156: Mouthwashing (with Ash Parrish)

Tales from the Backlog

Mouthwashing (Wrong Organ, 2024) is a rare horror game that gets scarier after you finish the game. Its nonlinear structure, reality-blurring presentation and subtle (at times) storytelling leave you to put the pieces together yourself. Once you do that, you'll find a strikingly real story where the most unbelievable thing is the fact that it takes place in outer space. We had a great discussion on the show about what this game says about certain types of leaders, what "taking responsibility" means, analogues to the games industry and much more!

Guest info: Ash Parrish, journalist and critic for The Verge.

• Find her work here https://www.theverge.com/authors/ash-parrish
• Follow her on Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/adashtra.bsky.social
• Check out the Insert Credit Show https://www.youtube.com/@insertcreditshow

Content warnings for Mouthwashing: https://www.doesthedogdie.com/media/1312968

TIMESTAMPS

• Title Card 0:00
• Intros/Personal Histories/Opening Thoughts 0:16
• Story Setup/Themes Overview/Presentation 9:30
• Closing Thoughts/Recommendations/Housekeeping 30:54
• SPOILER WALL 37:50

Music used in the episode is credited to Martin Halldin. You can purchase the soundtrack on Steam. Tracks used:

• Main Theme
• Medium Rare
• The Windows are Plastic
• Dragonbreath Theme
• Heroes

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Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://www.instagram.com/jackallencaricatures/ and his other pages

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