Inside came out a number of years ago, and it has been on my to-do list for quite some time. For whatever reason, I finally decided to pick it up the other day during the eShop sale since I'd heard that the Switch port was generally flawless.
I was not prepared for how great this game was.
I honestly didn't care for Limbo all that much, but Playdead really outdid themselves with Inside. This game filled me with dread and wonderment in equal measure throughout the entirety of its tightly designed campaign, and the impeccable attention to detail and thick atmosphere left me feeling things that I usually only feel while playing Fumito Ueda's games. As a huge Ueda fan, I give all the kudos in the world to Playdead for taking something akin to his "design by subtraction" philosophy and applying it with such craft and thoughtfulness to every inch of this wonderful game.
Inside's art style seems simple in pictures, but in motion it's rich with depth and impressive lighting effects.
Seriously. I know I'm way late to the party here since the game was critically lauded after its release years ago, but I feel like I have to talk to people about what I just played. I've already been digging around for story/ending interpretations online to see how much they align or differ from my own, but aside from deep-dive analysis I'd just like to reach out to other fans of the game who were as impressed as I was whenever and wherever they played it. I'm floored by how polished and well thought-out every moment of Inside was. The environmental puzzle design was so organic and natural while also having a perfectly smooth difficulty curve, and the unique atmosphere of this dark world is so effectively communicated through the game's art style. The atmosphere is so well realized that there were several moments in the game when I felt genuine terror as various horrors and/or environmental hazards threatened to end my under-aged avatar's life violently and with little hesitation.
I don't know what else to say other than it was one of the most memorable games I've played in years and I'd love to discuss it further with others on ERA. Please spoiler tag any story analysis that you post in this thread, however. This game's underlying metaphors and ambiguous plot are so important to a new player's experience that I'd hate to have that accidentally spoiled despite the game's age.
I was not prepared for how great this game was.
I honestly didn't care for Limbo all that much, but Playdead really outdid themselves with Inside. This game filled me with dread and wonderment in equal measure throughout the entirety of its tightly designed campaign, and the impeccable attention to detail and thick atmosphere left me feeling things that I usually only feel while playing Fumito Ueda's games. As a huge Ueda fan, I give all the kudos in the world to Playdead for taking something akin to his "design by subtraction" philosophy and applying it with such craft and thoughtfulness to every inch of this wonderful game.
Inside's art style seems simple in pictures, but in motion it's rich with depth and impressive lighting effects.
Seriously. I know I'm way late to the party here since the game was critically lauded after its release years ago, but I feel like I have to talk to people about what I just played. I've already been digging around for story/ending interpretations online to see how much they align or differ from my own, but aside from deep-dive analysis I'd just like to reach out to other fans of the game who were as impressed as I was whenever and wherever they played it. I'm floored by how polished and well thought-out every moment of Inside was. The environmental puzzle design was so organic and natural while also having a perfectly smooth difficulty curve, and the unique atmosphere of this dark world is so effectively communicated through the game's art style. The atmosphere is so well realized that there were several moments in the game when I felt genuine terror as various horrors and/or environmental hazards threatened to end my under-aged avatar's life violently and with little hesitation.
I don't know what else to say other than it was one of the most memorable games I've played in years and I'd love to discuss it further with others on ERA. Please spoiler tag any story analysis that you post in this thread, however. This game's underlying metaphors and ambiguous plot are so important to a new player's experience that I'd hate to have that accidentally spoiled despite the game's age.
