Discussions

The Backrooms Game's visual presentation is psychologically potent despite its seeming simplicity. The entire space is made up of repetitious architecture, buzzing fluorescent lights, faded yellow wallpaper, and stained carpet. The monotony itself becomes terrifying because every wall has the same appearance and every turn leads to more of the same.

This design makes use of "liminal space aesthetics," as psychologists refer to it. Because they lie between the known and the unknown, liminal spaces—such as deserted parking lots, office buildings after hours, or hallways—are places of transition or in-between that arouse anxiety. The endless, deserted offices in The Backrooms brilliantly capture this sensation: they appear plausible enough to be real, yet they have an unexplainable sense of wrongness.

The Backrooms Game anxiety is heightened by the sound design. The quiet is filled with the steady hum of the fluorescent lights, broken only now and again by distant breathing, footfall, or creaking machinery. The ambient music never makes the player feel secure because there's always something out there that can't be heard. When combined, these sensory elements provide an environment that is scarier than any jump scare.

Themes related to psychology

The Backrooms Game is fundamentally about existential dread rather than monsters or survival. There is no obvious cause or way out of the spot where the player is stuck. This appeals to our innate fear of the unknown and the eerie, which is the sensation that something is strange even though it appears normal.

The game also looks at sanity and loneliness. Players may start to wonder what's real when they are alone and wander across endless empty spaces. The environment's repetition becomes oppressive, reflecting emotions of loneliness, anxiety, and sensory overload. Some versions also depict the gradual deterioration of the mind with a sanity meter that drops the longer the player is lost.