Liminal spaces and “backrooms” have become overused concepts on the Internet, with people calling any room or area, even slightly remote, a scary space. It’s boring and tiring. But I still like the idea of strange, dead zones hidden in our world in places like forgotten hallways and empty hotel rooms. I also like fast-paced, feel-good boomer shooters. So I’m a big fan of the new indie FPS. Smellwhich brings it all together in one elegant game.
Available now on Steam via Early Access, Smell doesn’t have much configuration. One moment you’re hanging out in a room in your house, watching TV, before suddenly crossing through reality and entering a strange multi-dimensional world called Oddcore that acts like a demented version of a theme park. Sort of. This is all very, well, dare I say… weird! While it’s unclear why you ended up here or what “here” means, it doesn’t really matter once you get past the tutorial. Everything That Matters lasts as long as possible as you jump between different liminal spaces and strange dimensions, killing any bizarre monsters you encounter along the way with guns, swords, special abilities and more.
What kind of game is Smell? The basic loop in Smell involves jumping into a space and then reaching a goal. Maybe it would be killing 10 enemies. Or collect seven strange objects. Or to survive a corruption ambush that sends deadly giant faces your way. You know, the usual stuff. Survive, and you jump to a new location and repeat. Killing enemies earns you souls, which can be spent to extend the time you have before your run ends or to heal yourself by shooting at your own feet. Between a few worlds, there are vending machines that allow you to upgrade your gear or abilities, as well as random boxes containing bonuses and other useful specials.
Survive long enough and you’ll earn tokens that can be spent in different ways. I spent most of my time on a slot machine in a large arcade in the central world. This slot machine would spit out tickets if I was lucky, and I could use them to buy other pieces of equipment. There’s actually a lot going on in Smelland after only about an hour of play, I could feel it starting to pull me into its web. I wanted to play just one more game… win just a few more chips… play just a little more.
It also helps Smell has a primordial aesthetic. It has that retro boomer shooter look that I’ve come to expect from these kinds of games in 2026, but augments it with monsters and locations that seem out of place. I recommend turning on the VHS filter because it covers all the weird art and retro visuals in comfortable scanlines that add to the experience. But even without the VHS filter, Smell is a very good indie shooter that will hopefully only get bigger and better as it enters Early Access.
