Playdead's INSIDE Reviews

This game was so bizarre, and so beautifully rendered. It was very fun, but very short. I’m used to putting some time into games, so I can enjoy a campaign over several weeks or months, but I finished Inside in two sessions, in about 2-3 hours, total. I’m not the kind of gamer to replay games, and this title has little to no replay value. There is only one mode, and one difficulty setting. The puzzles are relatively easy to solve. I only found myself stuck twice, and each time only for a few minutes. I used a Steelseries Nimbus controller, but without that the controls would’ve been frustrating. You swipe left and right to move (like a virtual stick) but to jump you have to swipe up, and to interact with objects you tap/hold. This scheme seems simple enough, until you reach a part where a precision jump is required, or you must interact with an object in a precise time frame.

Pros: good graphics and sound, unique environments, puzzle are fun to solve, intriguing story/feel.

Cons: Very short for a $7 game, touch controls can be mildly frustrating, (SPOILER ALERT) No dialog or backstory and inconclusive ending. If you were hoping the intriguing setting would be explained in the end, you’ll be let down.

I played the demo a while back, and fell in love instantly. I finally bought the game on my phone, played it all the way through, loved it so much that I turned around and bought it and replayed the whole thing all over again on my ps4. I can honestly say this may be one of my favorite mini games yet. I’m sad each time when it ends that there is not more of it for me to play, because I feel as if I would enjoy playing more of this game even passed its end. I’m a little bit disappointed that some things weren’t fully explained by the end, however it was still unbelievable enjoyable to play all the way through. I would love to see a second one maybe from a different characters perspective going through other areas of this world, especially since it’s easy to see that the setting it’s in is huge as it is. I’m sure there could be a whole other game in this same world, where you don’t even see the same areas as this, and also a different outcome in the end. Either way, I love the creators of this game, and have already even before this game, with of course games like Limbo. And they’ve done it once again. I can’t wait to see what’s next.

Stunning artwork. Great gameplay. However, having played through (full game) multiple times, I’m left feeling it’s just too short. The puzzles are challenging but I’m wanting more. If anything, that’s a testament to the quality of the game. I want to play more. That said, while there is a heavily implied story there also isn’t a story. You don’t learn anything more of what’s happening from when you begin to when you finish. I haven’t completed all the challenges (and I’m experiencing bugs where finding them does not update/honor having completed/found them), so maybe there is a sense of finality in doing so but I’m left wanting more. Either more gameplay or more of an answer as to why/what you experience through the character matters in terms of story. I feel I can rationalize what happens in the end by my own interpretation (and maybe this is intended) but ultimately I’m left with questions that are less the result of a story open to interpretation and more a feeling of why/how does what I’ve experienced result in something conclusive? Not going to get my hopes up but would love to see an update that offers expansion on the backstory of the world you experience in game.

I just finished Inside after about 3-4 days of light/moderate play. Some people have said about 3 hours play time but I would say it’s more like 4-5 altogether depending on how many times you die or how long a puzzle takes you to solve. Probably like 3 hours if you use a walkthrough the entire game, don’t take the time to get ALL the secrets and just rush through it (which would ruin the game I think). I used a walkthrough on a few puzzles if I had tried over 10 times on my own and just couldn’t understand. But I mostly tried really hard to figure them out on my own, it was much more exciting without the walkthrough. The graphics, sound effects and design of the game are fantastic. Yes, the gameplay is similar to Limbo but Limbo was much more bland than Inside IMO. I got bored with Limbo quickly but Inside was MUCH more captivating. It was hard to put it down. I found myself saying one more check point, one more puzzle. The devs did an absolutely stunning job. The story and ending could be left to your imagination...I really hope there is sequel. Great job!

This was a pretty cool game. Nice graphics, but I was more intrigued by the grimness of the demo. I was hooked and needing more after the first encounter. It gets tougher as you progress, and you’ll run into the “this is impossible” scenarios, but trial and error and decent problem solving skills will get you through it. I played for 3 days. Maybe 15 minutes the first day, 3 hours or so the second day, and 1 hour the third day until it was complete. There are so many unanswered questions. The key question being what the hell is going on??! It’s a terrible feeling to watch a show or movie, read a book, or play a game and, at the end, be left clueless. A short comic at the end showing what happened to get to the game’s present would have been perfect. Even with that though, the ending needs to be cleared up somehow. I feel like I enjoyed playing through it all so much and wanting to know the end game so badly, only to get to the end and be let down. An editor said “the game was meant to be experienced and not understood” but who wants to NOT understand something after playing through it for all that time AND spending a meal worth of money for it?? I feel very let down.

