Was struggling to find a new game to get into (despite the rest of the games that are already staring me in the face filling me with guilt for ignoring them -- yes, I see you Witcher 3), and then Stan suggests this title. Inside. The spiritual sequel to Limbo. (Or was it a prequel?)
All that aside, it's from the same makers as Limbo and the game is built in roughly the same design. It's a linear platform within a dazzling minimalistic 3D environment. You solve clever little puzzles to move along and as you progress, you slowly begin to piece together a the game's very abstract story.
I'm of two minds of this game. The first is that I loved it. It was both visually beautiful and psychologically morbid, and the game didn't waste a second at sucking me into it's dreary, stunning ambiance -- piquing my curiosity to where I was and what I was suppose to be doing. Inside starts with a little boy (your character) tumbling down a hill into some woods and before you know it you're off running away from some unknown men and are seemingly trying to survive in some sort of dystopian society of mindless slaves serving... someone or something. I... I've already said too much.
While I loved playing this game and thoroughly enjoyed the puzzles, I was left somewhat unsatisfied with how everything ended. Without spoiling anything, the story really left me with a lot of unanswered questions. (I even took to the internet and found an endless slew of theories for what the story could have possibly meant, meaning no one knows for certain what the fuck is going on.) Not to mention I felt as though the gameplay ended way, way too soon. Stan warned me ahead of time that this was maybe a 3-hour game. To me, it felt more like 90 minutes. And at $20 to purchase it, I feel like I should have got a bigger bang for my buck. Just saying...
However, if you liked Limbo (or just enjoy the idea of playing through a series of morbid-yet-brilliant brainteasers), then definitely check this title out. My only suggestion: maybe wait until the price drops to about $10 before you spend your money on something you'll likely beat in a night. Despite it's accomplishments, Inside does not have the heft to warrant the price tag it currently carries.
I can't disagree with the advice to wait for a price cut - it's why I'm still holding out on other highly regarded downloadable titles from this year like The Witness, Firewatch, and Superhot (among others). But this was definitely one of my favorite gaming experiences of the year so far, and while I get the price-to-hours value ratio you're skeptical of here, I'd almost rather pay the same price for three great hours (yeah maybe it was two and a half) than for twelve or twenty mediocre ones. Time is money, after all - it's why I can't imagine I'll ever actually beat Dragon Quest 8! (I'd pay $20 to reduce that game by 40 hours somehow. Easily!)
ReplyDeleteLet's talk about the ending another time, maybe in person, maybe with Keith. Ooh, gametimebro Triple Take, anyone?