Bendy and the Ink Machine Reviews
Bendy and the Ink Machine has plenty going for it as a new horror instalment on Nintendo Switch – such as the way it builds a growing sense of dread and despair throughout its five chapters while using an animation style that's meant to evoke the safety and joy of childhood memories – but it's let down by some irritating design decisions and frustrating performance issues. Still, if you really do love your horror and want something that ticks all the boxes of a modern scarefest, Bendy and the Ink Machine is still a worthy descent into madness.
As much as it tried my patience at times, I definitely enjoyed my time with Bendy and the Ink Machine. What seemed to start as a side project is on the way to becoming a full-blown franchise, and there's enough narrative juice here to sustain it for sure. A little more time in the oven for whatever comes next will go a long way, and with the backing of Rooster Teeth Games, perhaps that's exactly what will happen. There's a lot more here than cartoon demons popping out at you from behind corners to make you scream on your Twitch stream, and it's that ambition that makes Bendy a worthwhile game for horror junkies.
For any audience, adults or children, Bendy offers nothing but some cool visuals. It's most enjoyed by looking at screenshots and ending your experience there.
Bendy and the Ink Machine takes players down a corrupted nostalgia trip, full of old school cartoon characters mixed with twisted horror. Exploration, puzzle solving, and the occasional fight are the name of the game, even if the save system could be better. If you don't enter Joey Drew Studios for the gameplay, you'll be enthralled by the story.
A unique and creative horror game filled with boring puzzles and clunky combat
Playing through Bendy and the Ink Machine was like dropping a tab of bad Acid and then getting hopelessly lost wandering around a bootleg Euro-Disney… But in a good way, if you feel me?
Gorgeous presentation and some genuinely creepy moments just about manage to outweigh the conventional, and mildly dated gameplay.
However, if you do choose to play Bendy and the Ink Machine, you’ll experience an environment that is crafted well, characters that are interesting, and a story that speaks well about how art that starts with the best of intentions can easily turn into a monster over time
Despite the gameplay issues, Bendy and the Ink Machine is a fun and creative survival-horror title. Its excellent graphical design and tense atmosphere create a solid backdrop for horrifying shenanigans. An intriguing story motivates players to keep going and find out what's happening next. Bendy delivers fun, and it delivers scares with a tasteful "less is more" formula that builds up the horror as we go. Unique puzzles and collectibles encourage exploration and advance the story to keep players engaged. It's an unorthodox type of horror game, but Bendy and the Ink Machine utilizes two opposite genres that complement each other to create a solid title. The use of cartoon characters in a horror atmosphere blends the purity of animated characters with the terrifying ideals of a scientist gone mad. As we progress, we learn sad truths behind the animation team that led to the spiraling downfall of innocent people. Bendy and the Ink Machine may be a sleeper hit, but it's worth any survival-horror fan's time.
Take away some of the fetch quests, show more Lovecraftian terror and I'll recommend Bendy And The Ink Machine to everyone I know.
Our review for the first three chapters of Bendy and the Ink Machine, a first-person puzzle game that wants to ruin your childhood.
Bendy and the Ink Machine is a great horror/thriller game that is now available on home consoles. It will have you trying to piece together the inner workings of Joey Drew Studios to solve it’s mysteries and uncover it’s true story. While the home console ports have had some slight graphical tweaks all of the content from the complete edition of the PC version is present and ready to play here. If you’re looking for a short but interesting thriller title that will have you on the edge of your seat at times you should definitely check it out.
For its flaws, Bendy and the Ink Machine has an equal amount of triumphs
Bendy and the Ink Machine is intriguing, but also has quite some shortcomings.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
At the end of the day there is something to appreciate about a game that makes it feel OK for kids to play through a creepy story. Bendy and the Ink Machine manages to provide “PG-13 horror” in a game that I’ve never seen done before previously. If you’re in search of a game that you can play with the kids that isn’t within the realm of a party game or a fighter, Bendy could very well be the story for you, if you can get past the very obvious Bioshock comparisons and the couple of irritating bugs within.
Since there haven’t been a ton of games in this vein on the Switch to date if you’re a fan of some scares and a sense of unease Bendy and the Ink Machine delivers nicely and should scratch that itch. The fact that it’s not bloody or over the top could work as a pro or a con depending on what you’re looking for but I like how effectively the setting and strange characters created a real sense of unease throughout. While it may not be for everyone Bendy and his friends make for a very strange and enjoyable experience.
While at first glance the game may seem like it's targeted at children, this does not encapsulate the full experience, and the game is appropriate for adults as well.
Bendy and the Ink Machine is a very intriguing game. It has an incredible visual style that is unique and certainly has some good horror elements going for it, but it, unfortunately, lets itself down in other areas. Straightforward puzzles, unwanted fetch quests and a clunky combat system really hurt the enjoyment in a big way. However, it is an interesting take on the horror genre and can still be thoroughly enjoyable in the right hands. I do think little more time in the oven was needed.
As the saying goes, I came for the imagery, I stayed for the engaging story and interesting gameplay. Bendy and the Ink Machine is on my list of ‘hidden gems’ of 2018 for sure as it’s a game which may have flown under a few peoples radars, yet it deserves a much bigger push into the limelight. Sure, the puzzles are basic, the hiding from the creatures is overly forgiving, and the combat is rather simplistic as well as a bit too unforgiving in certain areas. However, the other core aspects balance these out and end up overshadowing them. The Borderlands-like graphics help to make what would be a rather horrific state of affairs into a more casual and less disturbing set of events, all whilst retaining the uneasiness and suspenseful emotions it wishes to portray.
Nevertheless, Bendy and the Ink Machine is a successful game that you should absolutely look at.
Review in German | Read full review