Release date: 2026
Version played: PC (via Steam) in 2026
Developed and published by Oneul Bros, Pool Loop is a 2026 first-person anomaly hunting game akin to Exit 8, Cabin Factory and so many more. You are trapped in a seemingly endless loop of pools and locker rooms, and you wnt to escape. The rules are simple: if something seems off, press the red button; if eveything is clear, press the green button. Get it right eight times in a row, and you might finally be able to escape. Don’t worry because you’re not alone. There is at least one other swimmer and a lifeguard on duty.
+ the game looks great. Yes, the entire game is a (relatively) small number of rooms, but the normal pool is bright, and while nobody is going to call it ‘realistic’, it the lighting and textures do what they are meant to to. The anomalies are varied and it is always a joy to see a new one
+ as someone who doesn’t like water, I found it very spooky simply having to jump into and swim across the pool. It reminded me a bit in concept of another game from some years back called ‘Sharks & Minnows‘, which was a shark in the pool (this is not to imply there is a shark in this pool… but there might be far worse things)
+ the gimmick is simple but effective: green for safe, red for danger. What sets this game apart from others is that there is no concept of ‘forward or backward’. Your entrance to the pool room might be the way out, as well, as sometimes you cannot (or should not) go ‘forward’
– as with all these sort of games, your first time through is only as long as you are bad at spotting the anomalies. If you pick up the mistakes easily, it will be a short experience. In that same vein, once you get into the anomaly hunting period of playtime, there are not that many to find
> in terms of jump scares, only two anomalies would count as such. That said, the horror of this game (and indeed this genre) don’t come from jump scares but the constant second guessing of whether that chair was always there, or if you need to smash that red button
Should you play this game: I’ve played a lot of these anomaly games over the last few years, and this was definitely the best since The Cabin Factory, which itself was the best since Exit 8. To me, that places Pool Loop with a podium finish and it is very well worth an evening or two of your time.
