POOLS is extra of an expertise than a recreation. You possibly can technically see it by to completion in about an hour. However amid the brevity of our time with it, there is a palpable sense of ambiance that’ll go away you on edge.
POOLS is an off-kilter horror strolling simulator the place you should navigate complicated mazes of tiled hallways, swimming pools, and slides.
There are not any enemies. There’s no time restrict. There are not any mechanics past strolling or working round these hallways.
However the recreation faucets into the area of interest liminal horror of the “Backrooms” idea, oscillating between tight darkish corridors and abnormally giant areas, with brilliant water slides nearly appearing as leap scares.
There’s one thing extremely unnerving concerning the recreation’s six ranges, which expertly handle to scare the crap out of you with none type of conventional “scary” stuff. It is purely vibes, and so they’ll soak into your pores and skin.
Visually, it is an actual looker on the PS5 and PS5 Professional, emphasised by a superb use of lighting. The sound design, too, although minimal, can actually increase the hairs on the again of your neck.
We scoffed on the recreation’s method after we first booted it up, however inside 20 minutes, we had been twitching on the close by sounds of sloshing water, and nervously approaching large inflatable geese as they bobbed round. There is not any rating right here, so that you nearly begin to suppose you are listening to issues as you wade by the water.
It’s a creepy expertise on PS5, but it surely’s taken to a brand new degree on PSVR2. Mechanically, there isn’t a lot distinction apart from the flexibility to bodily climb up ladders with using the Sense controllers.
Nonetheless, Sony’s headset actually lends itself to the size of the sport. We peered down seemingly countless pits, and twitched round to the sight of ladders being tucked into vents by unseen beings. And there is subsequent to no visible disparity between PSVR2 and the flat display model, making this top-of-the-line visible showcases on Sony’s headset.
Just like another PSVR2 titles, like Kayak VR: Mirage, POOLS is a skinny gameplay expertise, however you aren’t there for that. You’re there to be transported some place else. In Kayak VR, it is stunning vistas. In POOLS, it’s creepy tiled hallways.
So whereas it’s a short-lived expertise, it’s one we couldn’t assist however admire. It actually caters to a distinct segment viewers, but it surely rapidly creates a novel and tense ambiance that performs together with your head, much more so when you might have the PSVR2 strapped to it.
