TwiceBittenBacklog Mouthwashing Review

“My conscience is minty-fresh.” Mouthwashing is a fantastically written piece of drama contained within a decent horror walking sim. Note that this game is best enjoyed blind, and I will be vague in order to avoid spoilers. The short of it is - you should play it. Mouthwashing is not unique in it’s setting, themes, or ideas. I suspect we are all familiar with the “dystopian corpo-world”, the “horror fueled mind-palace” and the PSX-esque graphical stylings that have become ubiquitous in the indie space. But novelty is not synonymous with quality and Wrong Organ utilizes these comfortable, familiar spaces with aplomb. What truly sets Mouthwashing apart is its writing. In a medium where story is graded on a bell-curve, where “- for a video game” is a common qualifier, Wrong Organ sloughs off the handicap and successfully tells a story that could rival a piece of cinema or a beloved short-story. The player’s hand is not held, and themes intertwine with multiple elements of the plot, smartly layering itself. If I had a nitpick, it would be in a specific visual flourish. The frequent Evangelion-styled text flashes that literally state the primary theme to the players face. As subtle as a brick, that. This writing is primarily illustrated through dialogue from the games small cast. Five characters, each fulfilling a role to the games central theme. Strikingly designed, whether being an homage to a horror star legend, or a character who is more corpse than man. Each is fully realized in personality, history, and their part to play during the games brief time. The gameplay elements, however, are where the flaws begin to show, like cracks in a ship’s hull. I’ve never been one to enjoy the “do some mundane collecting and combining of items to feel like you’re part of the setting” style of adventure game. Not quite a puzzle, but not something that can be accomplished on auto-pilot either. Busy work. A time waster. One aspect I would never ask to be stripped away however, is the medication scenes. That is the highlight of interactivity - what justifies the medium of video game for Mouthwashing. Part of me wishes it was the only interactive piece, outside of walking and talking, as it is such an outstanding image that deserves focus. The other flaw is in the final sections, where the horrors of the mind-palace sell past the close. I had garnered what the game wanted to tell me long before it stopped showing me routine scares pulled from its bag of horror-tricks. The most unforgivable sin is a shooting segment that felt largely disconnected aesthetically and in gameplay from the rest of the experience. Worse, it was not revealing any new information about the story or character. Like gilding a lily twice over. Music is well done. Haunting, ethereal, and appropriately synthy. Martin Halldin’s approach is perfectly complimentary to the lonely, hopeless setting. Many tracks utilize this noise like a pitch shifted oscillating wail. Other tracks might play a beautiful piano score, or an ironically uplifting beat when appropriate. It’s good stuff. What stops any flaws from feeling fatal is how amazing the writing is at the core of this drama. If you stripped all the horror segments away, there would still be an excellent story being told here. One that I highly recommend experiencing for its small asking price in both money and time. A strong 8 out of 10 experience.