Mouthwashing review: this low-poly horror masterpiece will haunt me for a long time
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Platform review: personal computer
Available for: personal computer
release date: September 26, 2024
gargle A statement has been made by the end of 2024. If you’ve seen this on social media, I wouldn’t be surprised, as more and more streamers and gaming fans are jumping right into the latest indie horror game. It’s easy to see why, even just saying the name of the game makes people go “gargle? What kind of name is that? . Well, nothing can prepare you for the next two hours or so of gameplay, I can tell you that much. A game with such a strange title should be a wild ride and god, I will and many others People have been thinking about this issue together for a long time best horror games There.
Indie game developer Wrong Organ is to blame for the inevitable onslaught of nightmares I’ll have in the coming days, as they’ve burned horrific images into my retinas, and they’re probably pretty happy about it. In fact, it’s so disturbing that I had a hard time picking pictures for this post for fear of scaring away half of our audience. I have spared you worst As for whether you want to go and see it for yourself, the rest is up to you.
In space no one can hear you… drink mouthwash?
gargle There’s a wonderfully sadistic premise. The five-man crew of the Pony Express-owned cargo ship Tulpar found their ship in an emergency. It crashed intentionally, causing irreversible damage and now its crew is stranded in space. We learn this in the first 30 seconds of the game, when a small tagline in the captain’s log reads: I hope this hurts. From that moment on, it only gets darker.
Not only were they stranded, but their personal points were withheld due to insufficient navigation skills (as you’ll soon learn about Pony Express like deducting workers’ wages), but food and supplies are rapidly running out. But hey, they’re transporting the goods! There must be something valuable inside, right? They’ll be punished if they peek at what they’re transporting, but if you do get trapped, is it surely worth the risk?
Well, as the title foretells, their goods are useless. Just boxes and boxes of mouthwash. There was no food in sight and little use for it. As if being trapped wasn’t cruel enough. Sanity is also in short supply and will soon begin to dwindle.
We play as Jimmy, the first officer of the Tulpa. He is Kohli’s deputy and the captain has seen better days. When we meet Curley, we learn that he bore the brunt of the injuries from the crash, leaving him mute, physically scarred, and without arms or legs. He is in a bad condition and has a scary look, something the game doesn’t shy away from.
The rest is made up of Anya, a nurse and the only female member of the crew (yes, that yes An uncomfortable experience), Daisuke is a cheerful, naive intern whose parents forced him to get the job, and Swansea is a gruff, recovering alcoholic mechanic. The game is non-linear, changing before and after the big car crash, and we get to see the dynamics between the characters and Jimmy’s deteriorating mental state. His inevitable collapse is the real horror.
into madness
the best bit
When Jimmy is having an extreme breakdown, he hallucinates a party scene. I will not include content from real Horrible moment, this would be a spoiler, but Curly looking ominous next to the cake should do the trick. When you get there you know the party scene and then you end up wishing you weren’t anywhere.
It is important to note gargle It’s a very surreal game. You find yourself in impossible positions, you see things that aren’t there, and much of the game consists of Jimmy’s most terrifying hallucinations. There are a few jump scares here and there, especially in the climactic catharsis scene near the end of the game, but most of the horror comes from the psychological side. The horrific visuals, the words that pop up on the screen, and the crazy decisions Jimmy often makes are scarier than anything that happens in the night. or day. Frankly, it’s hard to tell what time it is on Tulpar; return Pretty scary.
one of the steam The label does describe the game as a walking simulator, but don’t be surprised if it’s more of a “freeze on the spot” simulator, as you’ll want to be prepared for whatever horrors lie behind closed doors or hidden within vents. The game is filled with dialogue in many places – you’ll read Outstanding Swansea’s monologue late in the game – but there was also plenty of fear. It’s hard to extol how great this game is without spoiling it, so you’ll just have to see it for yourself.
There’s a limited amount of voice acting here, but the ones we hear are carefully crafted to give you goosebumps. Curly wails and groans of agony, screams and eerie corporate songs are all the game needs to deliver a very effective punch. It lets the haunting soundtrack do most of the legwork, which only serves to heighten the horror.
The less said about this the better, because this is truly a game you should experience for yourself. You’ll learn a lot about the characters, good or bad, and leave a lasting impression. You play it for a few hours, but it will stay with you for much longer.
Should I play with mouthwash?
Play it if…
Don’t play it if…
Accessibility
gargle Very easy to navigate. There are different language and subtitle options, and since 99% of the dialogue is not spoken but in text form, it’s very clear and easy to follow. You can also adjust the camera sensitivity, but I didn’t have any problems using the default settings.
There’s also a fair amount of flashing images and pop-ups that are inevitable, which can be visually jarring and distorted, but that’s just the nature of the game rather than a technical issue. If you do find yourself affected by these things, be aware that this is a very unforgiving game in that sense.
How do I rate mouthwash?
I tested gargle It took about two hours to complete the main game. When I play games I use Lenovo Legion 5-15ACH6H gaming laptop Comes with Beats Flex wireless headphones and PS5 DualSense Wireless Controller. I also ran additional tests using the laptop’s built-in keyboard and a Steelseries Aerox 9 Wireless Gaming Mouse to check whether the game ran smoothly in both modes.
