The Horror, The Horror: Mouthwashing
Things will go very dark in this grim adventure.
‣ Mouthwashing
From: Wrong Organ, CRITICAL REFLEX
Platforms: PC
Release: Coming soon
Steam Page • Demo Video • Developer Site
How to explain this game without giving away what it's about? There are some writeups online that give away the demo’s twist. But honestly, it's worth playing the demo to get to the soul of Mouthwashing. The central premise is just so terrifying and yet utterly banal that it's worth seeing for yourself (or watch AIIG's handy gameplay video!).
While technically a horror game, Mouthwashing defies the typical 'Horror' label in gaming. It's not about haunted places or being pursued by demonic entities in dark corners. It's something far more ordinary, yet unsettling in its own way.
A deep-space delivery ship gets stranded in uncharted territory. The whole thing is wrecked, and the crew just barely survived. But they are now stuck and with no hope of rescue. Worse still, they are in their predicament because the ship's captain tried to kill everyone. But he failed, and even he's alive—though the husk that remains barely qualifies.
Out of desperation, the remaining crew open the ship's cargo hold, hoping there is something in there to help their plight. The demo is primarily the build-up to access the cargo, which is enough time to get to know the characters.
Mouthwashing focuses on narrative. You primarily play as the new captain after the current skipper is incapacitated. There are three other crew members: a nurse, a maintenance guy, and a young crew hand. It does not take long for the story to show their divergent personalities, laying the groundwork for what follows.
Mouthwashing's narrative is not entirely linear. As the player, you jump between scenes before and after the accident. You also occasionally take the vantage of some of the other characters, and you navigate through hallucinations or dreams that the characters experience. It's tricky to describe but works incredibly well in how Mouthwashing delivers itself. In a sense, you are not one of the characters. You are an unfortunate witness to what becomes of them.
Initially, I was a bit puzzled by Mouthwashing's visual style, a very intentional use of early-2000s polygon art and textures. Yet, the style isn't there to cut corners. It's a deliberate aesthetic, both serving to make the situation's grim portent more palatable and ironically as a way to amplify the hopeless and desolate atmosphere. I honestly don't think this game could look any different. It would ruin what's happening here.
📽 Demo Moment: This doesn’t belong here…
There is a branch of horror I'd call 'Full Kurtz', though that might be too dated a reference by now. Other examples that come to mind are works like High Rise, Lord of the Flies, The Road, and The Purge. It's that question about what happens when people with no more options start cracking under pressure. That's where Mouthwashing is headed, looking for the worst answers.
It's one of those moments when games venture where few other media would dare. I was expecting something weird. But so far, Mouthwashing is going to be something special. Chilling, but special.
Mouthwashing is listed as Coming Soon.
Explore The Game with Youtube Chapters:
📽 00:52 Lost in space
📽 01:48 A health check
📽 04:15 Endless corridors
📽 07:28 That's creepy
📽 10:39 Meet the crew
📽 14:29 Time to look around
📽 15:26 Hi, Daisuke
📽 17:53 Medbay
📽 20:47 More than a scratch
📽 23:05 Swansea looks like trouble
📽 26:55 What happened here?
📽 28:55 Painkillers
📽 33:01 The right choice?
📽 32:27 Open the cargo bay
📽 35:11 Visions
📽 39:25 All is lost
📽 42:55 Is this a nightmare?
📽 46:40 Very bad vibes...
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