INSIDE | Review

Developer: Playdead

Publisher: Playdead

Reviewed on: PlayStation 4

Available on: PlayStation 4, Xbox One & PC

Released: June 29^th 2016

I want to begin this review by saying that because I've been looking forward to this game coming out for so long (basically since I first played LIMBO, which is Playdead's first game) I'm going to be slightly biased with my review in the way that I was bound to think it was good. Having said that, it could have easily swung both ways, because I love LIMBO so much, I was unsure as to whether INSIDE could live up to it and for that reason I was going to either end up feeling disappointed or loving it just as much (or more).

I would also like to say, while this review is spoiler free, it may contain minor spoilers about some environments and very vague themes brought up by the games story. So if you want to avoid any information about the game at all, stop reading now. Any major spoilers will not be mentioned in this review.

Upon completing INSIDE it's difficult to know where to even begin, this review will be a lot shorter than my usual reviews because I don't want to give too much away. A lot of the fun is in exploring this game's universe for yourself and discovering it's secrets on your own. So was INSIDE worth the wait and does it live up to the experience I got while playing LIMBO?

The atmosphere in INSIDE is just as miserable as it was in LIMBO.

First of all let me explain what INSIDE is, it's a 2.5D cinematic platformer with a lot of horror influences. It's set in a near future dystopia where the upper classes rule over the lower class inhabitants using forms of mind control.

You control a unnamed boy in a red sweater who is escaping from something and we join him part of the way through this escape. On the journey you go through farmland, a gigantic city and a huge scientific facility. Each of these places give us a lot of information about the game's world.

The way the actual story of the game is told is through imagery and metaphors, as such it's down to your individual interpretation as to what the game means and what happens throughout. This is something that divides a lot of people, some love it and some hate it, I am in the love category. I like thinking about an experience when it's over and I like paying attention to background details to formulate my own ideas about the narrative of the game. I understand the argument that this method of telling a story can be seen as somewhat lazy but I heartily disagree when we're talking about INSIDE.

Some sections of INSIDE are bright and somewhat colourful, bringing a sense of hope. Though it's always fairly short lived.

The way to go about this kind of story-telling is to not be explicit in outright telling the audience what's happening but offer clues and subtle indications as to what might be happening. Doing this also adds to replay-ability because people will want to keep going back to see if they missed any clues or try and understand something they didn't while playing for their first time.

Rather than speak about my own opinions about what the game means to me, I want to leave the game's plot largely unknown, just because it's something you need to experience for yourself.

INSIDE starts with a loading screen which simply states the title of the game and then throws you straight into the game, there's no need for menus here! I appreciate this because not only does it reflect the game's minimal design but it also isn't necessary to have a menu. Too often games can have complex menu systems for no real reason and while I appreciate the level of customisation this brings, with a game like INSIDE, it isn't necessary. When you start a game, you want the game to do just that, not have to fiddle around in menus for a few minutes before starting the experience. Having said this if you do want to change the brightness or turn controller vibration off you can do so by pausing the game.

The red sweater helps to distinguish yourself from other characters while also being a metaphor for the non-conformity your character represents. It's deep stuff.

The gameplay of INSIDE is made up of several different elements, you have stealth sections where you're hiding from enemies in the background and need to figure out when it's safe to move forward, you have platforming sections which feel incredibly smooth and satisfying and the levels are very well designed. It also has puzzle sections which aren't very difficult at all if you pay attention to your surroundings but are very satisfying to complete and they aren't easy enough to be disrespectful to the player's intelligence. INSIDE also has sections where the emphasis is on exploration or just taking in the surroundings and these sections are great because they create a foreboding, oppressive and lonely atmosphere that adds to the elements of horror which are massively expanded on in the last act of the game.

At it's core it's a simple game where the only button inputs are the left analogue stick to move, the X button to jump and the square button to grab. But it's what the game does with these minimal controls that make it so good. Despite having these basic controls it never re-uses the same puzzle elements twice (and if it does they are modified in some way) which makes every section of the game distinct and memorable. You also never feel like the game causes cheap deaths, you know all of the controls from the very start of the game which creates a situation where it's just you, your wits and your reactions against all of the various puzzles and traps. If you die you never feel like it's the game's fault, it feels like you should have seen whatever it is that killed you coming by paying more attention to your surroundings.

The stealth sections mostly consist of staying out of the line of sight of enemies in the distance. They are very tense and you have to make sure you move at the exact right time to avoid detection. The player character will automatically take cover and change his stance during these sections.

Throughout the game are hidden areas which are indicated by a yellow wire which can be placed in the background or foreground environments, while you might know there is a secret area nearby, sometimes finding these areas can be a little tricky, but the game never becomes frustrating at any point even when searching for these areas. The hidden areas are also hinted at on the trophy and achievement lists, so if you're struggling you can consult them for a hint as to where they might be. I highly recommend you find these hidden collectibles because there's a completion bonus, but I won't ruin what that is.

