Mouthwashing Review – A Psychological Horror You Can’t Walk Away From

In my early 20s, I used to host F’d Up Movie Night. It was a time for friends to come over and see what obscure and deranged movie I could dig up to see if they could actually finish it. Mouthwashing from developer Wrong Organ has these same qualities. The game is essentially what a group of people would do if they were stranded in space but through a very peculiar lens. The themes drip far beyond this core concept as we dig even deeper to reveal the core mental exhaustion that weighs on this crew, along with a dash of normalcy as time shifts to events before the crash.

Exploring Themes of Leadership and Sanity in Mouthwashing

Mouthwashing takes place in a shipwrecked space freighter, which is now home for the foreseeable future for the stranded five-person crew. Captain Curly is a well-respected pilot who commands every room he’s in. It’s as if a sense of relief befalls the crew whenever he enters a conversation. The second in command would be Jimmy. While the other relationships are present and very impactful, I don’t feel it necessary to explore them in this review due to spoilers. However, the relationship between Curly and Jimmy is one of the most prominent themes.

The ship itself becomes a character, evolving with the crew’s deteriorating mental state.

From the beginning, one would find it difficult to tell these two personalities apart. However, how each of them deals with leadership and strategy ultimately sets them apart. There’s mental and emotional depth across each scene as you follow Jimmy’s path to burnout. There’s no telling what any man would do when all his cards are dealt, and people are still coming to him looking for answers and guidance. His mind is consumed with the craving for respect, and the scenes that follow are cinematically gripping from beginning to end.

A Cinematic Horror Experience Like No Other

While Mouthwashing features some puzzles, I think this game would be better described as a walking simulator that anyone who enjoys psychological horror should play. The game is paced along a timeline of before and after the crash. You get to see the events play out in an order that may confuse you at first, but then everything begins to make sense. Yes, you’ll even figure out why this game is called Mouthwashing. 

Mental and emotional depth shines as the crew’s resolve is tested in this eerie narrative.

However, outside of the cast, the ship is also a character in this tragedy. While playing, you begin to memorize its layout and various nuances. Your memory begins to play tricks on you as you try to remember which period you’re in and the current mental state of the crew. As you progress, the degrading mental state of the crew is put to the test, and you have some very disturbing choices to make. While not explicitly a choice, I guess you could always walk away, but where’s the fun in that? Sure, things get weird, but this is one experience you’ll want to see through.

Puzzle Solving and Exploration in a Haunting Spacewreck

As I mentioned, there are also puzzles in the form of keypads and item mixing. However, the answers are found feet away from the puzzles, so nothing will stump you from seeing this nightmare through. Alternatively, you can collect the crew’s ID cards, which are hidden throughout the game. It’s the only other thing to do besides completing quests that progress the story. I would say you’d be doing yourself a disservice if you didn’t examine the ship whenever possible. There are just subtle changes that show the developer went the extra mile for immersion.

PS1-Style Visuals Fuel the Disturbing Atmosphere

The PS1 polygon character models lend themselves well to this creepy experience. There’s just this looming sense of unease and uncomfortableness about the entire presentation, fueled by the visuals. The sound design is interesting, as some scenes only have sound. So expect to enjoy several scenes of ASMR pill swallowing. The music is also something of a treat as it grounds you in the scenes

Mouthwashing is a game I urge you to play, if only so I can talk with someone else who has played it. For fans of the genre, this isn’t a game you can just watch someone play. Several scenes expect a lot from the player, so I encourage everyone to skip the Let’s Plays and enjoy this nightmarish delight. Sure, the puzzles aren’t really puzzles, and something can be done to improve the level of guidance, but I’ll make a promise and say if ever F’d Up Movie Night makes a comeback, I’ll make all my guests play Mouthwashing.