One button. One dream. One star (just kidding, I'll give it two for effort).

Platformer that is inspired by Mario, Yooka-Laylee, Banjo Kazooie etc. It's not exactly inspired with "costumes", a character/ability switching gimmick many remember from Donkey Kong 64. However, balance is thrown out of wack because the abilities overlap. "One button does everything" means you can't jump when you really want to unless you have the proper costume. Dialogue is in Japanese only. Levels are cutely presented, short and to the point, but some things aren't possible to accomplish until you unlock the proper costume. Story makes positively no sense, everybody dances one of two available songs when the darkness is purged. Difficulty isn't exactly consistent. Soundtrack and people memeing farmer Sneed are two redeeming factors - but not much else is good about this game.

Welcome to our OOL. Notice how there's no "P"?

Seriously though, POOLS is a walking simulator (e.g: Gone Home) with emphasis on navigating a maze-like level similar to Anemoiapolis: Chapter 1, except this one isn't procedurally generated. Levels take about 15-20 minutes to get through, since they're assembled in a labyrinthine manner and often have you going through some pretty tight spaces that play on vibes.

Is it scary? Not really. Apparently the whole Backrooms/Liminal Spaces gives zoomies PTSD, but this is oddly relaxing, almost therapeutic. The random sounds are dread-inducing, and present themselves just enough to earn a "psychological horror" tag.

If you walk into total darkness, jump off into the "deep end", or wade into the spiral pit on Level 2, the game rewinds time prior to you doing such actions. The goal is to finish the level though, and this gentle nudge reminds you of your 'mortality' without further penalty.

Like the Backrooms games, POOLS' greatest strength is its atmosphere. The chromatic aberration, lens distortion, film grain, reflection, light diffusion, and ambient occlusion all work in tandem to fool you, if just for a moment, into thinking you're not playing a Unity game. However, like its ancient ancestor Gone Home, if walking simulators annoy you, this one may too.