After finishing the game you gain access to a chapter select screen where you can replay specific sections. This can be used to simply replay a bit you really liked or to find all of the hidden secrets so it's both handy and a fun reward for finishing the game.

The game takes around three hours to complete, and around four hours to get one hundred percent completion. I think this length is great, while it's obviously short it never outstays it's welcome, it's better to have a game leaving you wanting more than boring you and leave you not wanting to play it again. Every section in the game is unique and this just leaves you wanting to see what else the game has in store right up until the end. Even after finishing the game I found myself wanting to jump right back into it again to see what I missed in the game's backgrounds and find all of it's secrets.

The camera and environments move in ways that create an unnatural feeling, like everything is off balance and wrong in some way. It's very unsettling.

The visual style of INSIDE is quite unique. The colours appear quite muted and de-saturated which reflects the state of the world you're exploring. Textures mostly look quite smooth and almost clay-like at times which gives the game a distinct look and also makes it's universe look other-worldly.

As I previously mentioned there is quite a bit of visual variety in the way that you explore several different areas which all look very different, but even within those areas there are different sections, the passage of time will change, you'll be alternating between being interior and exterior locations and this, along with the different gameplay styles and the game's length keep the experience exciting and fresh.

Lighting in the game is used to signify safety and this works itself into the game mechanics at certain points. It also looks great, piercing through the darkness and creating this sense of discovery and mystery as you progress, not quite being able to make out what's in front of you. There are also bright sections of the game, which stand in contrast to these darker sections and create a a feeling of relative safety.

"Hello!" "Hello!" "Follow me!" "Okay!"

There's a lot of subtle details in the games visuals too, like how after being chased, the main character will breathe heavily and you can see his chest harshly puffing in and out, he'll also turn to check how far away a danger is when he's running away and many other details that make the world and characters seem truly alive.

From a technical standpoint the game is perfect, it runs at sixty frames per second constantly with no slow down at all and there was no graphical or audio glitches in my two play-throughs of the game.

The secret collectibles in INSIDE give you the trophies/achievements the game has to offer. Some are rather easy to spot whereas others require a bit of problem solving to reach.

The sound design is very ambient and only picks up in sections which are climactic. Often the music will blend perfectly into the various background sounds almost becoming a piece of the environment itself. It's used sparingly, but to great effect. Because music isn't used all the way through the game it also creates this sometimes shocking contrast between the tense and hectic sections and the quiet slow moving sections.

The background sounds in the game are fantastic, trains will roll past in the background giving out an industrial rumble indicating the change of scenery and tone, the slow moving marching sound emanating from the city creates a feeling of dread and intrigue, the sound design really is spot on. There's one section in-particular while in the scientific facility which really uses sound in an amazing and very threatening way but I won't spoil it here.

At every stage of the game the sound perfectly compliments what's going on on screen. Nothing is out of place and every detail adds something to the overall experience. I would recommend using headphones while playing through the game, just to hear every detail in the background.

When the camera zooms out, it's really effective in providing a sense of scale. The world around you becomes huge and you become more insignificant.

It's probably obvious at this point, I think INSIDE is nothing short of a masterpiece. It's an absolute must-play and now it's on PS4, pretty much anyone can get their hands on it. Some may think that a game which is three hours long isn't worth the price tag of £16, but it's truly an experience worth every penny.

It's one of those rare games that comes along and are instant classics and it's one which I'll be playing over and over again without my enjoyment decreasing at all.

Every aspect of INSIDE from it's gameplay, graphics, controls, sound design and story is fantastic and it's the first time I've written a review where I've not had a single negative point to make. I never thought LIMBO could be topped, but Playdead have gone ahead and done just that. I can't wait to see what they do next.

10/10

Pros

- Mysterious and thought provoking story that keeps you thinking about the game's themes and message long after finishing it.

- Simple and intuitive controls which fit perfectly with the style of the game

- Gameplay is varied and every section of the game is memorable from start to end. Each section stands out and is separated from the previous by having lots of different mechanics which all work in a similar way, but are different enough to create a sense of wonder for what will happen next.

- Sound design is incredible and to be fully appreciated must be listened to with headphones or good speakers, it perfectly blends into the visuals and adds so much to the atmosphere.

- Unique and interesting graphics, it looks beautiful while also being threatening and scary when it needs to be.

- Replay-ability is high because of the way the story is told and the hidden collectibles which are scattered throughout the game (though admittedly these can be found quite easily).

Cons

- No retail/boxed version. I would like a LIMBO and INSIDE collector's edition! There's lots of potential for a great collector's edition with an artbook, soundtracks, posters, t-shirts and maybe even PS4/Xbox One themes (and PC wallpapers)! I'll take anything! Maybe put 140 in as an extra too (which was developed by Jeppe Carlsen the gameplay designer of LIMBO and INSIDE).