Discretion Advised? Something Lurks in Your Ear—Hands-On with Ear-Cleaning Body Horror ADV “Tiny Chills - Not From Ear” [TGS2026]

At the “Tokyo Game Show 2026,” held at Makuhari Messe from September 17 to 20, 2026, “CRITICAL REFLEX”—the publisher behind spine-chilling games such as *Mouthwashing* and *No, I’m not a Human*—had a booth at the event.

Among their titles, I got to try out the body horror adventure game *Tiny Chills - Not From Ear*—a game so unsettling that you’ll instinctively recoil at first glance—so I’ll share what the game is about and just how creepy (in a good way) it is.

Carefully clean your ear and remove the foreign object deep inside

As I sat at my desk listening to heavy rock through my headphones, a voice called out to me from nowhere—. When I looked up, standing right in front of me was “John,” a skinhead man with a chicken perched on his shoulder.Through interactions with John, it becomes clear that the protagonist, “Fiorenzo,” is apparently a student who got into a fight with a classmate.

As you progress through the conversation by selecting options, the protagonist’s mother, “Brendilda,” appears. As you look around and listen to what’s being said, you realize this is an “ear clinic.” According to his mother, they’ve been treating a lot of patients lately who have insects in their ears. Just hearing about it makes you want to let out a “Yuck!” involuntarily.

Then, his mother asks him to take a look inside her ear. The protagonist doesn’t seem to have had any training, so you might wonder if he’ll be okay… but he picks up the instrument and peeks inside her ear. You control the instrument with the mouse; moving it forward and backward allows you to move deeper or closer to the surface. That ear-cleaning process—which you might have seen once on a video site—begins.

Then, you spot a large piece of earwax. Since the tool you’re currently using can’t remove it, you’ll need to switch tools as necessary to clean it out. The visuals might seem a bit gross, but while playing, I actually found a strange sense of satisfaction in watching the earwax gradually come out. Especially with the big pieces, you sometimes have to hold down the left mouse button and move the mouse toward you, which gives you that “Got it!” feeling.

As I push the tool further into the ear, I come across a mysterious object…? I take a photo here and wrap up the ear cleaning for now. Then, the protagonist’s mother, worried about him, calls out to him, but the conversation ends on an awkward note.

Since my mother had left, I was exploring the area when suddenly I heard a patient knocking on the door. I asked if it was okay to examine them even though I didn’t have a license, but they pleaded, “Just get it out quickly,” so I decided to treat them on the spot.

Reluctantly, I continue cleaning the ear, and just as he said, a mysterious white object is lodged deep inside. Since the large earwax removal tool can’t handle this foreign object, I switch to forceps to extract it. However, the forceps get stuck if there’s any obstructing earwax, so I have to clean the surrounding area before removing it.

Just when I thought I was about to get it out, the remaining earwax pushed it back; and when I cleaned that up, I ended up pushing the foreign object further in… It just wouldn’t go as planned, and before I knew it, I was so engrossed that I started moving the mouse.

I managed to extract the foreign object by switching tools several times and finished the examination. The patient seemed relieved and satisfied now that the foreign object was out. I understand that indescribable joy one feels when a large piece of earwax comes out, so I couldn’t help but chuckle at the patient who started dancing.

While this game centers on ear cleaning, it also offers glimpses into the protagonist’s personal struggles and the mysteries hidden within the town, giving off the vibe here and there that it won’t end up being just a “weird cleaning game.”What lies ahead inside the ear…? While I’m looking forward to seeing how the story unfolds, this demo left me with a tingling sensation in my own ears just from playing it.

"Tiny Chills - Not From Ear" is scheduled to be released soon for PC (Steam).