Mouthwashing

Mouthwashing is one of the shortest horror games I've played but it's going to stay with me for a very long time. Bleak, nasty, and downright scary, it has a lot to say and doesn't hold back.

Mouthwashing is a masterclass in psychological horror, featuring phenomenal writing and striking imagery that is sure to leave you awed, inspired, and utterly terrified.

Mouthwashing is a must-play horror experience and has cemented Wrong Organ as a team to continue to watch moving forward.

Mouthwashing captivates with its eerie atmosphere, gripping narrative, and tense psychological horror. While some mechanics falter, it’s a memorable, haunting indie gem of 2024.

While a sorrowful game like What Remains of Edith Finch chooses to end on more of a “life is short, but beautiful” angle, the opposite can be said here: Mouthwashing waits until the last minute to deliver its final, devastating punchline. Even if the gameplay here isn’t revolutionary, it’s hard not to be drawn by the gravity of games that “go big on story” (like how Yoko Taro games tend to revel in delightfully twisted storytelling). After a certain point, you simply can’t look back and need to see how this ends, even if it’s all in tears. But the best parts of Mouthwashing have sat in my mind for a while now, and Wrong Organ has quickly established itself as a developer worth keeping a creepy, unblinking eye on.

Despite Mouthwashing’s unsettling atmosphere, this immersive tale will make you want to take responsibility for the Tulpar – just make sure to approach with a fresh, open mind.

Mouthwashing is grimy, uncomfortable, and incredibly compelling. The genuinely unpleasant actions you’re forced to perform may be deeply unsettling (and at times a little frustrating), but they aren't gratuitous, used to make powerful points in a way games are uniquely suited to. Combine that with a smart lo-fi visual style, eerily muffled sound design, and simple but direct writing and Mouthwashing paints a picture of who we can be in our worst moments – and it doesn’t let us get away with it.

It’s hard to talk about Mouthwashing without giving away some of its more disturbing revelations and scenes. Yet those are the ones that stayed with me the most. The refrain in the game—that a person’s worst moments don’t define them or make them a monster—is something to keep in mind as the truth of what happened, along with the frayed mental states of the Tulpar crew, unravel over the course of the story.

Because its grim, fatalist essence played devious games with my mind, Mouthwashing became one of my most nightmarish game experiences. The sparks that sprayed down as I ran through otherwise pitch-black corridors augmented a feeling of panic and claustrophobia.

Mouthwashing is an existential horror show with unique visual effects, brutal dialogue, and surreal consequences that kept my eyes locked to the screen for the entire three-hour playtime.

My favorite horror game of 2024, and one of the year's best narratives, period.

A psychological horror narrative adventure that forgoes combat and jump scares in favor of atmospheric tension and well-written dialogues, enhanced by its PS1-style visuals and glitch-like transitions. While some moments feel unnecessarily prolonged and the pacing can be inconsistent, its brief but intense story and unsettling setting make it a standout experience for fans of the genre.

Quotation forthcoming.

Mouthwashing is an incredibly visceral sci-fi horror experience that delves into the dark abyss of the human condition, and the few short hours you spend with its stranded space crew will chill you to your core.

Mouthwashing delivers an unsettling, cinematic spacewreck horror experience with a unique narrative exploring leadership and mental exhaustion. While the puzzles offer little challenge, the gripping storyline and atmospheric PS1-inspired visuals create an unforgettable psychological horror. Ideal for fans of walking simulators with a twist, this game explores disturbing themes that you won't easily forget.

Mouthwashing is a difficult but engrossing experience, a work of surreal horror invoking the cinema of David Lynch and Dario Argento, but also extremely functional as a game, or at least a study of what games are and what they want us to do. That titles like this are still being made and have global distribution is one of the few bright spots in a depressing year for the games business. Book yourself in for a flight as soon as possible, you will and won’t regret it.

Mouthwashing is a short but intense experience, with original storytelling, a haunting atmosphere, and some gameplay limitations that don’t overshadow a title that stands out in the indie scene.

A taut, time-hopping horror game that playfully subverts expectations at every step, and is all the more refreshing for it.