The Inpatient Reviews
Despite providing some interesting backstory for the Until Dawn universe, my enjoyment of The Inpatient is held back by dull characters and inconsistent scares.
The Inpatient is a much quieter game than Until Dawn. It adopts a straight-faced tone, opting for psychological horror rather than grisly thrills. There's nothing wrong with that approach, but coming off the last game, it took some adjusting. I couldn't help but wish it was more, well, exciting. It's a technical marvel, but at times the experience feels hollow and uneventful. In the end, even though I'm glad to return to this universe, The Inpatient comes across as a bit of a missed opportunity.
The Inpatient ends up as poorly thought out walking simulator that not once manages to get out of Until Dawns shadow. There's not enough character development or horror elements in the short playtime of 2-3 hours to keep you motivated for a second playthrough of the game. If you enjoyed Until Dawn you'll still get a little bit of closure out of the story.
Review in German | Read full review
If Sumermassive could have tripled the length of one sitting it could have been something special as the setting is fascinating. Unfortunately it's short, repetitive and not the PlayStation VR hit we need.
Another confident entry in the Until Dawn universe placing you "IN" the patient by implementing clever techniques while leaving other areas with lingering symptoms
There's two sides to The Inpatient: the first two thirds are tense, intriguing, and gives games like Resident Evil 7 a run for their money, but then the final third is ponderous, dialogue heavy, and has very little in the way of scares. With a play time of three to four hours it's a decent length for a VR game and does have replay value with it's alternate story paths. Despite it's flaws, The Inpatient is still much better than many of the VR horror games available, so it's worth checking out if you have an expensive fancy hat from Sony.
The Inpatient has a great premise and concept but unfortunately falls flat. Everything that it tries to do has been done better by either its own predecessor or its competition. For someone just getting into virtual reality, it offers a great little" haunted house" experience, but ultimately lacks the substance to please anyone else.
The Inpatient is one of PSVR's best. It's a shining example of presence and engagement. The visuals impress and it uses a ton of clever tricks to fully immerse the player in the experience of living out Blackwood Sanatorium's final days, making me feel like I was actually there. There are fun Easter eggs for those who have played Until Dawn, but The Inpatient can still be enjoyed without. The overall plot does fall flat in the final act as the scares give way to a less-than-exciting conclusion, but the branching possibilities means that even after two playthroughs, untold stories of the sanatorium still await me.
The Inpatient's strong opening is undone by a rushed finale, and while the various plot permutations add replayability, they come at the cost of a fulfilling narrative. As a PlayStation VR experience, this is a fine-looking spook-'em-up with some neat innovations that help create a tactile world, but the story is far too fragmented and, frankly, flat to do justice to the universe it's inspired by.
The Inpatient is a psychological horror that, while technically above standard, is devoid of anything noteworthy.
One of the most technically impressive PlayStation VR games so far but a disappointingly drab and unfocused prequel to Until Dawn, that takes itself far too seriously.
Despite an incredible opening hour, the second half of the game really falls off a cliff, and never quite recovers. If you have PSVR and like Until Dawn, it's a no-brainer, but it's not the "more Until Dawn" we all really want.
An entertaining if ultimately shallow instalment in the Until Dawn series, being the most visually stunning PSVR title to date isn't quite enough for The Inpatient to overcome its sluggish pace and reductive game design.
The Inpatient is an interesting VR experience. It's immersive, absorbing and sometimes very creepy and effective, but it also feels like only half the game it could have been. With more real interaction and more for the player to see and do, we might have had a new highlight in the PSVR line-up. As it is, it's another intriguing but short-lived experience, which hints at a richer, more ambitious tale of terror than the one it ultimately delivers.
The Inpatient is a fittingly terrifying visit to the sanitorium that set Until Dawn in motion and does a good job pivoting from campy slasher tropes to more psychological horror. Its choices lack the same punch though, and despite its shorter runtime, The Inpatient does a worse job of convincing you to play through it multiple times. Despite that, it's captivating world and solid opening remain engrossing, even if its upended near its closure.
The Inpatient's interesting premise and ideas cannot save a game plagued by a badly paced plot and a boring gameplay.
Review in Italian | Read full review
The Inpatient is perhaps the first big disappointment of this 2018, at least for VR enthusiasts. Great graphics and sound, but everything else leaves something to be desired.
Review in Italian | Read full review
A below average VR experience, with jump-scares reliant horror and an uninteresting story and plot choices. It might appeal to some Until Dawn fans, but there are far better VR experiences elsewhere.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
The Inpatient is one of the best horror games that Virtual Reality has nowadays. Supermassive Games has created a great example of how to create an immersive story and has brought it to life for PlayStation VR. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-ldb4'); });
Review in Spanish | Read full review