Stop rating this one star because your device isn't compatible. Playdead tried to get this running on older hardware, but it just wouldn't happen. Go blame apple

Blows my mind how painstakingly scrutinized every corner of this game was. Watched many of Playdead's GDC talks, and although most of it went completely over my head, I could understand how much attention they payed to every bit of the game, even dedicating part of their talk to discussing how they fixed a very specific aliasing artifact for a single 3D asset! A fake translucency effect near the beginning of the game on a particular 3D asset apparently had a wild amount of effort put into it for just a tiny detail. I wouldn't have noticed it without reading up some blog posts on the development of the game.

Graceful optimization and breathtaking art are two things I believe in greatly, and if I ever were to go into the gaming industry as a career, it'd be a dream to work at a place like Playdead, where an eye and passion for art are part of the recommendations for even the more technical roles.

Dear Playdead,

Though it costs money to buy the full game its worth it, i bought Limbo back when i first got a IPod touch in 2013 and i played it and it was just the best story telling game you could get at the time. Now Inside which theres a lot of theories on is about a boy who is running through a “post apocalyptic” world trying to survive against creatures and or people that have no remorse for killing a child. To me this is a very good subject especially for a game it tests your puzzle and problem solving skills. The only thing thats wrong in my opinion is the price I get that the PC was more expensive but the price should be lowered to $2 just for everyone to experience it. With a cheaper price you get more people that buy the game meaning more money and another way to make the game better is to release a DLC for it explaining why the kid is being chased down and why theres creatures that are able to breathe underwater it’d bring more money but it would also tells a story and the way these games depict it is just incredible in my opinion

-Jay

I very much enjoyed this game until the end. The gameplay was entertaining and the “puzzles” challenging, creative and intuitive. You can die but respawn at the last failed “puzzle” and you can’t maneuver yourself into a dead end which makes the game flow very nicely. I have essentially two issues with the game. First, one of the last “obstacles” is very difficult to perform given the way the player controls the character. The touch controls on the iPad are twitchy and not always precise, however one of the tasks near the end of the game requires seemingly pinpoint control and the slightest variation in movement forces the player to start over. While you may know what to do, the inconsistent gameplay doesn’t allow you to do it—frustrating. Second, the end of the “story” is very much a letdown. It’s like the game makers ran out of ideas so they just up and quit—disappointing.
The game was certainly worth the money, but I’ll hope for a more complete offering in the future.

I have been playing the demo cause I’m broke lol, but even In the demo there is the obvious usual gameplay and then other hidden places you can find. Right now I am trying to figure out how to open this door from underground AND I CANT FIGURE IT OUT. Also this game is best in the dark with earbuds on. You notice much more in the game with that setting. Can’t wait to play the full game, so much fun. Also the graphics are amazing, I am a huge fan of games like these like Deer God and Limbo however I feel like this is the future of games like these. And once again GRAPHICS ARE SO GOOD I love the depth of lighting and shadow, the water looks so clear and I can tell there was a lot of study put into the making of this game. Even small things like the way the boy moves to the way the animals move and it all fits excellent with the game. I love these games and hope that more of these will be created and hopefully as an adult can make games like these as well. Love it.

In general I enjoyed the whole game, and several of the puzzles are really clever. However there were “more” of those clever puzzles in Limbo. Some of them ( referring to INSIDE) are really easy. It seems the most significant difference between the games is the budget. The “scenes” are really massive and you can spend a long time just going to the edge of a puzzle area. A lot of effort went into the sound, foreshadowing impending doom, and the scenery in general. The controls are also pretty good. Some complain about it being short. It seems to be about the same length as Limbo, but again some of the puzzles are easier, and the significant increase in “land to cross” changes the feel of the “length” of the game when you subtract the walking time. While I was completely satisfied with my purchase, I would prefer the puzzles be closer together, and I spend more time thinking about how to get to the next area as opposed to looking around.

