Screenshots & trailers
What players say
Why the number is what it is: aspect mentions counted across 334 sampled Steam reviews (301 positive / 33 negative), recent and most-helpful. Plain keyword counting, fully reproducible; nothing here is written by a machine.
What positive reviews talk about
- Story & writing34% mention it
- Visuals & art6% mention it
- World & exploration5% mention it
What negative reviews complain about
- Story & writing58% mention it
- Visuals & art27% mention it
Satisfaction by hours played
Same score, different games: see how sentiment holds up the longer people play.
Under 5h
89%
302 reviews
5-15h
100%
29 reviews
Review sentiment over time
Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.
How this score was computed
The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.
| Component | Positive | Quality (0-100) | Weight (pseudo-reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press reviews (OpenCritic) | – | 84 | 44 |
| Creator reviews (1 tracked) | – | 100 | 2 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 95% | 90 | 1000 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | 83 | 120 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 93% | 87 | 3000 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: since the last significant patch (Jan 30, 2025) · 300 reviews sampled · 13015 total reviews in window · weighted 100.1 up / 7.3 down · computed 1h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (34)
Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.
- 100
“Mouthwashing is a psychological horror game that, without a doubt, earns the “psychological” part of its designation. Within a futuristic setting is a contemporary story containing multiple themes of ghastly relatability. I cannot think of another game that upset me to this degree. It spoke so intimately to my personal trauma that playing it felt awful - and I mean that as a compliment, I truly do...It hurts. And it’s beautiful.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“Mouthwashing is an incredibly visceral sci-fi horror experience that delves into the dark abyss of the human condition, and the few short hours you spend with its stranded space crew will chill you to your core. ”
read full review ↗ - 87
“While Mouthwashing certainly won’t be for everyone, its unsettling sights and slow-burn narrative are difficult to scrub from memory. It builds toward brutal reveals with style and purpose as its fragmented storytelling forces us to fill in the gaps, its suggestions of violence are often worse than the real thing. It has plenty of terrifying sights, but perhaps its scariest element is how it puts us in the headspace of someone committing increasingly awful acts, all conveyed via distressing moments of interactivity that make you feel complicit in the butchery. Through its portrayal of desperation and crushing guilt, Mouthwashing is as cold as the vacuum of space.”
read full review ↗ - 100
“As a fan of surreal horror the game's atmosphere captivated me from the start. The PlayStation 1-esque look is tailor-made for me and the game's narrative design is incredibly well executed. The story keeps you hooked until the end and aside from a few technical glitches, there's really nothing I can find to criticize about the game. Mouthwashing is exactly the fresh mouthwash you need after AAA titles like the Silent Hill 2 remake to reawaken the beautifully disturbing and creative facets of horror.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“It’s hard to talk about Mouthwashing without giving away some of its more disturbing revelations and scenes. Yet those are the ones that stayed with me the most. The refrain in the game, that a person’s worst moments don’t define them or make them a monster, is something to keep in mind as the truth of what happened, along with the frayed mental states of the Tulpar crew, unravel over the course of the story.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“A taut, time-hopping horror game that playfully subverts expectations at every step, and is all the more refreshing for it.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Mouthwashing is an impactful game, telling a bleak story about an ill-fated crew and how the game's greatest horrors live amongst them.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Mouthwashing is more bizarre than I could have imagined, especially during the game's final puzzle, a grotesque and disturbing moment that will stick with me for a long time. The approach to the game's visuals really sold the atmosphere and tone and took a game that could have fallen flat and really made it something really memorable. Mouthwashing is likely not what you think it is, it's far more bizarre than you could possibly imagine.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“Mouthwashing, a psychological horror survival story set on a marooned starship, is both terrifying and thoughtful.”
read full review ↗ - 88
“MOUTHWASHING is a rare horror gem that taps into psychological fears rather than relying on cheap thrills. Its ability to unsettle and disturb is enhanced by an ever-shifting visual style that reflects the characters' fragile minds. Although short in length, the game compensates with a memorable experience that stays with you long after the credits roll. The overall execution of story, atmosphere, and gameplay earns MOUTHWASHING its place for being one of the most thought-provoking horror experiences in recent memory.”
read full review ↗ - 87
“My favorite horror game of 2024, and one of the year's best narratives, period.”
read full review ↗ - 100
“Mouthwashing is everything that you want from a horror game, especially for those of us who get such a nostalgic kick from the game design. The story is impossible to walk away from and equally impossible to forget about. It is scary and unsettling without having to rely on cheap jump scares or overly gorey elements. It’s a must-play and then a must-replay, period.”
read full review ↗
The Jimquisition
Paste Magazine
Siliconera
Eurogamer
GameLuster
Analog Stick Gaming
Rely On Horror
Game8
PC Gamer
Six One Indie…and 22 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- Mouthwashing — A little update and a big community spotlightJan 30, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- Mouthwashing — Thank you for playing!Oct 7, 2024significant · resets scoring window
- Updated Demo — More Localizations!Aug 22, 2024
- Updated Demo — New LocalizationsJul 23, 2024