Inside: A Dark Journey

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As I loaded up INSIDE, I wasn’t really sure what to expect from it. I had heard it was a platformer game with similarities to the game, Limbo. It starts with you playing as a small boy, not unlike Limbo. However, INSIDE begins with your character on the run; it jumps you right into the action as you witness several people get taken captive by a group in strange masks and get turned into husks. Not too long afterwards I was fleeing for my life as I was pursued by these masked people, as well as their vicious dogs. Unlike most platformer games, this game is dark and rated M for mature. After playing it for several hours you realize just how much this game seems like a horrible nightmare.

(Hiding from the mask people)

I managed to evade the people chasing me, as I rushed through the woods with several attack dogs hot on my trail. This game already had me wondering how scary it could get. Not soon after this I messed up hiding from a van and as a result, they took me down. Shortly after that my character had his jugular ripped out by a dog. As I progressed in the game, everything got more and more disturbing. I eventually encountered a pig that wanted to trample me. To stop it I had it run itself into a wall, and pulled some worm creature out of it. I didn’t know exactly what was going on in this game, all I knew was whatever world it took place in was horrible.

(Showdown with the pig)

Continuing my streak of incredible puzzle solving skills, I made it from location to location. I ended up encountering some husks and some strange headgear on the way. The headgear turned out to be a control device. It worked as though I was in place of the brain dead person. I could manipulate them, have them move around, open doors, etc. The plot began to reveal more of itself to me. Something extremely terrible was going on here. People were getting taken, made into mindless slaves, and I was stuck in the middle of this mess, trying my best to escape.

(Trying not to blow my cover)

I felt like the whole world was out to get me. It didn’t help that I died hundreds of times in horrible ways, not to mention the game itself got increasingly darker as I went on. One aspect that really freaked me out was an ongoing assault by a long haired water child. That’s honestly the best way of describing the creature. If it caught me it would drag me down and drown me. There were several instances where I would go from shelter to shelter avoiding it. Each time I did it would be an arm’s reach away from getting me, causing me to scream for my life. Once I got to this area of the game, I was truly sent into a state of terror.

(Finding my way out of the underwater maze)

Like I said at the beginning of this post, I wasn’t really sure what to expect from INSIDE. I was truly surprised by how in depth and how much there was going in this new world. Playing as an innocent child who is trying to escape from the terrible dangers that surround you was intense. The story is told simply by where you go, the things around you, and your environment that expands before your eyes. I highly recommend this game to anyone who likes games with underlying plots, as well as platformer games. INSIDE was a great game that had me guessing what would happen from the beginning to the end.