The Inner Friend Reviews
The Inner Friend is a decent horror and while it is incredibly short there is enough variety to keep it interesting. It does have a couple of issues but it is saved by its interesting look at childhood fears. It's a good way to spend an afternoon.
The Inner Friend isn't a bad game, but it never really rises above mediocrity. As a result, it's difficult to recommend unless the narrative premise attracts you. There are some moments of greatness amidst an interesting take on trauma and the idea of replaying unresolved memories from one's past, but the overall feel is distinctly average.
Even though it was a short game, The Inner Friend lingers in the back of your brain long after you put the controller down. It's an emotional journey exploring childhood fears and trauma, and might just have you pulling out your favorite stuffed animal for a reassuring squeeze.
As you move through the various levels, different ages of the main character are explored but in the two or three hours of game time, you are left with far too many questions.
The Inner Friend nails the horror even if it's disappointingly short.
In short, The Inner Friend is enjoyable, if not much too short title that is open to interpretation in its story. This game is worth a play if you can scrounge up the cash. The experience alone is worth picking it up. And yet, PLAYMIND could have explored so much with this idea.
The Inner Friend is a game with interesting ambitions that doesn't quite gel together into a cohesive whole. While elements of the game (music and creature design) are quite stellar, other areas (puzzles, controls) suffer enough to hold the game back from what it could have been. The Inner Friend is still worth a look as an interesting experiment, just go in forewarned about the parts that don't work so well.
Traversing a terrifying, multi-dimensional modern art exhibit for 2 hours can get tedious, but it never stops piquing your curiosity.
More impressive than terrifying, The Inner Friend favours inventive ideas over bloodcurdling ones.
If you can look past the few technical issues – which can hopefully be ironed out with a patch – you’ll find a worthwhile story about overcoming loneliness and self-doubt, cherishing your friendships and rediscovering who you are.
A glimpse at something greater.
The Inner Friend was in much need of adding risk to its puzzles and encounters, if it hoped to create the eerie, unsettling atmosphere of which its subject matter and visual design are more than capable.
The Inner Friend is (on the PS4) not a graphics bomb. It is also not the new gameplay revelation. Instead it is a story monster. Less of a horror-, but more of a psycho trip. Mindfuck at its best!
Review in German | Read full review
It is hard to recommend The Inner Friend even at its steeply discounted price because of its short length and limited gameplay.
Overall, the experience from The Inner Friend felt distinctly lacking, if not at least positive. The game is way too short, some of the areas felt either way too long (the ruins) or way too short (the mall literally took me less than 2 minutes to finish), and more often than not, just when a stage was reaching its end did I really start getting into it. The Inner Friend also suffers from a bit of a "genre disorder" halfway through, as it turns into less spooky, more weird mini games and escorting without the same eerie feeling, and some rather clunky handling on occasion. There was a lot that felt unfurnished and unexplored, and The Inner Friend would have really benefited from some refining and expansion to the different themes explored.
The Inner Friend showcases a ton of heart and some clever concepts, but fails to translate that into compelling gameplay or a coherent story.
The Inner Friend is a short but sweet experience that will give back as much as you put into it. You’ve got to read between the lines with this game and if you like your narratives to have a clear structure, you’ll likely bounce right off this. If you like a game to challenge you, to make you think and maybe, just maybe, make you feel something, then The Inner Friend is certainly worth a look. Some sticky platforming sections aside, it’s a thrilling and occasionally chilling game that’s truly artistic in its vision.
The Inner Friend is a dreamlike walk through a child's mind and way of seeing the world. Its artistic design is impressive and encourages us to keep going through the spectacular levels. It suffers some wear and tear around the middle of the game and has several aspects to improve, but its duration will make us not want to stop until it is finished.
Review in Spanish | Read full review