Your character is a boy who is on a journey to get away from others and go deeper into a facility, to find out why he’s going into the facility. We can’t go further into the plot or it would spoil the game’s story!
General Gameplay
As the boy, you can run, jump and move items to solve puzzles to move forward in the game. Inside is animated in a more monotone style with darker colors and an artistic tone to the game. If anything, the game is more of an action/puzzle adventure at heart, using the environment to solve puzzles to get deeper into each level.
Audio
Using very minimal audio, the game uses sound effects mostly only at critical points to compliment the game’s action. There are general grunts, sounds and background noises to keep you engaged. Inside actually uses the audio to make you feel the suspense throughout the game and suck you into the story. As the game is mature-rated, there are some scary sounds, gunshots and other violent sounds in the game, but they’re not gratuitous – they genuinely help to tell the story. The game does support 5.1 surround sound, but it isn’t much as the game uses minimal sound throughout the story. The game sounds excellent from a headset also, but again parents, please monitor your gamers’ extended use of a gaming headset.
Visuals
Inside’s visuals are very unique to see. The darker tones in the animation help to tell the story of this boy and his adventure to go somewhere to do something (no spoilers here!). The game is very detailed in the environments and design, right down to the characters and its small details. The game is very well-designed to suck you into its universe and everything that makes it. There is no detail left uncovered, and it is a very beautiful world that you must play to see in action. As the game is mature-rated, there are some family concerns but we will cover those in our “Family Friendly Section”. The game does not shy away from some scary animation scenes for the main character and there is a very brief (maybe around 1-2 minutes) of nudity in the game, but there is nothing actually graphic revealed – it’s more like seeing a cartoon figure of a mannequin. The game does not have a color blind mode, however, based on the style of the graphics of the game, we feel it is not needed. Again gamers, this is a mature-rated game so please use caution when allowing your gaming family play the game.
Controls
In any adventure/puzzle game, the controls have to be very fast and responsive, and Inside did a great job of making sure that the controls are as such. There are not many buttons to use in the game; the left thumb stick controls the main character, and there are jump and action buttons perform character actions. There is a button to hold to push and pull items, but other than that, there are no complex button pushes to do. The game has a very fast response time when delivering inputs with the controller. During our game testing we did not run into any issues with the controls and they were fine for all gamers. The game does not need a special controller to play, and for PC gamers, the game can be played easily with the keyboard and mouse.
“Inside is one of those games that has to be played from start to finish; the ending will have you wondering what happened and talking about it for days to come”
Delivery
If you are fan of adventure games, puzzle games and games that are just as much fun to watch as to play, then Inside is a title of choice for you. Yes, the game is mature-rated, but the game does not have a lot of blood, gore, sexual content or even profanity. The mature rating is merely because of the artistic nature of the game, which might not be enjoyed by younger gamers. This is one of those titles that is just as much an experience as it is a video game to play. A great way to describe it would be “a graphic novel in action”. The game does no type of hand-holding to tell you what to do, where to go, or even how to do something. The game wants you to discover it, achieve it and move forward, and it is done right. Again, the game may not be a fit for all of your gaming family, but it should not be passed up! This is easily a game for older gamers (15+) in your gaming family who will enjoy and appreciate the story and artistic delivery. Expect to fail a lot, but the game will not punish you for it. I personally would not recommend a younger gamer to play the game (I would even dare to say that the game is for gamers that are 15 and older), however older gamers, from teens to grown-ups, will enjoy the game.
Family Friendly
Is Inside a family-friendly game? Possibly not, but it wasn’t mean to be. If anything, during our review, we felt that this is a great game for more mature gamers in your gaming family. The developers, Playdead, did a great job of storytelling in this game but it does entail some graphic death scenes of the boy that you play as, from getting shot, drowning, being mauled by dogs, and other images of the character dying in the game. That said, the violence in Inside is no comparison to the graphic nature of many blockbuster titles on the market – remember, it’s all animated. Also, the game does get darker in its story later in the game, and one scene towards the end that (without giving away spoilers) will have you wondering what you are and why you are doing it. The game’s story is a wonderful one told without using cut scenes or even audio; guys, this is a fantastic game that you should not miss, and the ending will have you talking about it for days after you beat it… but in our honest opinion, it is a game that should not be played by anyone in your gaming family under the age of 15. We have one gamer at the age of 13 who played it without being disturbed by the story, but only because she’s very artistically-inclined and we knew she wouldn’t be phased by the death animations nor the storyline itself as a result of her advanced art education. No other gamers her age were allowed to play. During our special needs game testing, we used discretion and only allowed our special needs gamers who are older to play the game, and they enjoyed the games puzzles and style of the game. They were not bothered by the main character or the other things going on in the game. Are we saying that the game is a recommended game for special needs gamers? No, but with some observation with your gamer, it can be a fun game because of the puzzles and direction. We had a long talk about this game in our office, about whether it is appropriate for all gamers, and we came to the conclusion that it was only for older gamers. In the category of special needs we felt the same way, that older special needs gamers can enjoy this game without any issues. In the end, it is up to the main gamer or parent in your gaming family who will decide what is appropriate or not for your gaming family. If anything, this title should be considered on a case-by-case basis with respect to who is playing.
Closing
Inside is a haunting but beautiful action/platformer that should not be missed, but needs to be carefully considered for your whole gaming family.
