POOLS™ vs The Dialogue

Explore, admire and listen. That’s it. Uncanny. Relaxing. Unnerving. Eerie. Immersive. POOLS isn’t a traditional game. it’s slow, reflective, and intentionally uneventful, perhaps a bit like virtual museum. So take your time. Breathe. POOLS unfolds slowly, rewarding patience and quiet attention. No monsters chasing you or jumping at your screen. Yet it can feel oppressive at times by invoking quiet fears of getting lost, the dark, tight spaces and the strange beauty of liminal space architecture. There's no typical story. But as you explore and advance further, you start to notice that the game's world changes around you, deeper you go… Rooms look and feel… different. Base game features six chapters, each lasting 10-30 minutes. Inspired by the internet phenomena Liminal spaces, Found footage and The Backrooms, especially the Poolrooms concept. One of the original artists behind the Poolrooms concept is Jared Pike.

Everyone's felt it. As a child: the certainty something lived in your closet. The shadow-shape watching from the hallway. The absolute knowledge that if you didn't pull your feet under the covers, something would grab your ankle. As an adult: that crawling sensation when you're alone. The feeling of being observed through windows. The presence that makes you check behind the shower curtain even though you know nothing's there. You learned to ignore it. To call it imagination, paranoia, anxiety. But what if it was real the whole time? In Dialogue With The Monster: Mirror, that feeling answers back. A mirror in a dark room begins to speak. It watches you. Learns from you. Adapts to you. Every response reveals more about the thing behind the glass, and about the parts of yourself you hoped not to face. What will you say when the darkness speaks to you? Content Warning: This experience deals with themes of psychological manipulation, isolation, depression, and unhealthy relationship dynamics. Player discretion is advised. Terms of service: https://taalaydev.github.io/files/dwtm-mirror-terms.html