Pools launches on iOS today to haunt you with a lingering sense of dread
Stillness is all there is
- Explore pristine hallways and quiet pools
- Walk around amidst the emptiness
- There's no one watching you, apparently
This is probably just the last tendrils of that Halloween spirit still clinging onto me, but Pools feels like an incredibly apt release for mobile this week - mainly because it's got that sense of lingering dread that you'll never be quite sure about.
Now, with a title like "Pools", you might be wondering what exactly makes an artificial body of water so darn creepy. But that's just the thing - throughout the whole exploration game, there's an unsettling nothingness that follows you everywhere you go, and that alone would send chills down anyone's spine (I know they would mine).
In any case, Finnish developer Tensori has launched this surreal experience onto iOS today after it was announced last month, offering plenty of liminal spaces for you to dive into if you're somehow eager to creep yourself out while you're queuing up for some ramen or you're getting ready for bed (and keen on getting some nightmares going). It's supposed to give you that sense of being "forever stuck at 3AM, forever abandoned", which I can't, for the life of me, find any scarier. I've also got a debilitating phobia of sea creatures and deep water, so that might be it.
Although there are no beastly fiends or legions of the undead pounding at the door here, I'd say it's still equally eerie. If you're keen on knowing more about the devs though, you can join the community of followers over on Instagram for all the latest updates. You can also head on over to the official website for more info on this supposedly "meditative" romp through empty hallways and never-ending stillness.
Oh, and by the way, the official press release also recommends that you "bring headphones. Stay a while. And don’t worry - there’s no one watching you here."
Make of that what you will.
