Game Review: Mouthwashing

I've had few games sear my soul like Mouthwashing. The only game I can think of that comes close is Amnesia The Dark Descent. This is a psychological horror games set in the far future. A group of transporters find themselves stuck in space. Beyond thst, the less you know, the better. Where do I begin with this game? How about the fact I was so endeared by one of the characters that I almost bought a plushy of her, before I saw the price. 

Let's start at the beginning with a bandaged skinless man who used to be the captain. A deadly crash has filled most of the ship with sealing foam and enough supplies for a few months for all five crew members. Meanwhile we pray that someone finds us in time. From there, madness descends. 

Gameplay is simple. You use a darklight to show you the captains access codes. Most of the time you're walking through the ship finding items or talking to the crew. I've never been one for too much dialogue but everyone is so well written and made me care for the crew. Which only makes the tragedy so much more ironic and sad. 

Let's talk about the key to the game: the storytelling. Each of the fourteen levels deals with different times in the ship before and after the crash. Its this stark transition between hope and hell. You see a before scene and you know what's coming next. Like a disaster you can't stop, just watch. The scenes weave together like an untied rope until you get a clear picture of the horror that's going on.

Each scene melts away in transition on the screen. As you figure out who's responsible, that's they key word there, you dive into the character's stories and motivations. There's this rich symbolism of capitalism as the company the crew works for, doesn't seem keen on retrieving them. There's this great imagery of characters climbing the corporate ladder and these extremely long tunnels that almost gave me vertigo and claustrophobia. The longer you play the more animalistic and desperate everyone becomes and the corporate paradise is pulled away to reveal a hell in space. At times the game would ur an accident or event to keep the player guessing what happened in that room. Like the characters is blotting it out of their own mind. There's two lines that really caught me. One where they say "Our worst moments don't make us monsters." A perfect summary of the themes of the game and a question you'll be asking yourself as you play. The second line "Every failure leaves you worse. Like getting smarter in a bad way." I love it when these philosophies or facts of life come out. It's so much darker than anything the mind can imagine. 

If there's anything thst ruins the game, it's this use of cannibalism. I've seen it done dozens of times in desperation movies and games so this theme is a bit overcooked. 

Overall I'd give this game my full approval. If I had the money, I'd buy the plushy to support the team. If there's more to come, I expect great things from Wrong Organ and whatever horrors they think of next.