I hope it hurts.
The oddly titled ‘Mouthwashing’ follows a crew of five that are adrift aboard the Tulpar, a long-haul freighter for the Pony Express in the vast reaches of space. They are 147 days into their 382-day trip, and a collision in space sees their captain nearly burned alive, and their vessel dead in its tracks. Mouthwashing captures horror in some intense and subtle ways, and can often border on the bizarre in ways few games have ever done.
Mouthwashing tells its story by moving around in time. Some scenarios play out just days before the disaster, whereas others are in the crashed ship as its halls are filled with foam to prevent a rupture of the hull. This blocks off previously accessible areas of the ship, and as the game progresses its story by moving around in time, with transitions that will make it seem as if your game has crashed, you’ll start to slowly go mad alongside the crew of the Tulpar.
The opening moments of Mouthwashing set the tone as you are running through the cramped hallways of the ship, trying to escape the horrors of a twisted pony mascot that is hunting you down. Work posters about teamwork and work ethics are stamped on the wall, eventually becoming horrific wallpaper that goes on for miles. For as weird as its title itself is, the game doubles down and is one of the most strange and satisfying experiences I’ve ever had in a game.
The events of the story are told from two perspectives; Captain Curly, and his co-pilot, Jimmy. Before the crash, you’ll embody Curly as he attempts to calm the crew down after receiving some bad news from corporate, one that has them exploring just exactly what they are transporting. Once the ship is adrift in space and foam-riddled throughout, you’ll then take over as Jimmy, who is in the role of acting captain. Having these perspectives works well because prior to the crash, Jimmy assumes a lot about Curly and he eventually begins to understand the pressures that Curly was under. It’s an interesting dynamic that is handled here with some superb writing and a wondrous cast that is often incredible.
As Jimmy, you’ll also need to ensure that Curly, who is in a really bad way, scarred and wrapped up in bandages, is given their painkillers. You’ll do this by approaching him, opening his mouth, and then shoving the painkillers down his throat, all while his skinless face is staring you down. It is as sick and disturbing as it sounds. And while you’ll likely wince at the mere thought of it, nothing can prepare for a moment in the game’s final moments, a puzzle so revolting, that it will likely haunt my dreams.
Mouthwashing is a throwback to 90s and early 2000s survival horror games while also paying homage to a selection of movies and television shows. Twin Peaks, Mothered, Skinamarink, and Sunshine, are cited as inspirations the team used to craft this bizarre experience. The team also used an H1N Recorder to record almost all sounds in the game, as well as a wealth of sound libraries noted for the era. Even certain characters are fashioned after actors from other notable horror films such as Anya being based on Shelley Duvall’s Wendy from The Shining.
As the captain, you'll have a code scanner. As it turns out, certain parts of the ship have a black label under a warning sign, indicating this is for the Captain's eyes only. Use the scanner to illuminate the black label, and numbers appear. Input those numbers and you'll be able to grab an axe from a locked glass case or be able to bake a cake. Yeah, I'm not making that last part up. One moment on the ship has the crew celebrating a birthday. As the captain, you'll craft the ingredients for the cake and use the bizarre mixer to fashion the dessert. Hell, even cutting into the cake felt eerie and foreshadowing.
Mouthwashing has moments from having a simple conversation regarding an employee's evaluation to having to provide those painkillers to the wounded Captain. Each segment of the game has you interacting with a member of the crew in some capacity, which tends to lean into moments later on when the game jumps to the days following the crash. While I’ll remain vague on some of the game’s more intense moments, there is one particular event where I covered a gasp escaping from my mouth as I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.
The crew consists of Curly, Jimmy, Anya, Daisuke, and Swansea. Anya is the ship’s medical personnel, even if she lacks the experience to really fulfill the role. She is steadfast in her belief to follow protocol, knowing it is in the best interest of the crew. Swansea is an older and more seasoned worker, assuming they know what is best and often are stubborn in their ways. While Daisuke is a new recruit, Swansea has no faith in their skills and often tends to want to tackle matters in their way instead. Jimmy, the co-pilot may have his issues with Curly, especially after some secrets come to light, but both he and Curly interact in ways that really benefit the story, even if Curly is nothing more than a corpse waiting to die.
When Mouthwashing gets weird, it gets weird. There is the imagery of a pony mascot all over the ship, and posters done up like those you find in your workplace about teamwork and the core values of the business. Every time you walk past the large pony statue in the common room it makes an audible comment, coming across as disturbing and yet equally hilarious. This imagery starts to become the stuff of nightmares as one moment later on you are quietly moving through the lower level in the ship, stalked by a floating horse head.
Visually, Mouthwashing is a treat. It reminds me of the pixelated dark and moody world of Silent Hill. Characters have a particular look to them that really works here and leans into their personality well. The ship is a place you'll get very familiar with, and jumping around in time allows you to really take in the differences between what is blocked off one moment, and what you can explore later in the other. And when I say that the ship is small, it really is, allowing the team to pack each location with a ton of detail, inspired by the likes of the lobby of the Sahara Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada in the 1950s to the claustrophobic halls of a submarine for its cramped hallways.
Mouthwashing is more bizarre than I could have imagined, especially during the game's final puzzle, a grotesque and disturbing moment that will stick with me for a long time. The approach to the game's visuals really sold the atmosphere and tone and took a game that could have fallen flat and really made it something really memorable. In a lot of ways, Mouthwashing feels like someone saw that one scene in Event Horizon (you know the one..) and made a game based around the events that lead up to it, a scenario so intense and yet gruesomely subtle. Mouthwashing is likely not what you think it is, it's far more bizarre than you could possibly imagine.
Developer - Wrong Organ.
Publisher - CRITICAL REFLEX. Released - September 26th, 2024. Available On - PC. Rated - (N/A) - No descriptors. Platform Reviewed - Steam. Review Access - A review code was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review.
Jeff is the original founder of Analog Stick Gaming. His favorite games include The Witcher III, the Mass Effect Trilogy, Hi-Fi Rush, Stellar Blade, Hellbade: Senua’s Sacrifice, and the Legend of Heroes series, especially Trails of Cold Steel III & IV.