sweet pool

About

Sweet 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.

Genres & Tags

Adventure

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

88%

Audience ScoreBased on 204 reviews

story46 positive mentions

stability2 negative mentions

The game features a haunting and emotionally impactful story that explores themes of body horror and madness, leaving a lasting impression on players.
The visuals and soundtrack are stunning, enhancing the overall atmosphere and experience of the game.
The character development is deep and complex, with players feeling a strong connection to the protagonist and their struggles.

The Steam version is heavily censored, which detracts from the story and can leave players confused about key plot points.
Achievements are bugged when using the uncensored patch, leading to frustration for players who want to complete the game fully.
The game contains extremely dark themes, including violence and sexual assault, which may not be suitable for all players.

story
147 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
65%
4%
The story of "Sweet Pool" is a complex and haunting narrative that intertwines themes of body horror, psychological tension, and tragic romance, often leaving players emotionally impacted. While the game features a unique structure with a central love interest and multiple endings that feel like variations of the main story, the heavy reliance on explicit content is deemed essential for understanding the plot, leading to significant issues with the censored version. Despite its dark themes and some pacing concerns, many players find the storytelling, character development, and atmospheric elements to be beautifully crafted and deeply engaging.
- “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.”
- “The story, the characters, the atmosphere; they're all so romantically dark and filled with rich layers of depth.”
- “Instead, the multiple bachelors are nothing more than an extension of the story and main love interest 'Tetsuo'.”
- “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.”
music
52 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
52%
42%
6%
The music in "Sweet Pool" is widely praised for its ability to enhance the game's atmosphere, with many reviewers noting its eerie yet beautiful quality that complements the story's psychological horror elements. While some found the soundtrack to be less cohesive than previous titles from the studio, the overall consensus is that the music is a standout feature, effectively reinforcing the emotional weight of the narrative and contributing to the immersive experience. Additionally, the inclusion of unique ending songs and adjustable volume settings for music and voices further enriches the gameplay.
- “The music is fantastic.”
- “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.”
- “The OST this time felt very haphazard.”
- “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 soundtrack is utterly horrifying, in a good way.”
emotional
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of "Sweet Pool" is profoundly impactful, eliciting strong feelings of sadness and horror that resonate deeply with players. Many reviewers express that the game made them cry, highlighting its ability to evoke empathy for the characters' struggles and desires for happiness amidst a dark narrative. While the emotional weight can be overwhelming, it is also celebrated for its unique storytelling and exploration of complex themes related to growth and transformation.
- “But no game ever has made me feel the way Youji and the other characters made me.”
- “A wonderful story that made me cry and relish the sweet feeling of love, and 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.”
graphics
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
53%
29%
18%
The graphics of "sweet pool" receive mixed reviews, with many praising the breathtaking artwork and unique art style that enhances the story's atmosphere. While some find the visuals captivating and well-suited to the narrative, others criticize them as repetitive and lacking excitement. Overall, the game's aesthetic, combined with its music and sound design, contributes significantly to the immersive experience.
- “The artwork is breathtaking and suits the writing and atmosphere of the story so well; the characters are (mostly) lovable and well written, and don't even get me started on the soundtrack.”
- “I enjoyed everything, from the CG graphics, the characters (even the NPCs), the story, the narration is flawless, the sound design and the music; everything is perfectly balanced to make for a very interesting read.”
- “As for what it is, the translation is fantastic, the music is stunning, and 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.”
atmosphere
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
22%
22%
The atmosphere of the visual novel is widely praised for its unparalleled tone, breathtaking artwork, and a hauntingly beautiful soundtrack that enhances the story's romantic darkness. Reviewers highlight the effective use of a subdued color palette and discordant sounds to create a sense of unease, making the characters' world feel both hostile and richly layered. Overall, the combination of well-written characters, stunning visuals, and immersive audio contributes significantly to the game's impactful atmosphere.
- “The artwork is breathtaking and suits the writing and atmosphere of the story so well; the characters are (mostly) lovable and well written, and don't even get me started on the soundtrack.”
- “The story, the characters, the atmosphere; they're all so romantically dark and filled with rich layers of depth.”
- “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 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, on the ugly aspects of it.”
gameplay
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The gameplay offers nearly 50 hours of immersive experience, with a unique mechanic that limits players to following either reason or instinct. However, some users have reported significant issues, including fatal crashes that can corrupt save files and frustrations with unlocking content due to patch limitations. Despite minor grammatical errors, these do not detract from the overall gameplay experience.
- “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.”
- “With my patch installed, I only managed to unlock 3/12, 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.”
- “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.”
- “I kms at least 20 times during the gameplay.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is notably poor, with frequent bugs affecting achievements and overall performance. Players report occasional freezes, crashes, and even save file corruption, indicating a lack of updates or maintenance to address these issues.
- “As the 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 a little bit. The game runs poorly at times: it freezes occasionally, crashes, and corrupts some of your saves.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Character development is perceived as occasionally overshadowed by the presence of unconventional elements, such as the "omegaverse" flesh demons, which some players feel detract from the depth and engagement of the characters.
- “I found the parasite 'omegaverse' esque flesh demons to be a bit much for my own personal taste at times, sometimes even detracting from the scenes or character development entirely.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
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 go back and play it again.”
- “The lack of varied outcomes makes replaying feel more like a chore than an enjoyable experience.”