I have personally gotten into PC gaming recently, thanks to my cousin on the West Side, and one of the first games I played was Playdead's, Inside. So, given that I am a journalist, and now a semi-bonafied gamer (not really), it's expected of me to give an honest review of the product. Before I actually "review" it, like I do with all my reviews, I will give a short description and history.
Playdead is an independent video game developer from Copenhagen, Denmark. The company was created in 2006 by founders Arnt Jensen and Dino Christian Patti. Their first game release and breakthrough was Limbo, a 2D computer puzzle game that was later released for platforms such as XBOX, Playstation, and Android. Inside, their second creation, was released June 29th of this summer, and was a well-received successor to Limbo. Marty Silva from IGN referred to the game as, "Super Limbo, and I mean that in the best possible way."
Now, on to my full, extensive, but short and sweet, review of Inside.
First of all, I wanted to applaud Playdead for mastering, in such an early age of game development, the 2D platform of gaming. In a silly way it brings me back to Paper Mario, but at the same time, blows my mind with how much they did with such a simple format. If I can use a metaphor here, I would describe both Inside and Limbo, (especially Inside), as if the creators took blank canvases, dumped loads of brightly colored paint onto it, and let it dry and form into this elaborate but simple masterpiece. However, I use the term "brightly colored" lightly, because in reality, both Limbo and Inside are rather dreary looking.
Honestly, I love this game. Inside is kind of an emotionally wrecking game to play, especially if you can relate to it somehow. The story is supposedly based on the journey of a cancer cell. I know, creepy and morbid right? While you're playing, this "journey" is revealed through the increase in difficulty throughout. I will perhaps talk about the story line further in a future article, but to settle your confusion for now, here is an article that you can mull over. This is a big reason why I love this game: A mysterious story line that never truly surfaces.
Again, I can not reiterate enough how well creators Arnt and Dino did in building a 2D gaming world that is very truly breathtaking. The environment you're in, from the very beginning, draws you in. If it wasn't there, you would be bored to death. With any video game, the world you're in, (environment), is the most important aspect. You can't have a successful story unless it has a setting, even if the story isn't all there.
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The controls, just like Limbo, are very simple: Right, Left, Up, Down, and Grab. Nothing more, nothing less. I think it's safe to say that in their games, Playdead focuses mainly on the environment and story line. Everything else is rather simple: the movements and actions of the characters, the way they look, etc. The game only takes 3.5 hours long to complete, give or take, so like a short film there's no need to really expand on any certain aspect.
I said I would keep this review short and sweet. Not like a yelp review, but you know what I mean. So, since there's not much else to review, given I've talked about several important aspects of the game, here's my final conclusion... Because of it's simplicity, outstanding artwork, and overall mystery, I give it 5 out of 5 stars!
I'm very curious to know what you all think of the game! Leave a comment with your opinion!
I am very positive I will be writing another game review soon in the future as the newly and greatly anticipated game from Hello Games, No Man's Sky, is on the horizon! Here is a fellow journalist's article on his anticipation of No Man's Sky, so you can get an idea of what to expect!
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If you would like to see a walk-through of either Limbo or Inside, don't hesitate to click here and visit my YouTube channel! I have yet to do Inside, but will be soon! Cheers!
