Poison Control (2021)

Poison Control shows how good ideas and a huge potential can be ruined by bad gameplay decisions and broken structure, and even though some parts of the game like story and writing will keep you eager to carry on, eventually the final package fails to deliver.

Poison Control is not a game you’ll be writing home about. It’s instead, a game that you’ll talk to your friends about in passing. It’s silly, it’s goofy, and it should be approached as a light novel that does have its moments of shooter-based gameplay. The biggest change that needs to happen is more depth to the gameplay and more depth to the game’s overall level design.

In the end, it is a slick looking, great sounding little game that is never overly offensive with its issues, but still has a decent amount of them. The gameplay revolves around a simple mechanic that players will see the majority of before getting halfway through it, but it was never something that I didn’t like playing. It is most certainly unconventional, and I think that’s what gave it enough charm to keep me playing. It’s a strange one to recommend, but I still recommend it if this sounds like something up your alley.

Poison Control may offer a fun and interesting story but mishandles certain aspects all while lackluster shooting mechanics prevent it from standing out in any way.

Despite gameplay problems, Poison Control is quite a fun game. The title covers heavy topics in everyday life (like personal hells) and the poison purification mechanic, in particular, is really very peculiar, bringing a unique game within the genre. With a little more polish, it would be an excellent game, but it's still worth it for those who enjoy stylized and experimental games.