Inside (2016)

Roll Credits?: Yes!

Surprised/Let Down/As Expected: As Expected

Favorite Mechanic or Narrative Moment: the perspective/camera work along with the usage of black space in the visuals is perfect for getting you immersed in the experience, and it is enjoyable to just watch what is unfolding as you progress

Least Favorite Thing: sometimes the pacing of the movement feels a little sluggish especially when actively working on puzzles. it feels more walking simulator-esque in its pacing (which is great for the storytelling and vibe, but not so much for the gameplay it tries to have). story is a bit bare bones, but the open-endedness doesn't bother me too much

The game started in an interesting and tense way but it became boring and monotome realy quick.

I usually like puzzle games or at least I like when I have to think to solve something but with no narrative there was nothing that made me want to move to the next screen/chapter, just puzzle after puzzle with no "reward" (could be as simple as context of the world or whatever).

The character moved so slow that it became really tedious at some points where I had to go back and forth to find out how to solve a puzzle. I get that the slow movement speed was intentional for some persecution, "timing" puzzles or to add "weight" to the character but it wasn't definetly worth it for me.

Puzzles where OK, not super hard not super easy, what made them hard some times was how dark it was, to the point that I needed to get to every corner of the map to check I wasn't missing anything (add the character slow speed problem).

Overall, not great

Just replayed it, and it is truly perfect for what it is. It has extreme clarity of vision, and with minimalism and strong art design it perfectly executes it.

The puzzles are great, the storytelling is amazing, and the animations are top notch (the ending character animations are insane). The variety in both environments and gameplay constantly offer surprises, and the game is just visually eye candy.

The only negative, as with any near perfect game, is I want more. But it is also probably at a perfect length, and leaves on a great note.

I would recommend this to anyone, unless you’re squeamish to body horror stuff.

It's been a couple years since I played through Inside, but I still vividly remember some of the sequences that you progress through. That's a testament to just how memorable this game is, including the weird, mysterious, dystopian (?) world that you traverse and the emotions the atmosphere of the game evokes.

Creative Gameplay Mechanics, Just Like Limbo

The game, like Limbo, is fairly straightforward. It's very linear, where most areas will have a single objective that will push you onto the next area. But even with that linear progression, it's impossible to know what will happen next. Different gameplay mechanics are added as you progress the game and you will undoubtedly be put into situations you've never experienced in a game before. Sure, you've done stealth, but not where you're avoiding loud, jarring nuclear blasts. And, sure, you've been chased by creepy things before, but not in dark waters, and not by that, um, well, you'll see what it is. Like I said, some of the imagery of this game just sticks.

How Scary is this Game?

You might be getting the impression that this is a straight up horror game meant for scaring you. It's not. I cannot handle horror movies (my tolerance is literally only being able to get 5 minutes into "The Ring"), but this game was fine. It's really creepy, but if you can handle watching Stranger Things, you can handle this game.

I don't want to say too much more because the surprises really made the game for me. I knew it was by the same studio as Limbo and was a side scroller-platformer. And that's all I needed to know. If you're interest is piqued at all, just dive in and let your mouth drop.

Other people rate games by the number of hours they can get in it. Maybe they feel it makes it worth it. But I rate it according to how much I enjoyed it while playing whether its 2 hours, 10 hours or 80+ hours.

This game is from the same brilliant developers who made Limbo - a masterpiece. They did not disappoint. It's yet another masterpiece! It's short game but I enjoyed it every much despite being creeped out by the plot.