I love this game a lot. Really it’s my preference that makes me love it, but it’s like whenever I play it I become completely immersed. The atmosphere really does a great job at accomplishing the post-apocalyptic feeling. It holds so much mystery yet I never feel confused about what’s happening. It has the unique feel- a city of grey with the red shirted protagonist with a purpose. I personally enjoyed it more than LIMBO. Instead of being a straight puzzle after puzzle game, it had more of a story or mystery following behind. I got this 10 days after it was released on IOS, I would’ve gotten it before that but I didn’t have a PC. Some people say the controls are hard and the finger scrolling is difficult, and while I found it a bit frustrating at the beginning, it was very easy for me to get used to it and get back into the flow of the game. Some people also say it should be more than 12+, but I was 11 when I got it and I think it’s fine. Great if you like Little Nightmares also.

Let me preface by stating I don’t usually play games like this, nor do I find interest in them. I find myself getting frustrated with many of the puzzle games out there. And a lot of the ‘horror’ games are just jump-scare FPS games. This is neither, and it’s not technically categorized as a horror game, so.

It’s rare to find such a terrific puzzle/adventure/sci-fi game executed so well. I love the overall setting of the game, with the creepy low lighting, damp underground old abandon factory look; it all ties together nicely.

I downloaded the free trial version of the game 3 days ago and immediately purchased the full game after playing through the first few chapters. I didn’t care what it cost tbh, I was intent on playing it through to the end.

From beginning to end, the game offers excitement and curiosity. The graphics have a simplistic vibe, yet an intense amount of detail. And the sound effects, OH THE SOUND EFFECTS... eerily realistic. Don’t worry, I’m not blowing smoke up your you know what. I was not paid to write this review. I didn’t know what to expect from this game, but I will say that at least four separate times throughout the game I found myself genuinely surprised at the turn the game had taken. I’d love to play an Inside 2, 3 and 4. They’re THAT good.

And while I’m late to the Inside party, this game is 100% worth the download and 1000% worth the $6.99 for the full version. Buy it, you won’t regret it.

I absolutely love this game. I really couldn’t l get enough of it! I played it every chance that I could get. I was glued to it and it was hard to get off because I just wanted to keep playing. When it came to the game, like most games I really didn’t expect much but everything topped my expectations .... From the way it was laid out, to the way they incorporated strategy with a little bit of a twist.. it was all just an amazing game play. There’s a good amount of levels of that’s how you want describe it but I greatly would of loved it if there were more to it. I played it so quick and was mad that it was over. It really sucked...😔 Got me hooked and left me wanting a WHOLE LOT MORE! If by any chance the developer is reading this.. I absolutely loved your game and I’m pretty sure others did as well but I would greatly appreciate it if you would make an extension of the game like an add on or something like Playdead 2. Everybody would benefit from it 😉 Really think about it..

The game overall was incredible, I’ve never actually finished a game like this and it’s usually because I get bored. Night one I played for three hours, night 2 for an hour, night three for a half an hour. Graphics, soundtrack, general gameplay were all amazing. I want to keep playing it!

However, it hints at a storyline but never gives you an actual storyline. When the game ends you’re just as in the dark as when you started and its really quite disappointing. I want to know why we’re running away, why they’re trying to kill us, and what the heck are they doing to people in general! The ending was probably the worst ending I’ve ever seen.
It’s also far too short to be worth the $7 that it costs for the full version. I’m not particularly good at games like this, and if only took me maybe 6 hours total, and that’s including short breaks. I was hoping it would be a game I play for weeks, not days.

When I first saw the game on PlaydeadsINSIDE Store, I was hooked just by looking at the graphics of the game. Once I watched the video about the game in PlaydeadsINSIDE Store ... which is kind of like a summary of the game I guess.... I was completely stunned again on the graphics. When I stated playing it, the setting and the colors and the sound effects in the background they chose were absolutely perfect and matched with the idea of the game. Even though I didn’t buy the full version of this game I still really enjoyed it and will keep playing the same parts😂. But the only minor problem with this is I don’t understand the story of this game. When it starts out, you fall down this cliff and you are running from these people without faces? Maybe that’s just because I’m as slow as the day comes but it was still a very good experience. I’m sure if I bought the whole game, which soon I will, I’d understand the meaning of the story.

