Inside

I bought this game for literally E 5,00 which is a bargain. And I knew next to nothing because there is hardly any real info, background or explanation. All I knew is that it had positive reviews when looking for horror games. Also interesting is that there is no build up or intro, the game just......starts.

Once started, you'll notice that you know exactly nothing. Almost like you ARE the character in the game, who may be a man, or a boy, or a human, or something else.

It's a pretty simple and intuitive platform game where you simply walk from left to right (most of the time) and let the game surprise you with puzzles and challenges that give you slightly more info, but many more questions.

The graphics are simple and minimalistic, but boy are they effective. In some way, the makers succeeded in drawing you into some weird, incomprehensible world that resembles hour, but is also very different.

And that is the strength of this game. It lures you in with its addicting atmosphere and weirdness, and won't let you go, even long after you played it.

Played Limbo? No? Go play it now. Then play this. They are awfully similar, and not just because both are made by some danish guys. This game, the "storyline" in it if one can call it that + the atmosphere... is just pure insanity. I have no idea what it's like inside the head of someone who is both artistically gifted and absolutely insane but here one can really get... "inside" it. From start to finish it is thoroughly enjoyable, the scenery changes all the time, the puzzles get ever harder, it never really gets boring and the ending is perhaps the most peculiar thing I ever saw. And just like in limbo - never was something so depressing and so dark so much fun! Just like there are movies with story lines and acting so good that the viewer is mentally raped and feels almost some kind of bruising in the gray matter after the credits start rolling the same exact thing is delivered by this game. Or to put it differently - when art is made as MGM's Latin slogan says - "art for art's sake", it really shows. It really shows that the maker puts his/her soul into the work, and the product becomes more important than turning a buck off it. So much so that it shines like a diamond in the big ocean of boring stuff made by people who are not artists at all. This game is one of those diamonds, no doubt about it.

Despite the many rave reviews for this title I went in not expecting much. However, this game impressed me in many ways. In terms of technical aspects alone, the art design and animations of this game are incredible and immerse you for Inside's short but sweet 3-4 hour completion time. Some have criticized Inside for having shallow gameplay. This is partially true, but for me the consistently fantastic environmental storytelling, atmosphere, and presentation kept me interested and in awe until the end of the game. The story of Inside is also not explained to the player; you will have to figure it out mostly on your own. That said, the story of this game is very satisfying to discover and I did not find it boring. The lack of much information given in regards to the world has inspired many theories, some of which are very compelling. If this seems like your type of game, I would encourage you to play it.

In 100 years time I believe people will regard video games and movies on the same level as art and literature; this would place Inside as a true masterpiece in art. The games audio, the visuals, the vague and yet powerful storytelling, it's all perfect. Sidescrollers might bore a lot of people but I ask any of these people to give this game a try because it will blow you away.

I used to have a mind, but then I played this game. That's how mind-blowing this game is.