By ELLA SILVA
In a modern media landscape that is oversaturated in almost every sense, I always find it interesting to see what in any field seems to rise above the content cesspool to capture the collective attention of the internet. (or at least a small corner of the internet I’m not so naive to think the collective internet agrees on anything).
Sometimes its a song from a small artist that blows up, or a random movie that people fixate on. In this case, one game has managed to rise above the oversaturated indie horror game genre to go at least semi viral on Tiktok and among the Youtube video essay community. The game? “Mouthwashing.”
“Mouthwashing” is a psychological horror game developed by Wrong Organ and published by Critical Reflex. It’s a first-person action game, and opens with a transport spaceship crashing into an asteroid. It then flashes forward to several months after the crash to show that the entire crew survived the crash, though the captain, Captain Curly, is severely injured and burned. With dwindling supplies and little hope for survival, the crew attempts to keep themselves and the captain alive, while all blaming Curly for the crash. From there on, the game follows a nonlinear storytelling style, having the player live through days and events both leading up to and following the crash as you begin to uncover what really happened aboard the ship.
The gameplay itself is fairly simple, mostly walking around the ship, talking to members of the crew, finding objects, and completing tasks. Low-poly stylized graphics and incredible sound design make this game stand out, allowing players to be immersed in the events even without very challenging gameplay. Before the crash, players see the world from the perspective of Captain Curly, and after they play as previously vice-captain Jimmy, who steps in as captain following Curly’s injury.
While all of these things are cool and combine to create an engaging and unique atmosphere for the game, it is the story that makes this game so compelling, and I think it’s the real reason it’s gained so much popularity since its release.
(Spoilers ahead)
As you play through the game, it begins to weave together several bigger, more systemic issues and how those affect all of the characters in very realistic – if extremely painful – ways. The first large issue tackled by “Mouthwashing” is that of how capitalism and constant advancement hurt the working class. Before the crash, the crew finds out that the company they work for, Pony Express, has gone bankrupt and they are all out of a job. Anya, the only woman on board, has no savings and doesn’t know how she will support herself after they get back. Swansea, the sole provider in his family, worries about how they will make it. Jimmy, however, sees this as Curly betraying them. Because of his position as captain, it will be easy for him to find a different job when they get back, and Jimmy sees this as Curly screwing all of them over and he is extremely angry about it.
This anger at those above you when it is the system at fault is one of the things leading to Jimmy’s anger and actions throughout the game, as well as being a very real issue in the world outside of the game. He sees this failure as emasculating, and insulting.
This need to have power that he doesn’t have also leads to him abusing the power he perceives he has over Anya, by sexually abusing her during their time aboard. This leads to her getting pregnant. Once Jimmy finds out that there’s evidence of his abuse, as well as the fact that he has no job and no power once they arrive back home, he decides the only thing he can do is cause the ship to crash in hopes that all of them die. When no one does, he is left to grapple with the reality of the situation he caused. Which he does by blaming Curly, taking on the title of captain, and taking absolutely zero responsibility for the entire thing.
The game’s titular theme is “take responsibility,” a mantra that flashes across the screen over and over throughout the game. It urges Jimmy to take responsibility of course, but Curly as well who knew about the abuse and did nothing. In the end very little responsability is taken by anyone.
But us, as players, can go into the world and take responsibility in our own ways. We can strive against the power-hungry patriarchal ideals that encourage violent assertions of power, and we can work to not enable those around us to cause more harm. It won’t be easy, of course. But it’s at least worth it to try.
So why, exactly, are people so drawn to “Mouthwashing”? Perhaps it’s the harsh, unflinching portrayal of very real issues, actions, and consequences told through the lens of a compelling story. Or the beauty of a narrative that has many of its themes hidden in subtext that is just simple enough that the average player can figure out what it’s really trying to say. Or maybe we just like a harsh narrative that hurts us like this, if it also makes us think a little bit harder.
Featured Image from “Mouthwashing” via Steam
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