There’s something extremely daring when a developer of a horror game just admits up front, on the cover of the damn game box, that the game in question has zero monsters in it. Nothing will chase you. Nothing lurks in the shadows. And no, this is not an elaborate prank when we actually go ‘sike!’ because, actually, there was a monster, and we just didn’t want to spoil it for anyone for greater shock value. No such cheap tactics or sleight of hand here. In pools, there are no monsters, but that’s okay, says the developer. We can say it out loud and smirk devilishly, twirling the end of our evil mustache, knowing well that while they didn’t code in any into the game, the players' minds will make a dozen of them, handily enough, to torment their every moment within the eerie and sterile spaces that Pools will haunt us with.
On the surface, Pools is a very basic game. A walking sim, through and through, with rudimentary puzzles and enjoyment coming from each peculiar area being a bit of a mind-boggling maze. Simple enough, really. If not for the extreme, oppressive nature of the places we visit. The concept of exploring liminal spaces in games is hardly new. There are games like Backrooms or Lidar.exe that explore the concept well enough, but while liminal spaces of strange geometries and monotone terror play a big role, they are rarely the main focus, the key actor at play. In pools, the cold tiles, the sloshing of water, the distant booming wailing, and the occasional strange noise combine with strange, unreal geometries, bending unto themselves, mazes, and scattered objects to slowly but surely squeeze your brain into a sweaty tension, a low-humming but ever-present sense of cold, unreal dread.
You might know, well ahead, mentally, that yes, there is no monster chasing you. No gnarly abomination is trying to nibble at your juicy soul. And yet, the game lied to you, for the architecture itself is the monster. It doesn’t chase you. I can’t hurt you. But it will strengthen your mental fortitude by forcing loops and repetitions. By drowning you in the droning quietness of spaces too vast, too long, or too cramped, By lulling your senses with the monotony of tiles to such a degree that a single spot of sudden color may startle you into rapid breaths, It’s hilarious, in a very spooked way, how even the act of sliding down a fun water slide can become an experience in fear of the unknown when you finally emerge from the coiling tube into nothing—no audience. There are no other sounds than your splashing. No other company than your steps.
In short, it manages to create a deeply unnerving atmosphere with beautiful ease, where you will feel antsy to turn back when dark corners hold terrors that just aren’t there, but they are real enough for you. It’s pretty sublime how this might be the ideal horror game for people who would like to dip their little toe in the genre to see if they might enjoy the thrill. It might not be very representative of the horror games at all, but it is a very comfortable teacher of tension and dread, where you can face those feelings knowing well that they are not going to be exploited by some jump scare or sudden event that is designed to get your adrenaline buzzing in your system.
It’s not a long game at all. Two to three hours at maximum should engage you in its soft, eerie grip. While the levels can be a bit confusing and a little mazelike, you will sooner or later stumble upon the exit by sheer exploration and wish to check every corner and nook. In addition, pools offer a subtle system telling you about the corridors and rooms you’ve already visited by letting your steps drop wet spots on the cold tiles, giving you a minor visual indicator to know that, yes, you've been here before. This lets you excise bit by bit from the route places you have already checked out, narrowing your options and gently tugging you towards the stage exit. In short, the game wants you to finish it.
Pools are a great dip into the eerie and the uncanny, where you can go into the safe, shallow waters and sink under them to feel their cold grasp around you to experience a modicum of dread that will give you the thrill your mind might crave. If soft dread and fun labyrinths are to your liking, this is a game you shouldn’t skip, unless you are hydrophobic, in which case you might stay well away.
And don’t forget your floaties.
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