INSIDE Reviews
I’m sure others will (and already have) find meaning in Inside. There’ll be fascinating, insightful deconstructions and I look forward to reading them. There’s a wealth of praise for the game already. It’s clearly spoken to a lot of people, but it didn’t speak to me – except, perhaps, to berate me for not being smart enough to understand what it’s trying to say.
All told if you do everything possible in this game you still fall well short of 10 hours, but at $20 it’s a novel puzzle platformer that definitely scratches the indie itch. Following up Limbo should have been an arduous task but it seems that developer Playdead has the ability of blurring the lines between art and video games inside its DNA. I for one feel like games like this need to exist in an industry bursting with more and more mundane AAA titles. Now if only it can take less than 6 years between games. Inside was definitely a very good game, even at times great but it was by no means a perfect platformer and was at best a pretty good puzzle game. What makes Inside good is the overall experience i.e. the tone, setting, pace and soundtrack. Definitely a must play.
It always feels like Playdead could have done a bit more with the gameplay by making it longer and having more complexity to some of the puzzles. Most people will feel completely bewildered when it is all over.
It’s clear that a lot of time and effort went into what is presented to us as a game. The issue I keep coming back to is that none of it made any sense. None of it meant anything. If all of these disparate environments and puzzles could have been brought together along the way or at the end in a cohesive story, I would certainly give it a better score.
You’ll get roughly four hours out of the game, and there’re a couple of hidden things to find throughout for Achievement and Trophy hunters. But it’s hard to establish the thought of replayability -- each puzzle you pass is a hardwired solution, meaning the thought of going back and just finishing something you already know how to do is hollow in exercise.
It looks incredible and controls beautifully, but Inside’s best ideas are spread too thin.
"To me, this game is a modern classic that truly showcases what a developer can achieve when they try to bring every aspect of a game together to form a cohesive piece of art. I would recommend it to fans of Limbo, Abzu and any Oddworld-type platformer. I am acutely aware, however, that this opinion will not be shared by everyone who plays"
Inside seems to be made for a console like the Switch. Keeping the screen in front of our eyes, we are one hundred percent absorbed in what is happening on it, thanks to which the game is even more addictive and has an even more pronounced effect on emotions.
Review in Polish | Read full review
Inside begeistert wie bereits sein Vorgänger mit einem großartigen Setting und einer doch sehr interessanten Geschichte. Leider baut sich in den 3-4 Stunden Spielzeit wenig an Herausforderung auf und auch die Rätsel fallen leider doch um einiges einfacher aus als damals in Limbo. Inside macht zwar nicht unbedingt alles richtig, bietet aber eine großartige Atmosphäre für einen Indie Titel und wird vor allem Limbo Fans wieder überzeugen können.
Review in German | Read full review
INSIDE is still the same excellent game from 2016, now released on the Switch for convenience, portability, and the potential to reach a whole new audience. It is a must-play experience that feels right at home on Switch.
In the end, I’ve no doubt INSIDE will end up being one of the most memorable experiences I’ve played this year. Its puzzles are expertly designed, its presentation staggeringly beautiful. Personally, I’m not sure its four hours of content are worth the $20 asking price, especially for an ending that leaves you with more questions than answers.
Inside is bizarre, beautiful, dark, and one of a kind. If you look at it from the outside, you're looking at a simple, beautifully drawn puzzle game. But you need time and attention to notice how deep the game is. I finished the game, and found myself drawn to replay it, and that's a sign of how good the game was. if you own an Xbox One (soon to be released on PC) then this is a game you should never ignore.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
Calling INSIDE merely a "worthy successor" would be doing it a disservice. It's not just great relative to its sibling; it's great, period. Its cinematic, artistic, and structural techniques have set a new standard for 2D platformers to be measured against. It's possible that in the future, someone will piece together its occasionally disparate story elements into a more meaningful whole, which would likely make it one of the best games of all time. For now, it is "only" one of the best games of the year, an arresting journey, and a solid puzzler.
If you’re looking for something different, PLAYDEAD’s 8-10 hour offering, is definitely worth the price of admission.
Instilled with a pervading sense of disquiet and a knack for the disturbing, Inside is a memorable, beautifully realized puzzle-platformer. The game’s middle drags as it leans too heavily on puzzles, and the game’s short length and ending will no doubt put some off, but some strong puzzle and world design and an engrossing, murky narrative makes Playdead’s latest is an adventure worth taking.
Fun, easy, creepy, scary, bizarre, and oozing with atmosphere, but doesn’t quite stick the landing.
Playdead has greatly improved how it delivers a story, but hasn't moved away from ambiguity. The latter three-quarters of Inside cheapens the otherwise refined package, only saved because the studio is the undisputed master of horrific puzzles. Ending aside, it's definitely worth a look.
INSIDE brings another 2D platformer with puzzles to the Nintendo Switch catalogue but this is a game that clearly stands out on its own merits, thanks to its marvelous art style that suits it perfectly, to its high quality puzzles and to an overall experience that is challenging and long-lasting enough to be appreciated by all its players.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
INSIDE is a fantastic experience. The puzzles are a bit rudimentary at times and the story is almost too outlandish and confusing to describe. It is almost impossible to discuss the game without talking about what makes it special. Do yourself a favor, play this game, I guarantee immediately upon finishing it, you will want to talk to someone, if for nothing else but to just see their face and say “WTF just happened.” Yes it is one of those games.
Inside has a foreboding atmosphere that's second to none, set by the masterful use of lighting, shadows, colors and sound. Although padded at parts (even for a four hour game), it's still able to keep you gripped. The puzzles are somewhat basic for the most part and the ending of the game is one of the worst I've ever encountered, simply not fitting in with the rest of it.