This game was super fun to play. I only played the demo but was already super into it. The graphics are on point with the mood, and the puzzles are super fun to do! You can tell that the people who created this game were super thorough when they went through it. The backstory to the game is intriguing to me as well. I only got to get hints of what’s happening tho, but that’s what makes it fun. It’s kinda spooky too, which makes it even more interesting in my opinion. For me it was easy to figure out the controls, it doesn’t really take a genius to figure out touchscreen controls 😅 I’m kind of glad there wasn’t a tutorial because that way I learned on my own faster than I would’ve running through a tutorial. The only thing that bites about this game is the price to unlock the full one, but honestly I think it might be worth it. So yeah, overall a great game even if your just going to play the demo.

This game is absolutely fantastic. I have no words to describe how much I enjoyed it. I have played it three or four times now, and the world the boy lives in never ceases to intrigue me. The puzzles are hard but not impossible, and every time I play it I notice some other subtle detail that contradicts any theories I had come up with. The scenery is amazingly beautiful as well, this game is a piece of art. Definitely worth the five dollars. I hope to see more games from playdead soon, since I thoroughly enjoyed Limbo as well. To the developers, keep up the good work, I hope to see more amazing games in the future.

Side note: since I do not own a pc or other console, being able to play this game on my ipad is something I am grateful for. Playing it on a handheld, the controls did not seem to be hindered in any way. I actually felt more immersed, since I was controlling the boy directly with my fingers, instead of through a remote.

I’ve been trying to get the secret ending in the orb but I can’t. There’s only one orb left and I cannot reach it no matter what I do. It’s right before you jump in the tank and walk to save all the people that are upside down in the water. Just once scene before that. When you end up in the water and you walking you trip and there’s a hole you can go in. You swim underwater and end up in a room where one of the orbs are. There’s a floating platform where where the orb sits. It’s high up there the boy can’t reach it because it’s too high above the water. Online it shows that the platform is way lower and he could easily climb up. I couldn’t grab or drag anything to help him climb and nothing online shows that the platform is high up. I can’t break the orb to get the secret ending and I’m not sure what to do. I might not see something or the inside developers just disabled the secret ending but I was wondering if there is a way to get to it or not.

This is most likely my second favorite game of all time. The world you play through is eerie, fascinating, disgusting, systemic, and human. The puzzles are the perfect balance of difficult & rewarding, leaving your frustration with an ultimate “yes!” The touch controls are fluid and I had no difficulty once getting used to them. You will get caught. Out running your captors, killers, and drowners is not always the option, and if it is, then timing is everything. Ultimately this game is trial and error, you will die/fail repeatedly until you figure out the correct solution to the scenario. The game ultimately pays off by revealing what your purpose is, and it’s not what you think. The final portion of the game is fast paced and the puzzles are simpler, allowing you to get caught up in the moment. This game is an easy 9.7/10 and is absolutely worth your time and money. I’m excited for what is next in store from playdead.

Don’t think that this is just a usual puzzle game, the puzzles in this game are very easy but it’s the actual content that is amazing. If you play for about an hour each day it will take probably 2-3 days to finish. The way the makers incorporated the puzzles into this game was perfect, I forgot most of the time that I was even solving puzzles because the content was just phenomenal and so interesting. I wish I could learn more details about the story behind this game. Although its short It’s kind of meant to be played all at once because there’s just the start and the finish and no levels or any other bs in between. And if your wondering if it’s worth the 7 dollars then I will tell you yes! But that’s just my opinion. I’ve never been into indie type games like this one, but this one was probably the most thrilling game I’ve played in a long time. BIG thanks to the makers of this game.

I absolutely love this game. I really couldn’t l get enough of it! I played it every chance that I could get. I was glued to it and it was hard to get off because I just wanted to keep playing. When it came to the game, like most games I really didn’t expect much but everything topped my expectations .... From the way it was laid out, to the way they incorporated strategy with a little bit of a twist.. it was all just an amazing game play. There’s a good amount of levels of that’s how you want describe it but I greatly would of loved it if there were more to it. I played it so quick and was mad that it was over. It really sucked...😔 Got me hooked and left me wanting a WHOLE LOT MORE! If by any chance the developer is reading this.. I absolutely loved your game and I’m pretty sure others did as well but I would greatly appreciate it if you would make an extension of the game like an add on or something like Playdead 2. Everybody would benefit from it 😉 Really think about it..