): Environmental storytelling and map details provide lore, but the lore can be hard to decipher, requiring exploration to understand the world.
- Challenging guidance design (weight 0.27): Weak guidance may cause players to get stuck, but game design guides in darkness, making it easy to learn but hard to master with medium difficulty.
- Immersive sim mechanics (weight 0.23): The game is an immersive sim with mechanics and puzzles, not just a walking simulator, offering more interactive gameplay.
- Atmospheric emotional tutorial (weight 0.22): The game is atmospheric and emotional, with a built-in tutorial that helps players learn the mechanics smoothly.
- Indie horror by Mike Klubnika (weight 0.21): An indie horror game by Mike Klubnika, described as a mildly horroristic storytelling game with a focus on narrative.
- Trauma and obsession story (weight 0.17): The story follows Viktor's past actions and trauma manifesting as hallucinations, intertwined with a father's obsession and an angel's rebirth.
- Retro horror theme (weight 0.16): The game features a retro theme and is a retro horror game with a strong focus on story.
- Mystery horror puzzles (weight 0.16): The game combines mystery uncovering with horror and puzzles, creating a cohesive experience that blends exploration and challenge.

Performance notes:
- Performance varies on Steam Deck (weight 0.17): While some players report smooth performance, others experience very low frame rates on Steam Deck, even at the lowest settings.

Recommendations:
- Great value for money (weight 0.7): 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 (weight 0.58): 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 (weight 0.4): 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 (weight 0.4): 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 (weight 0.15): 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.
- Photosensitivity warning needed (weight 0.1): One cluster warns about photosensitive content, which is important for player safety. This is a specific accessibility concern.
- Read everything for full experience (weight 0.08): One cluster advises reading all in-game text for the full experience, implying the game has rich narrative elements that reward thorough exploration.
- Niche appeal, not for all (weight 0.08): One cluster notes the game is a 'genre apart' and may not please everyone, suggesting it has a niche appeal. This is a balanced recommendation.

Other player notes:
No miscpoints

Emotions:
- Excitement (weight 0.1): Players were thrilled by the intense chase sequences, terrifying yet engaging gameplay, and a story that builds to a wild climax. The combination of a hidden gem discovery, incredible atmosphere, and satisfying mechanics also fueled this excitement.
- Admiration (weight 0.07): Reviewers admired the game as a masterclass in psychological depth and bold creative decisions, with a gripping story that stands on its own. The quality and similarity to Mouthwashing, but with improved gameplay, further earned their admiration.
- Frustration (weight 0.07): Frustration stemmed from unintuitive navigation and minimalist UI that broke immersion, tedious crawling mechanics, and missing clues that halted progress. Poor performance on Steam Deck and a bug forcing a save reload also contributed.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.07): Players enjoyed the game for its compelling writing, atmosphere, setting, and mechanics, along with interesting puzzles and a vibey, interesting overall experience. Despite some issues, the game remained enjoyable.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.05): Satisfaction came from a well-crafted horror experience with a good story and ending, offering great value for the price. The payoff after solving puzzles and positive ratings across all categories also drove this feeling.
- Hope (weight 0.03): Players hoped the game would receive the recognition it deserves, seeing its potential to nail the cosmic horror bend. This optimism was based on the game's quality and unique approach.
- Impressed (weight 0.03): Impression was driven by the environmental storytelling and the rewarding payoff from paying attention to details, as well as the diverse gameplay and polished design.
- Awe (weight 0.03): Awe was inspired by the oppressive atmosphere and immersive experience, combined with exceptional quality across all aspects of the game.
- Scared (weight 0.03): Players were scared by the game's ability to frighten them like no other in a long time, with the entire experience being consistently terrifying.
- Fear (weight 0.03): Fear was triggered by a new phobia of losing glasses and the game's ability to deliver scary horror without relying on cheap scares.
- Surprise (weight 0.03): Surprise came from discovering a hidden list in the game and the unexpected emotional weight packed into a short experience.
- Love (weight 0.03): Love was expressed for the game's setting, art style, and superb sound design, combined with fun gameplay, phenomenal horror, and a great story.
- Happiness (weight 0.03): Happiness resulted from the 'dad of the year' character and the game exceeding expectations, providing a positive experience.
- Delight (weight 0.02): Delight was caused by the game being a banger with incredible music, art, and gameplay, creating an overall joyful experience.
- Enthusiasm (weight 0.02): Enthusiasm was driven by a strong recommendation to play immediately, indicating high excitement and endorsement.
- Praise (weight 0.02): Praise was given as the game was considered one of the best indie horror experiences, highlighting its exceptional quality.
- Positive (weight 0.02): Positive feelings came from the spooky atmosphere, enjoyable puzzles, and engaging story, making the game a pleasant experience.
- Joy (weight 0.02): Joy was sparked by seeing a character with the player's name, beer, and Ukrainian language support, creating a personal connection.
- Disapproval (weight 0.02): Disapproval arose because the game promotes smoking, which the reviewer found disrespectful and off-putting.
- Surprise and delight (weight 0.02): Surprise and delight came from the game exceeding expectations despite the player being tired of PS2 graphics horror, offering a fresh and impressive experience.}