POOLS Game Review | A Deep Dive into Liminal Spaces Horror

POOLS invites players on a liminal spaces exploration trip. Much in the nature of Superliminal, this found-footage style horror game is a test of canniness within an uncanny set of pool mazes. There are no puzzles or monsters with limited sounds and mechanics: This is quite a gaming experience that is niche within a niche. Currently, many popular horror games are developed as co-op centered, specifically designed to be enjoyed with multiple people. Tensori stated they see POOLS as “an art gallery styled single player experience“. The following is an almost spoiler-free review of my own experience with the POOLS game.

POOLS is currently available on PC via Itch.io and Steam for $9.79

POOLS by Tensori

Story | Drippy & Trippy Mazes of Pools

POOLS holds a user-tagged genre of ‘Walking Simulator’ on Steam. Now, Death Stranding and Stray come to mind as a near comparative in terms of gameplay but both of those games carried messages of “hope” within the story. POOLS had no clear intimations. Each of the 6 “levels” carry the title “Chapter(s) 1-6” yet there’s no obvious baseline story. The theme is in the name and that’s it. At times, within the mazes there were displays of art that gave an ‘Eyes Wide Shut’ vibe in reference to aesthetic. More on that later. All in all, there is no story for now and not even a backstory for lore’s sake. Just vibes.

Is this a statement art piece? Why here?

Speaking of lore, there is a body of internet folklore that POOLS is greatly reminiscent of. For the uninitiated, The Backrooms is a well-known creepypasta and fictional concept about otherworldly, liminal spaces. Since it’s presumed genesis in 2018/2019, The Backrooms continues to expand it’s purview and mythology in other media. At one point in Tensori’s game, there was patent shout-out to The Backrooms that I found really nice.

Additionally, I was able to find a “Lore Theories” channel in the POOLS discord. Within, there is a very active and spoiler-heavy discourse on the surmised backstory of POOLS. For the curious: I highly recommend that you pay a visit to this Discord channel AFTER completing the game.

Is there more Rubber Duckies than before? Or worse yet, is one following me?

Gameplay | Sodden with Subtlety

The lack of user-interface served well in POOLS immersion. As stated previously, gameplay is one big walkabout. Partially, the game’s marketing touts that it’s a “no jump-scare” horror game. This was NOT the case for me. On a similar note, there were times where I would revisit an area and second guess if it was actually my first time there. Occasionally, I’d look at the ground and see a puddle of water evidently from me but I felt otherwise. Later, I’d surmise if the room structure was rearranged after I’d left it.

I heavily weighed the idea of how much of the horror aspect I was actually imagining during gameplay. Often, I was unsure if my eyes were playing tricks on me or if there was paranormal activity. The whole ambiance was impressively spooky despite the otherwise innocent front in each level.

One of the several “What is THAT?” moments within the POOLS game

Graphics | Dank Quality

Tensori leaned strong into the minimalist vibes. Harkening back to The Backrooms concept the aesthetics complemented the creepy atmosphere surely when intended. POOLS had some serious “WTF” moments with the handful of art displays throughout the chapters. The overall game may give an impression that the visual environments are graphically top-tier but unimaginative. Without giving any spoilers, I had genuine “WOW” moments just being in awe of my surroundings. For a horror game about pools where the levels could easily come off as dull and sterile, Tensori created 6 levels of a beautifully dreamy – or nightmarish – world.

Screenshots do no justice here. POOLS utilizes shadows, textures, and reflections with great care in every nook and cranny.

A very large and contemplative art piece.

Audio | Imbued with Sound

I was both moved and disturbed by the audio. That being said, POOLS is a prime example of great sound design. Noise occurrences were natural to the environment yet there is a super-natural quality to the overall ambiance. There’s also something special in how the audio engaged my spatial awareness. For example, I was often compelled to turn around to see if there was anybody (or anything behind me). If I was standing under a fluorescent light, there was a buzzing or a hum from above. If I walked by an air vent that I did not see at first, I could gauge where it was without seeking for it. Now, these may seem like minor details but they were extremely effective.  All of these bits of sounds mixed in with the intermediate dead silence made less of a horrific – more of a spooky atmosphere.

Too often, great sound design can be invisible. With POOLS, how the player is perceiving the environment is where the horror lies. For a game that was created as a single-player experience, I was constantly questioning whether I was really alone in-game or if I was just overthinking it. According to the credits, all 4 developers played a hand in the audio design.