sweet pool
- December 19, 2018
- Nitroplus
- 9h median play time
Get on SteamSweet Pool is a narrative-driven game that follows Sakiyama Youji, a high school student who experiences strange symptoms and hallucinations after falling ill. As he tries to understand his situation, two other students, Tetsuo and Zenya, take an unusual interest in him. The game features a dark and intense story filled with obsession, conflict, and violence, with the player's choices affecting the outcome. Sweet Pool is not a simple romance but a dark exploration of masculinity and desire.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features a beautifully crafted story that explores deep themes of body horror and psychological trauma, making it a unique experience.
- The art, music, and voice acting are all top-notch, enhancing the overall atmosphere and emotional impact of the game.
- The choice system, which involves selecting between 'Instinct' and 'Reason', adds an interesting layer to the gameplay and character development.
- The Steam version is heavily censored, which cuts out crucial content and can lead to confusion about the plot, making it difficult to fully understand the story.
- Many players have reported bugs with achievements, particularly when using the uncensored patch, which can be frustrating for completionists.
- The game deals with extremely dark themes, including graphic violence and sexual assault, which may not be suitable for all players and can be emotionally distressing.
- story132 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The story of "Sweet Pool" is a complex blend of surreal psychological horror and tragic romance, featuring a well-developed protagonist, Youji, whose journey through dark themes of body horror and emotional turmoil captivates players. While the narrative is engaging and emotionally impactful, it suffers from pacing issues and significant censorship in the Steam version, which removes crucial elements that contribute to the plot's depth. Overall, the game is praised for its unique storytelling, rich character development, and haunting atmosphere, though players are advised to seek the uncensored version for a complete experience.
“A surreal psychological horror story—with an excellent soundtrack highlighting the unease the protagonist feels for most of the time we are with him—that gives way to a tragic love story.”
“The story flows and reveals itself to the player at an ideal pace.”
“There are so many plot points that loop and connect later on and it's just a great story overall; it handles its themes very well and I'm so stunned by how much love was put into this game.”
“Youji is a boring, faceless protagonist who doesn't do much during the story, so every time he was in a bad situation, I was like: 'Well, at least something is going on in your pointless life, dude. You better be grateful.'”
“There are some issues with Sweet Pool: some ways that the dynamics of the gay relationships are depicted—likely due to the author's own fetishizing of them—perpetuate negative stereotypes, and the story ramps up to its grand ending uncomfortably fast compared to the subdued pace of the beginning and middle of the story.”
“The very core of the storyline is reliant on body horror in general and is sexual in nature, so removing it without surgical precision has left the player more than a bit confused.”
- music47 mentions
- 55 % positive mentions
- 45 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its ability to enhance the atmosphere and emotional depth of the story, with many reviewers noting its eerie yet beautiful quality that complements the psychological horror elements. The soundtrack features a variety of compositions, including unique ending songs for each route, and is described as both haunting and immersive, making it a standout aspect of the overall experience. Overall, the music is considered one of the game's strongest features, contributing significantly to its captivating narrative and aesthetic.
“A surreal psychological horror story—with an excellent soundtrack highlighting the unease the protagonist feels for most of the time we are with him—that gives way to a tragic love story.”
“The music reinforced the story greatly and couldn't have matched the events better and been better timed.”
“Not only is the plot amazing, but writing, the quality of translation, art, music—everything is great!”
“Everything from the subdued color palette on the art to the strangely discordant soundtrack projects the atmosphere that the characters inhabit a world that is hostile and off-kilter.”
“Don't even get me started on the soundtrack, the soundtrack is utterly horrifying, in a good way.”
“I really liked the soundtrack, specifically how a note would sound off, which really helped make it ominous.”
- emotional19 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional impact of "Sweet Pool" is profound, with players frequently expressing intense feelings of sadness and empathy for the characters, particularly for the protagonist, Youji. The game masterfully blends horror and emotional depth, leading to moments of both heart-wrenching despair and bittersweet love, leaving a lasting impression on players. Despite its heavy themes and graphic content, many find it to be a uniquely unforgettable experience that resonates deeply on an emotional level.
