Mouthole |

Publisher: Anything Nose Productions

Developer: Anything Nose Productions

Release Date: 04/01/2024

Available Exclusively On

Are you afraid of dentists? Most of us are, and the developers even warn you of dentaphobia at the beginning of the game. Your dentist informs you that you have six days to improve the cleanliness of your mouth. This is a very surreal and trippy game that attacks the senses at every second. You can only explore a limited number of levels, and an object that you must find locks each level away. There are multiple endings. You need to meet specific objectives for each ending, but you can’t finish them all at once. It’s imperative to have multiple saves at different stages so you can go back and branch off to another ending.

Even if you explore everywhere and try to figure things out on your own, it’s very difficult to know what to do. Even when your eyes adjust to the insane visuals and haunting sound effects, you will have no idea what to do. Some endings you may stumble upon by accident, while others are more obscure. There is a main area, located inside your mouth, that functions as a kind of branching hub. Once you figure out how to get there, you will only have one of four doors unlocked. Each door has a requirement to be unlocked. Some doors have items you need for certain endings, while others lead to new areas without any items at all. The game lacks significant dialogue and a compelling storyline. This game feels a lot like the LSD Dream Emulator. The PS1-style graphics and audio are a pleasure to behold, and that’s what kept me going. I also sense a hint of humor in the mix. The items are hardly recognizable as belonging to this world.

Once you have explored each area and identified the items present, reaching the endings only becomes a tedious task. While you can do it, the final scene requires you to complete it in three different ways to get all of the true endings. It’s a very slow and tedious ending, and you can’t skip ahead. I found the lack of a cohesive story or characters not very problematic, as the world and the overall ideas in each area are incredibly entertaining. I wish these surreal-style games didn’t rely on being obscure and difficult to understand. This game is nearly impossible to play without a guide.

Overall, if you want a far-out PS1-style game with insane visuals and a weird atmosphere, then this is for you. This is one of the few games in this style in which I actually tried to see all the endings and explore every area. It’s memorable and will stick with you for a long time.