After spending just 20 minutes immersed in the Steam Next Fest demo, it became abundantly clear to me that Mouthwashing stands as the most psychologically twisted horror game of 2024 thus far.
Before delving deeper, it’s crucial to issue a content warning for both the game itself and this review. Mouthwashing delves into themes such as suicide, cannibalism, alcoholism, and other deeply disturbing subjects.
Picture yourself stranded aboard a failing spacecraft in an uncharted sector of space. Now, envision discovering that your ship’s captain intentionally placed you and your crew in this dire predicament because he no longer wished to live.
With oxygen and food supplies rapidly depleting, you find yourself utterly helpless, left to dwell on the captain’s betrayal and the seemingly inevitable and solitary demise looming ahead.
Disturbing scenario, isn’t it? Now, compound it by stumbling upon the cargo hold, only to find it filled solely with thousands of bottles of alcohol-based mouthwash. To make matters worse, you realize two dreadful truths: mouthwash is your sole source of sustenance, and your doomed expedition was merely a ploy to transport products for a massive space corporation.
This forms the foundation of Mouthwashing, an upcoming narrative-driven first-person horror game from indie developer Wrong Organ, known for their nihilistic and critically acclaimed indie horror title How Fish is Made released in 2022.
Having experienced around 20 minutes of the demo, I was genuinely rattled by the game’s intensity, visuals, gameplay, and thematic elements – not to mention the haunting conclusion. Without giving away spoilers, I can confidently say I’ll never view a cake in the same light again.
Attempting to dissect the intricate metaphors of soulless corporatism embedded within Mouthwashing would do a disservice to its developers, but it’s undeniable that this game carries profound messages.
While the initial impression might suggest it’s merely another run-and-hide horror experience – and there’s nothing inherently wrong with that – by the demo’s conclusion, you’ll find yourself questioning everything and everyone.
One aspect that particularly impressed me in the Mouthwashing demo was its adept utilization of character development to amplify the already staggering stakes. In just half an hour of gameplay, each character felt as though they had lived entire lifetimes, now thrust into what could only be described as the worst imaginable scenario in the universe.
The sparse yet impactful soundtrack and evocative visuals reminiscent of the PS2 era serve to heighten the pervasive sense of dread, which escalates relentlessly, almost exponentially, until the demo’s conclusion.
At that point, there’s an inescapable realization that things are bound to worsen as you confront the unfathomable repercussions of relying solely on mouthwash to survive aboard a leaking spacecraft adrift in the vast void of space.
A succinct excerpt from the game’s Steam page aptly encapsulates its essence: “In the space freighter industry, there’s a saying: ‘Hope to die, or for goodness sake, pray that everyone else did.'”
