“Haunting,” “uncomfortable,” and “disgusting” are three words you wouldn’t expect to describe a game named “Mouthwashing.” Nonetheless, they fit. You will never experience anything like “Mouthwashing,” nor will you forget it. It’s a retro style psychological horror that brutally sinks your expectations and a masterpiece the genre needed for a long time.
“Mouthwashing” occurs in the future aboard a cargo delivery spaceship named the Tulpar during a more-than-a-year long expedition gone awry. It’s also one of the last humanly-manned deliveries in a technological age. For the Tulpar’s humongous size, it’s ironically carrying a crew of five.
Jimmy, the protagonist, is the co-captain struggling to maintain cohesion after Captain Curly is horribly disfigured from a hull breach. In his critical condition, Curly receives the most attention from Anya, the vessel’s nurse who is plagued by stress. Meanwhile, the stubborn middle-aged mechanic Swansea keeps operations afloat as his young intern Daisuke stumbles in his footsteps.
The small cast of characters lets each one shine without clogging the narrative. Their connections and personalities are visible, sometimes even intentionally foggy.
“Mouthwashing” moves all over the timeline, beginning with the most significant event: the Tulpar’s collision with an asteroid, making it unable to fly.
Afterward, you’ll bounce between events before and after the accident. The point-of-view narrator is mainly Jimmy, but some scenes are shown from Curly’s perspective before he becomes incapacitated. The storytelling method is genius: plot threads develop at random points of their yarns, slowly revealing the bigger picture while simultaneously explaining other chapters.
Humanity in “Mouthwashing” is present during most of its pre-accidental parts. Everything is clean, functional, and brightly colored with a funky soundtrack in the background. Everybody’s senses of humor remain intact, and their personal lives are conversation-worthy. You even have a birthday party at one point. Most of the conflicts here are just basic maintenance repairs or crew oversight.
You’ll also learn the origins of the game’s cryptic title early on. The Tulpar’s expedition was purely a mouthwash delivery—crates upon crates of it, too. Why? It doesn’t matter once supplies dwindle, and everyone begins experimenting with it in ways that aren’t definitely listed on the bottle. Besides, when disaster strikes, dental hygiene will be the least of your worries.
Instead, worry about how terror in “Mouthwashing” comes from rendering you uneasy. You’re about to commit a large quantity of acts that you don’t want to do. That’s uniquely innovative. I was too disturbed that I couldn’t flinch at what few jump-scares there were.
Numbing Curly’s suffering via painkillers is an exemplary routine task since he’s unable to do it himself. When Jimmy opens his mouth and force feeds him the pills, the screen blackens as Curly audibly struggles and gasps for air, resisting the pills gagging him.
That can’t compare to other scenes of gruesome survival efforts and bizarre hysteria that populate its post-accidental sections. All of its environment’s cheery blues and yellows get traded for a villainous shade of red, and most of the ship can’t be accessed without breaching the hull again. This claustrophobia and darkness serve as an invitation for paranoia and nightmares to settle in.
People you thought you knew will slowly devolve before your eyes, and it’s here where their relationships and traits are brought to the forefront.
Swansea found Daisuke’s naivety irritating during a normal ventilation repair. What happens if Daisuke slips up now that everybody’s on a deserted spacecraft? Anya was already stressed financially, but how will she remain composed with her life in jeopardy? Through the chaos, Jimmy has to step up to the plate since all Curly can do is watch.
“Mouthwashing” reminds us that hell is, indeed, other people. The game doesn’t need monsters to be frightening when there’s already humans aboard. All it takes is one push for our biggest allies to become our biggest threats.
These characters are under your leadership whether you’re playing Jimmy or Curly. Therefore, what does it mean to take responsibility? Does that mean you should be able to admit any wrongs? Should you be punished for everyone’s mistakes? More importantly, should you punish yourself for yours? Equivocation won’t resolve problems; it only delays judgment.
Holding the game back from perfection are a few puzzles. Some solutions are in obscure places, but they’re really picky about how close you should be to someone or something to interact.
Otherwise, you absolutely must play “Mouthwashing” at least once. Nothing in recent memory has been this abrasive or uncomfortable as this tale of an intergalactic downward spiral. That’s the point: “Mouthwashing” is supposed to leave a bad taste in your mouth after the credits roll, so much so that you can’t simply rinse it out. The game does not only teach valuable lessons, but it also makes for an unforgettable experience.
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