Exploring the: Mouthwashing Demo

As much mouthwash as there is dread.

Aug 25, 2024

Socials: Twitter | Discord | Youtube | Steam

From the creators of How Fish Is Made comes Mouthwashing, a first-person psychological horror game in which you assume control of Jimmy, a crewmember of the Pony Express Long-haul space freighter that’s stranded in space.

The simple gameplay allows the player to focus on its captivating and intriguing storytelling, as you bounce between Jimmy’s and Curly’s, the ship’s captain, perspectives.

Scenes transition through screen freezing and distortions, and a lot can be discovered through surveying the area, interacting with objects, and paying attention to the dialogue and interactions.

The demo is available here. Also, I highly recommend following their social media, as they interact with their followers and post funny things.

Way Over Your Head

In Tulpar, a Pony Express Long-haul space freighter (think of cargo vessels, but in space), and with five people are delivering a shipment which will take 382 days to complete, and only 147 days have elapsed.

You’re in the medical room as Curly, the ship’s captain and in front of you is Anya, the ship’s new nurse. It’s five days before the crash. You’re getting a psychological evaluation, and as you tell her that the medicine she gave you isn’t solving your sleeping problems, she interrupts,

“Oh, oh, wait, hold on. Sorry.” Anya stumbles her words, “I forgot to recite the company guidelines.”

“We do one of these every two months.”

“But… Company policy…”

“I’ll do you one better,” You say, then sarcastically recite the company guidelines.

“Sometimes you’re a real piece of work, Captain.”

“Ouch,” You say. “You wound me, Anya. If that’s your professional opinion do you think they’ll still let me fly?”

“In my professional opinion…” But before she can finish her sentence, your vision distorts into a mixtures of colors, then forms into the halls of the ship.

There are dim lights bolted into the wall, and large pipes below the metal grate flooring and along the ceiling and wall. There are posters of the company’s mascot on the wall.

As you walk, the pipes begin to rust, and more posters appear, yet, the route stays the same. The doors get dirtier and more posters cover the wall, and as you turn another corner and go through another door, a Polle statue gets in the way. You turn and run. Pipes begin to burst with air and metal sparks, and more doors get in your away. The dim lights turn red as an alarm blares into your ears. You try to open a door, but it doesn’t budge. When you turn around, you see a Polle with multiple limbs and heads before there’s a flash of white.

You fade into the workers longue, two months after the crash. You’re sharing the table with Swansea, the ship’s mechanic, Daisuke, the interning mechanic, Anya, and you’re now Jimmy, the new captain after Curly tried to kill everyone by crashing the ship, stranding everyone in space.

Curly lays on a medical bed, limbless and skinless, wrapped around old bandages, unable to move or speak.

Themes To Note

Oppressive company:

The Pony Express is a company the cares more about the profit than their employees, but tries to conceal it’s oppressive nature through its propaganda. This is evident by the poster seen through the ship that, while they say positive things that promote team cohesion and self-care, in the small fine print below each phrase a warning can be read. One poster tells you to get enough sleep, but in small lettering it says that it shouldn’t be more than 5 hours.

The contrast here between Daisuke, the intern, and Swansea, the veteran employee is palpable. Swansea knows the consequences of searching through the cargo and knows that, even if it could be necessary given the condition they’re on, Pony Express would still forfeit their pay, which would be half a year worth of work.

This surprises Daisuke, and he quickly identifies that it’s Pony Express that has made Swansea think this way. From the posters to mascot, it’s clear that they try to have a friendly face while they exploit their employees for profit.

There’s also a section where you’re able to watch cartoons, and while some channels are silly, such as a dancing skeleton, others deal with job security and companies.

This channel talks about how functional and successful companies can provide everything to their employees. From secure and high wages to savings account and time off to spend with you family. I believe this drives the idea that the only way to have a good life is by working for a successful corporation.

This channel begins with four people fighting, from which we later find out they represent different groups: the laborer is fighting the business owner and yelling “Strike!” and the farmer is fighting, what I believe is, a politician.

A salesman of sorts, named Dr. Utopia, interrupts and offers them a bottle of Ism, which would represent a system, philosophy or ideology, to solve all their problems.

Laborers: higher wages, shorter hours, and job security. (Unionism)
Business owners: increased profits, no strikes, and total control. (Capitalism?)
Farmers: better crops, lower cost, and perfect weather every day. (Agrarianism?)
Politicians (maybe): full government control, not having to worry about votes, naming their own salary. (Authoritarianism)

It’s clear that no ideology can satisfy all groups at the same time, hence, why the salesman is called Dr. Utopia. We’re also able to see how each group’s ideology hampers those they’re fighting.

This channel depicts two employees working on what seems to be a slaughterhouse. The shots are still and rigid with each transition having deep mechanical sound. Mournful mooing is heard as we see the workers work, the meat hooks, and the dangling pieces of meat. It’s unsettling, but I don’t think it’s a coincidence this is shown after the two prior channels.

I believe this has to deal with the idea of doing whatever needs to be done to work on a successful company to leave happy. This could be a job that pays well and offer benefits, as said in the prior channel, but it’s not a cozy one, hence the still and rigid shots, creepy sounds, and mute color.

Mental Health:

It’s clear that something’s happening to the crew on a personal level. From Jimmy’s aggression and Curly’s sleep problems to Swansea bitterness and Anya’s low self-esteem, the ship’s condition will put into stress the already trouble crewmembers.

This ending scene implies a lot. This scene with Jimmy and Anya turns Jimmy into an unreliable narrator, as it implies that he is not mentally stable. The implication that he is a caged animal puts into question who said the phrase in the opening scene where in the bottom it says, “I hope this hurts.”

Jimmy’d dialogue usually comes off as aggressive, which is evident by how he treats Anya.

Also, Curly is having a rough time. Though, he will always keep an eye on you. Or eyes.

Madness And Despair

This game’s full of mind-bending effects, twists and turns, and captivating narrative has a release date of September 26th, and the trailer can be seen here. Be sure to follow their Discord, as they interact with their fans and keep them updated.