Inside is a game made in 2016 by Playdead studios. It’s the spiritual successor to one of my favorite games of all time, Limbo. It has a similarly dark atmosphere, the exact same control scheme, and the same puzzle-platformer gameplay as its predecessor. I’ve been looking forward to this game ever since its announcement, but the question I’m here to answer today is whether it’ll be another incredible gaming experience or just a rehashing of Playdead’s former success. Let’s find out in my mighty review of… Inside!

Okay, not gonna lie, this game is depressing. Or at least, the atmosphere is. It starts out similarly to Limbo, with a small boy climbing out of the woods whose only goal is to run left to right. He’s given no backstory, but it’s made immediately obvious he’s being hunted by adults and their very angry dogs. It’s also made immediately obvious that this game is going to be just as brutal as the first. And that’s pretty much all I can say without giving too much away. You just run. The entire time unveiling more about the world you’re in and discovering dark secrets surrounding you. It’s unnerving, at times heart-pounding, but it’s always intriguing. You’ll always want to know what’s coming next. Oh, and there are like, a LOT of dead pigs.

As you make your way through the facility you’ll learn more about its creepy inner workings. The only side objective is to deactivate orbs hidden around the world. Aside from that, the game takes you from interesting location to interesting location with new details revealed every time. However, the game tends to be a bit too ambiguous with its story. The subtext is pretty clear, but the actual plot driving the story is told in a way that makes me question whether the designers had a real story in mind or just threw some vaguely atmospheric stuff on the screen and decided it was up to the player’s interpretation.

Immediately obvious is that this game is very pretty. And I mean gorgeous. The art style definitely borrows from its predecessor, but the new 3D models and lighting techniques are absolutely beautiful in their own unique way. The only issue I have with this is the game doesn’t allow for exploration as much as you might want. By keeping the graphics on a 2D plane, Limbo avoided this problem, but there were many times playing Inside where I really wanted to explore the environment, but couldn’t as movement is relegated to the 2D plane. Even worse is when trying to solve a puzzle and a potential solution is just behind your character, but since it’s not the solution the game wants you to use, you’re out of luck. However, the music is still fantastic, offering a somber, calm backing that perfectly compliments the gameplay.

The gameplay is identical to Limbo for the most part. A puzzle-platformer in which the player can run, jump, use incredible upper body strength to climb, and interact with objects in the environment. The only two major gameplay mechanics aside from this are the ability to control mindless slaves after putting on a helmet and the use of a submarine. Both of which assist in solving the various puzzles along the way.  The puzzles felt a bit easier this time around, but they were always switched up and stayed interesting throughout the entire 3 to 4 hour playthrough.

The only major issue I have with this game is its similarity to Limbo. Yes, it has a wholly unique world to traverse and a couple new mechanics, but in a lot of ways it feels like a Limbo expansion with a fresh coat of paint. And that’s not a bad thing, but due to its minor flaws it actually seems that while Inside is a wonderful work of art on its own, it ironically can’t reach the high bar set by Limbo. Hehe, get it? It’s a limbo joke… Ah, nevermind.

Overall, Inside is a great game. And if you’ve never played Limbo, I’m sure it will be a wholly unique experience for you from start to end. Unfortunately for me, it’s just too similar to the first game with shortcomings that prevent it from reaching that level of excellence. Still, it is amazing how they were able to come as close as they did which is why I’m giving Inside an 8.5 out of 10. It’s still definitely worth your time and money and I can’t wait to see what Playdead has in store for us next. That being said I hope you enjoyed this review. If you did, be sure to like and subscribe to see more mighty reviews, dissections, and other gaming content. And as always, have a mighty nifty day today!