POOLS News

Full changelog:

• Chapter 0: Prevent getting stuck on concrete thing on water
  
• Chapter 0: Add clock to one certain room
  
• Chapter 0: Fixed missing ceilings
  
• Chapter 0: improved audio stability and performance
  
• Remove small imperfections from shallow water footsteps such as metallic noise and hard wind noises
  
• Add subtle underwater ladder sounds
  
• Add more barefoot sounds
  
• Chapter 2: Added autosave support for Art Connoisseur achievement progress
  
• Applied a potential fix for Steam achievements not unlocking
  

Hello everyone,

The waters of POOLS just got deeper. Chapter 0 - a brand-new free level, is now available!



This free content update is our way of saying “thank you” to all of you here. Over the past year, POOLS has grown beyond our wildest dreams, with over 4,000 Overwhelmingly Positive Steam reviews. Thanks to you, our small team has been able to work on POOLS as a real job. We are a fully-fledged, real studio. So thank you for making our dreams come true. Your support means everything, and Chapter 0 is our way of saying thanks.

But that’s not all. A free PC VR update is coming May 30, 2025, letting you experience POOLS in an entirely new way. Plus, App Store and PS5 releases, along with PS VR2 support, are also planned for later this year.

So whether you're returning to the water or diving in for the first time, POOLS: Chapter 0 is waiting for you to explore.

Note: Chapter 0 is unlocked after all other chapters are completed

Have fun playing Chapter 0 and don’t get lost,

Tensori

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2663530/POOLS/

Full changelog

• Add Chapter 0
  
• Add new achievements
  
• Fix Steam achievements sometimes not working
  
• Lower chance of "vent creeps"-sound
  
• Chapter 3: player can now take a seat in sauna rooms
  
• Added C as alternative crouch key
  
• Fix crouch getting stuck when going swimming when crouching
  
• Fix right-to-left languages (Arabic, Hebrew) not rendering correctly
  
• Fix small hole in a wall in chapter 2
  
• Add new lighting / GI system
  
• Fix dropdown translations
  
• Update translations of several languages
  
• Small CPU performance optimization
  
• Underwater screen effect
  
• Fix user post processing settings not working when sitting on chairs
  
• Add different sound for subway chairs (instead of old plastic chair sound)
  
• Fix bug where cursor would appear on top of the game sometimes
  
• Fix bug where ambient water audio would play at incorrect places
  
• Adjusted fall velocity required to spawn splash on water
  
• Fix puddles to not be as white or shiny on some surfaces
  
• Make VHS film grain more intense when set to highest values (normal otherwise)
  
• Add "run in background" setting
  

[h3]The Chapter 0 Beta version is now updated![/h3]

Latest update includes new hidden areas and small changes to some old ones. The chapter is now also playable with the 'minimal' lighting setting.

Feel free to give feedback and report all the remaining bugs as the beta testing will be extended until the official release on 21st of April! 🙏

[h3]How to access the Chapter 0 beta:[/h3]

(Currently available for owners of the game here on Steam - Window or Linux - no VR support yet.)
1. Right click the game in Steam and open the Properties window
2. Open Betas-tab
3. Type "chapter0beta" without the quotes into the text field and click the button next to it
4. Click “opt into chapter0beta”
5. Steam should then download the beta build of the game for you
6. You can opt in & out of the beta version from the “Beta participation” drop down menu whenever you like

Countdowns at poolsthegame.com

Both will be released as free updates to the main game.

Final phase of beta-testing will start next week and last all the way until the release.

Thank you everyone for your continuing support!

POOLS Chapter 0 will be released soon, we want to fix all critical issues and re-work/introduce couple of areas.

Currently for owners of the game here on Steam - Window or Linux - no VR support yet.

[h2]How to access the Chapter 0 beta[/h2]

1. Right click the game in Steam and open the Properties window
2. Open Betas-tab
3. Type "chapter0beta" without the quotes into the text field and click the button next to it
4. Click “opt into chapter0beta”
5. Steam should then download the beta build of the game for you
6. You can opt in & out of the beta version from the “Beta participation” drop down menu whenever you like