Genre: Puzzle-Platformer
Year: 2016
Developed by: Playdead
Published by: Playdead
Platforms: PC, XBOX One, Switch, PS4, iOS, Mac
#73
Feeling Like: Taking a shower
Inside is one of the most atmospheric, effective games I’ve ever played. It’s an indie horror film, a successful experiment in minimalist storytelling. There’s no dialogue, no prompts, no scrolling text to let you know the premise of just what the hell is going on. You’re thrown into the woods as a kid, and all you know is that men in cars with guns are trying to hunt you down. Why? Unless you get to the end, you’ll never guess. Even then, it’s ambiguous.
Inside joins Limbo, and both Little Nightmares as some of my favorite mediums to feel scared through. I can’t really do scary movies – Psycho, Blair Witch, 28 Days Later and Alien are about my limit. Any of the modern ones like Hereditary or Sinister are a hard no. I have an active imagination and fall asleep very well, I don’t want that to change. I’m trying to build up courage to try out Alan Wake 2 but I’m faltering.
Still, I love the emotions that come with being creeped out. It’s the threat of things, I think. It builds up villains from cannon fodder into unstoppable, psychological terrors. It magnifies everything, every jump is important because otherwise I’ll be killed. I need to reach that platform, otherwise I’ll be sucked down into the water. I need to time my run perfectly, otherwise I’ll get mashed by that machine. There’s no life bar in Inside, no special powers, no user interface cluttering the screen, no items and barely any abilities at all. You can jump, move and to pull/push items. The only refuge available is the environment around you, but you can’t hide forever.
You’d think I would get used to the amount of gruesome ways you can be killed, but it never failed to elicit a reaction. Every time I drowned, or got shot, or stabbed, or captured, or mushed, or burned, I felt for the little boy I was controlling. Just what DID he do? What is your deal, cruel world?
Just look at the above screenshot – if you’re compelled at all, then you’ll sink your teeth right into Inside. Or maybe it’ll be the other way around. Everything is so bleak, yet shockingly beautiful at times. The constant contrast of frightening and awe-inspiring shook me enough to ensure I was never bored. I always wanted to see what section was next. Because there’s no text, it’s up to you to interpret the goings-on. The visual storytelling is masterful, with just a few cues and background structures, you can formulate your own opinion of what kind of place this is. Regardless of your interpretation, the effect is palpable.
The soundtrack, like the rest of the game, doesn’t show all its cards. It’s eerie, filled with dread and only a few moments will remind you there’s music in the game at all. The entire runtime is only 38 minutes, but it emphasizes the notion that less is more. I don’t remember a single bit of it, but I know while playing, it fit like a glove. It added to the dread, and it made the silence all the more powerful.
I’ll post my Backloggery and Top 10 (2016) entries, as they encapsulate my final thoughts on Inside.
(Backloggery, written moments after completing the game)
Wow. Going to have to think about this one for a while. Incredible sense of atmosphere, dread, confusion and wonder. Feels like a great spiritual successor to Limbo and the team did an incredible job. Scary at times, beautiful at times, incredible narrative, yet not a single word spoken. The last 20 minutes are likely the weirdest, craziest I’ve ever seen in a game, moreso than Undertale. Puzzles were satisfying without being too annoying. Intro was incredible. Wow (again).
I think it’s about time to admit to myself that I enjoy being scared. I’ll never watch horror movies outright, but that won’t stop me from watching clips on YouTube of famous scary scenes. I admire how truly terrifying pieces of fiction (non-fiction is less fun) can rise my blood pressure and shock me like few other genres can. Serotonin, indeed.
I’ve long since remembered my drama teacher telling me that less is more. Leave them wanting, rather than overstaying your welcome. If you come in 100%, you’ll have nowhere to go. Loud can only be loud for so long before it gets boring and just becomes noise.
Inside is the perfect video game example. It never overstays its welcome. It teases and tempts. It avoids telling you anything. As a result, I played it through in one session. I had my mouth agape nearly the entire time.
It’s macabre style works to its benefit. It’s meant to be disturbing. It looks so goddamn good, every frame could belong in some deranged children’s fairy tale book. There’s no dialogue. There’s no prologue, or exposition explaining who, or what you are. The mystery hugged me like a wet stranger, and I didn’t want them to let go.
There’s some light puzzles and platforming, but that was more of a distraction than anything. The game played just fine, but with each new area I saw, I grew more uneasy and intrigued. The seeping feeling that something was wrong. People aren’t supposed to walk like that. Is this a factory? Why does that person have a child with them? Why is everybody trying to kill me? Who am I?
The final 20 minutes are unforgettable. I wish more games took risks like this, even if they don’t fully work. I was disgusted, but in a good way. Much like how I found the Crones from Witcher 3 utterly revolting, but fascinating at the same time. I hold true admiration of Inside’s design. It was only a four hour experience, but one of the best I’ve ever had. Inside is a masterpiece.
The 500 