Inside

Mr E

From Playdead (makers of Limbo), their new game Inside is getting absolutely rave reviews. Out tomorrow on Xbox One, July 7th (Thursday week) on Steam. Looks like it'll be €19.99.

“MASTERPIECE! Inside is a 2D puzzle platformer that builds upon what made Limbo great, and in fact builds something greater.”
10/10 – IGN

“Inside expands on the concepts and scope of its predecessor in wildly creative ways, and it's so immaculately designed and constructed from top to bottom that it almost feels suitable for display in an art museum. This is one hell of a followup.”
5/5 – Giant Bomb

“The universe Inside depicts is one of the eeriest, most captivating settings I've ever encountered in a game.”
9.5/10 – Polygon

http://store.steampowered.com/app/304430/
http://www.metacritic.com/game/xbox-one/inside

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0V2rPVQWfM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5k17aVeY2rI

Links234

I'll take it that it's nothing to do with the French horror movie Inside? :pac:

I was worried about this given how long it's been in development and how little they've show of it up to now. The high scores actually surprised me as anything I saw of it at e3 this year made me feel it was too similar to Limbo.

Looks like it isn't an issue based on the reviews.

Zero-Cool

Will definitely be seeing if this runs on my shyte laptop. Not waiting for a PS4 port. ANYTHING like Limbo and I'm sold.

Retr0gamer

Well I'm hoping it's better than limbo because that game was the definition of over hyped.

Falthyron

Apparently the game has a whopper twist. Any chance a moderator can put up a spoiler warning for the time being as it isn't coming out on PC until next week

MiskyBoyy

This game is all sorts of fúcked up. I can see why it's 18+ :eek::pac:

kevovek

I've only watched the trailer from E3 and read a little about it but Im so hyped for this game I'll pick it up as soon as it launches on steam and I'll avoid any kind of story spoilers like the plague!

sweetie

Liking it a lot so far. Like Limbo crossed with Abe's Odyssey.

Always love a game with no hud .

Just fired it up to see what it's like and am impress so far, it feels very different in terms of atmosphere to Limbo which was unexpected. There is a small detail in the 1st 2 minutes that really impressed me, you see the headlights of a van in the background and the character looks over his shoulder and you can audibly here his footsteps pick up pace.

I love the run or stay decisions you get faced with too. Character movement is excellent too , like the stumbles as he is chased.

Edit: Oh god the

Chics

I was horrified once I figured that one out but all was well

The game so far feels way more fluid than limbo

I restated as herself wanted a go, and she was a bit more cautious at one point , so only ended up with one chasing her instead of two.


Have to leave it for tonight now but so far in the 20 minutes we played this pretty much scutters all over Limbo.

Frustrating part tonight was the

bridge with the pulses

took me a fair bit to get the timing there.

It never felt cheap though the answer was there I was just about waiting for the right moment

sweetie

I'm pretty stuck a bit further on, think I'm nearing the end. Fabulous experience.

recyclops

finished it last night, definitely different but worthy of the praise its getting i am not too sure.

maybe it was lost on me but it all felt a bit pointless.

Taltos

How did it compare to Limbo though? Was it as short as if so I'll wait a while.

sweetie

Taltos wrote: »

How did it compare to Limbo though? Was it as short as if so I'll wait a while.

My playthrough was 6hr 4mins. Probably twice as long as Limbo I'd guess.

What the hell did I just witness

recyclops

Taltos wrote: »

How did it compare to Limbo though? Was it as short as if so I'll wait a while.

yeah 6 hours as mentioned above is about right, as i game share i feel the 10 euro was about right

MiskyBoyy

Deleted User wrote:

What the hell did I just witness

Lmao

MiskyBoyy

MiskyBoyy wrote: »

Lmao

It's crazy that change in

mechanics after being absorbed by the ''experiment''

no way you see it coming, and then

to be basically told ok there you go play on

!!!!??? Few if any other games would go that route that I recall.

Seriously if people are reading this thread and haven't played the game even though people here are generally very good with spoiler tags, don't take the chance and avoid any videos of the game that aren't just the trailers.

Overall 19.99 was a bit steep but I don't feel robbed you can see where the time and money they put in went. 19.99 was worth it for my partners reactions but not so much the gloating when she did the bridge section on her 1st time through, that took me about 25-30 minutes trying to find the timing etc.

MiskyBoyy

Feck that I paid a tenner. Just the right amount imo

rizzla

Fantastic game. Finished it last night and just got the secret ending now.

As soon as you get absorbed by the experiment I just thought, Akira.

My mind was blown late in the game when I realised the kid

wasn't running away or trying to escape at all

johnny_ultimate

Played through the first 90 minutes or so, and have to say the presentation in this game is absolutely first rate. The attention when it comes to credible, dynamic character animation is reminiscent of Naughty Dog's work. But the 2D space allows Playdead to sustain some beautifully cinematic - in a good way! - framing throughout. The background is full of depth, which is something many 2D (or 2.5D, whatever) games neglect. It's as alive and vibrant as the foreground, helping build the world and the story, and that it feeds into the gameplay from time to time is nice too.

