Inside is a 2.5 side-scrolling game developed and published by Playdead studios. There is not a whole lot for me to really say about it, this is because the game is very atmospheric. I also found the puzzles to be quite interesting and they even required me to to put effort into figuring out how to solve them. However, that’s not to say that this game is perfect, I’ll explain later on in my review.
Pros and Cons
Pros
-An eerie atmosphere that is executed very well
-Very interesting puzzles that do require you to think things through
-Beautiful art style that is dark and gloomy
Cons
-The story makes you interpret what is going on and it can get a little confusing
-The price for this game, is a little too high for the amount of content provided
Story
The story starts in a forest, you play as a young boy in red and you must run or escape from something. In no way, shape, or form are you told what exactly you are running from and you are left to guess what is going on with the story.
There is not much to really talk about in terms of the story as there isn't a clear defined plot or story device. This is my biggest gripes about the game as you have to interpret what is going on through the entire game. For me personally, I had a hard time completely understanding what was going on. I had to watch some YouTube videos after playing to get help from others who gave their opinions and the perspectives to really put something that made sense together.
The atmosphere is something that I will give Inside some credit for, it’s done in a very creepy way. You can almost tell that something is being worked on and that you want to know more about this secret dark project that is being done. If there is something that Inside has done right, it makes an atmosphere that is truly dark and depressing.
Gameplay
Inside is a 2.5 side-scrolling game with puzzle-solving thrown in to keep things interesting. You will also be avoiding enemies or obstacles that can kill you in one hit if you are not careful. The puzzle-solving can range from being easy to a little challenging at times. They are interesting to complete, as you do have to think about what to do or how to complete them.
You will also need to careful about the environment around you, as there are many ways for you to die. You will have to avoid dogs, people, sonic booms, and more. Luckily there are checkpoints and they are quite generous when it comes to them. The deaths are brutal, like getting eaten by dogs, turning to mush with the sonic booms, and even drowning, all making the player want to avoid death at all costs.
Graphics and Performance
The graphics are very beautiful yet in a depressing way. They are dark and gloomy, giving off a very unique vibe as you progress through the stages and puzzles.
I tested the game on an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3GB, AMD Ryzen 5 1500X Quad-Core Processor 3.50, with 16 GB of RAM. I experienced no issues and kept a smooth 60 FPS throughout the entire game.
Final Verdict
All in all, Inside is a fun 2.5 platformer with some very interesting puzzles that I enjoyed. I do recommend the game, however, get it on a sale as the game is priced at 29.99 CDN. I got at least three and a half hours of content and I feel that is not worth the asking price.
Even if I were to get stuck on a puzzle and maybe had seven hours total game time, I don't believe this would justify the asking price, but if a decent sale happens, this is a game worth checking out.