In Sound Mind Reviews
In Sound Mind boasts an intriguing story, decent (if repetitive) combat, and enjoyable puzzles and platforming. However, the lackluster horror, uneven character development, and lack of immersion bring down an otherwise solid psychedelic horror experience.
Despite some disappointing and frustrating moments, there’s enough compelling stuff that I can still recommend In Sound Mind to fans of adventure-leaning indie horror games. Overall, I dug this team’s ambition, and I was excited to see where it was headed. I just wish the game ran better and streamlined some of its level and puzzle design.
In Sound Mind features plenty of unnecessary and frustrating mechanics, but a complex, entertaining story and the deft application of classic and psychological horror tropes help carry the game.
In Sound Mind is an atmospheric adventure with a decent plot and cool puzzles, that suffers from low budget and some minuscule gameplay issues.
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As a movie, In Sound Mind may have been an interesting and quirky, if slightly derivative, story of introspection and psychological understanding. As a game though, it simply doesn’t have the depth of mechanics to hold you through its 5-6 hour runtime. Sporting awful combat and stealth sequences, boring level design and inconsistent presentation, In Sound Mind activates too few of the adrenaline-controlling brain areas. Instead, it peaked some interest which slowly faded out the longer I played. You wouldn’t be out of your mind to play it if you’re a psychological horror fan, but you’ll potentially be in two minds of whether it was actually fun to play.
In Sound Mind is a case of a great idea hobbled by flawed execution. It has some fascinating mechanics and an engaging story to tell. However, to experience the game’s best parts, you’ll have to suffer through a lot of moments of frustration. If you’re up for the challenge, this might just be a psychological horror title worth checking out. For anyone else, you might want to wait and see if developer We Create Stuff can iron out the kinks first.
In Sound Mind is an ambitious project that seeks to depict dark subject matter and does so successfully with a narrative about overcoming our mental fears. The experience is dragged down by a frustrating inclusion of combat, and an approximately 12-hour length that isn’t justified, at a detriment to the story. It’s not conventionally scary - though it has its hair-raising moments - but it’s disturbing and at times uncomfortable due to a sometimes grounded and sometimes surreal delve into the effects of mental illness on the mind. On the plus side, there is an uncanny valley companion cat - that you can pet - which is instantly a redeeming factor.
In Sound Mind is a psychedelic survival horror with shooting, sneaking, platforming, and puzzles. The story is fantastic, and the soundtrack is even better. But for the expensive cost of clunky gameplay and horrendous lag, In Sound Mind just isn't worth the price tag.