The Inner Friend
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Critics Recommend
The Inner Friend Trailers
Critic Reviews for The Inner Friend
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.
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.
