Pools
Walking simulator. Explore, admire and listen. Uncanny. Relaxing. Unnerving. Eerie. Immersive. No monsters chasing you or jumping at your screen, but can feel oppressive at times by invoking fears of getting lost, the dark, tight spaces and liminal space architecture. Inspired by backrooms.
SimulationAdventure
Released
26 Apr 2024
2 years ago
PlayStation VR2PCPlayStation 5MacNintendo SwitchPlayStation 5 ProNintendo Switch 2Nintendo Switch LiteNintendo Switch OLED
N/A
VGDB Score
Be the first to review
95%
Overwhelmingly Positive
Overview
Summary
Walking simulator. Explore, admire and listen. Uncanny. Relaxing. Unnerving. Eerie. Immersive. No monsters chasing you or jumping at your screen, but can feel oppressive at times by invoking fears of getting lost, the dark, tight spaces and liminal space architecture. Inspired by backrooms.
Description
About This Game
One could say POOLS is like an art gallery where you look around and listen to the sounds. Very few things to accomplish or solve, practically a few mazes. Sometimes POOLS can challenge your navigation skills. But mostly you're just... there.
Note: There are no monsters chasing you or jumping suddenly towards you, but the game can feel oppressive. POOLS plays on fears of getting lost, the dark, and tight spaces.
The game has no user-interface and no dialogue. No background music. Instead, the game uses sounds to make you feel like you're really there. The sounds and echo change depending on the room you're in. Walking in water is slower. All of these things makes the game feel more real and creates a tense atmosphere.
There's no typical story, no characters to meet, and you won't find any notes in game. But as you explore and advance further, you start to notice that the game's world changes around you. Rooms look and feel different. Each chapter has something unique. Constantly you're exploring new places, each with its own kind of mystery.
Base game has six unique chapters, each taking 10 to 30 minutes to play.
POOLS is inspired by a internet phenomenons "Liminal spaces", "Found footage" and "Backrooms" - specifically "Backrooms Pools" or "Poolrooms".
One of the original artists behind the Poolrooms concept is Jared Pike.
Other inspirations include:
Note: There are no monsters chasing you or jumping suddenly towards you, but the game can feel oppressive. POOLS plays on fears of getting lost, the dark, and tight spaces.
The game has no user-interface and no dialogue. No background music. Instead, the game uses sounds to make you feel like you're really there. The sounds and echo change depending on the room you're in. Walking in water is slower. All of these things makes the game feel more real and creates a tense atmosphere.
There's no typical story, no characters to meet, and you won't find any notes in game. But as you explore and advance further, you start to notice that the game's world changes around you. Rooms look and feel different. Each chapter has something unique. Constantly you're exploring new places, each with its own kind of mystery.
Base game has six unique chapters, each taking 10 to 30 minutes to play.
POOLS is inspired by a internet phenomenons "Liminal spaces", "Found footage" and "Backrooms" - specifically "Backrooms Pools" or "Poolrooms".
One of the original artists behind the Poolrooms concept is Jared Pike.
Other inspirations include:
- Matt Studios: Poolrooms videos from 2022
- Mortain Colors
- Anemoiapolis: Chapter 1 by Andrew Quist
- Kane Pixels: The Backrooms (Found Footage)