“However, those issues have only a minor impact on my enjoyment of Sweet Pool; overall, it's an engaging and emotionally impactful story—both in terms of horror and sadness.”
“A wonderful story that made me cry and relish the sweet feeling of love, along with the tears I spilled over some of the endings.”
“Moments of happiness are few and far between, but the emotional highs and lows of the story hit hard regardless.”
- graphics14 mentions
- 57 % positive mentions
- 36 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the artwork and aesthetic as fantastic and reminiscent of early 2000s anime, while others find them repetitive and uninspired. The overall atmosphere, combined with strong sound design and voice acting, enhances the experience, though some users note that the graphic content may not be suitable for all players.
“I enjoyed everything, from the CG graphics, the characters (even the NPCs), the story, the narration is flawless. The sound design and the music are perfectly balanced to make for a very interesting experience.”
“The artwork was wonderful!”
“The visuals are just off enough to add to the horror aesthetic.”
“The graphics are painfully boring and repetitive, with lots of cut scenes to the sky - so I give up.”
“The art kind of has that early 2000s anime aesthetic, and the cast have that very cliché yaoi look with the yaoi hands and everything.”
“In case of this release, you'll buy exactly the same product but with some artwork and voice tracks being cut from the game.”
- atmosphere7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its haunting and immersive qualities, characterized by a subdued color palette, discordant soundtrack, and beautifully crafted visuals. Reviewers highlight the romantic darkness and depth of the narrative, which enhances the overall experience, particularly in the horror genre. However, some note that the effectiveness of the atmosphere can be diminished by censorship, as it relies heavily on grotesque imagery and unsettling elements.
“Everything from the subdued color palette on the art to the strangely discordant soundtrack projects the atmosphere that the characters inhabit a world that is hostile and off-kilter.”
“The story, the characters, the atmosphere; they're all so romantically dark and filled with rich layers of depth.”
“Pros: well written, nicely paced, CG art is beautiful, and the atmosphere of the visuals and sounds really makes this a great horror visual novel.”
“Everything from the subdued color palette in the art to the strangely discordant soundtrack projects an atmosphere where the characters inhabit a world that is hostile and off-kilter.”
“The censorship in Sweet Pool bothered me way more than the censorship in Togainu no Chi, because the atmosphere in Sweet Pool depends on the grotesque imagery and the ugly aspects of it.”
“The story, the characters, the atmosphere; they're all so romantically dark and filled with rich layers of depth.”
- gameplay6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 100 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The gameplay experience is extensive, with players reporting around 50 hours of engagement, though some encountered significant issues such as fatal crashes and save file corruption. The game features a unique mechanic that limits choices to reason or instinct, which some players found intriguing, despite frustrations with unlocking content and minor technical errors. Overall, the gameplay is described as impactful but marred by technical difficulties.
“Almost 50 hours of gameplay, all I can say is that this game changed my life.”
“The lack of explicit choices (you are limited to following your reason or your instincts) is a very unique mechanic!”
“I saw a few grammatical and spelling errors in the short amount I've played, but that's nothing that takes away from the gameplay or the experience of the game.”
“I died at least 20 times during the gameplay.”
“Finally, after about 7 hours of gameplay, it led to a fatal crash that probably corrupted all my saved files because I was unable to launch the game afterwards.”
“With my patch installed, I only managed to unlock 3 out of 12, and there's no way I'm going through the headache of deleting my save files and uninstalling the patch just to unlock the rest after another 14 hours of gameplay.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is frequently criticized, with users reporting numerous bugs related to achievements, occasional freezes, crashes, and even save file corruption. Overall, the aging codebase appears to have been neglected, leading to a frustrating experience for players.
“As other reviewers mentioned, the achievements are buggy.”
“Not only that, but the game code hasn't aged well, and it seems they didn't bother renovating it even slightly. The game runs poorly at times: it freezes occasionally, crashes, and corrupts some of your saves.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 100 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Users indicate that the game's replayability is limited, particularly within a short time frame, suggesting that it may not offer enough incentive for players to return frequently.
“The replay value is pretty low within a shorter time span.”
“Once you've completed the game, there's little incentive to play it again.”
“The lack of varied outcomes makes replaying feel tedious.”