So far it's an impressive exercise in minimalism - everything from the colours to the sound are artfully underplayed, but that helps sustain the general sense of bleakness and confusion driving everything along. It joins Silent Hill on the short list of games that have used fog and fuzziness so well.

Gameplay wise it feels a step beyond Limbo for sure, if still inevitably a bit reliant on contrived puzzles here and there. But much more of them feel organically woven into the environment, and there's already been a couple of creepy and unexpected touches scattered throughout (

mind control within mind control!

). Early days yet, but a more mature and confident game than its predecessor for sure.

Doodleking

it starts just like Limbo- a boy running through the wood! In general- a great game, a worthy successor, it kinda reminded me of Lars von Trier films a little bit

johnny_ultimate

Let me summarise first my thoughts after completing the game: this is magnificent.

This is a thrilling exercise in interactive storytelling, and a perfect example of why some games need to be thoroughly scripted and linear. The game flows like a dream, with a near non-existent tension between 'play' and 'story'. It moves with grace and elegance, where the developers are constantly wondering what you're thinking, and pondering what an individual scene communicates. It's a seamless presentation, and the sound / music design is beautifully oppressive, moody and nuanced throughout. As I mentioned in the previous post, the aesthetic approach is genuinely perfect - if you've only seen screenshots, you need to see it in motion. Also need to restress how brilliant Playdead are at minutiae - there's so many beautiful animations and visual ideas scattered throughout.

Perhaps it's futile searching for meaning in the abstract story - there are certainly broad themes floating around in there, and there were times I definitely felt Playdead were subtly addressing the player and toying with our expectations of 'control'. But perhaps it is most appropriate to appreciate it in its purest sense: a brilliant realisation of a surreal yet recognisable totalitarian setting; a gauntlet of death and danger; a grotesque and visceral piece of experimental sci-fi. One could list plenty of reference points, in games and film alike - David Cronenberg, Éric Chahi and Shinya Tsukamoto were some of the most obvious. But it would be unfair to describe Playdead's work here as anything other than beautifully original, and a serious artistic evolution from Limbo.

The puzzles, naturally, are where the game feels most 'familiar', unavoidably 'gamey'. And yet, I was surprised with the frequency with which Playdead challenged expectations and introduced fascinating new twists. While some are a bit more 'mechanical' than others, mostly there's a delightful lack of repetition, with the vast majority of puzzles boasting fresh ideas and execution. There's a handful of ideas here some designers would build entire ten-hour games around, but Playdead's willingness to introduce them, explore them and swiftly move on is to be welcomed.

Most impressively though, the harmony with which everything comes together is Inside's greatest success. The visual design feeds into the puzzles. The puzzles feed into the story. The story feeds into the puzzles. And so on, and so on. With only fleeting exceptions, this is the rare game where everything seems whole. It's a short game, but all the better for it - there's little that's extraneous or misjudged. It is a game where you more or less run left to right, but that allows for a game that is simple to play and experience but incredibly deep in artistry and surprise. As you may have guessed, I loved it, and my enthusiasm for it only grew in its bold final act. Even at full price, this cannot be recommended enough.

sweetie

Johnny, you've a way with words - fine review.

johnny_ultimate

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

Let me summarise first my thoughts after completing the game: this is magnificent.

This is a thrilling exercise in interactive storytelling, and a perfect example of why some games need to be thoroughly scripted and linear. The game flows like a dream, with a near non-existent tension between 'play' and 'story'. It moves with grace and elegance, where the developers are constantly wondering what you're thinking, and pondering what an individual scene communicates. It's a seamless presentation, and the sound / music design is beautifully oppressive, moody and nuanced throughout. As I mentioned in the previous post, the aesthetic approach is genuinely perfect - if you've only seen screenshots, you need to see it in motion. Also need to restress how brilliant Playdead are at minutiae - there's so many beautiful animations and visual ideas scattered throughout.

Perhaps it's futile searching for meaning in the abstract story - there are certainly broad themes floating around in there, and there were times I definitely felt Playdead were subtly addressing the player and toying with our expectations of 'control'. But perhaps it is most appropriate to appreciate it in its purest sense: a brilliant realisation of a surreal yet recognisable totalitarian setting; a gauntlet of death and danger; a grotesque and visceral piece of experimental sci-fi. One could list plenty of reference points, in games and film alike - David Cronenberg, Éric Chahi and Shinya Tsukamoto were some of the most obvious. But it would be unfair to describe Playdead's work here as anything other than beautifully original, and a serious artistic evolution from Limbo.

The puzzles, naturally, are where the game feels most 'familiar', unavoidably 'gamey'. And yet, I was surprised with the frequency with which Playdead challenged expectations and introduced fascinating new twists. While some are a bit more 'mechanical' than others, mostly there's a delightful lack of repetition, with the vast majority of puzzles boasting fresh ideas and execution. There's a handful of ideas here some designers would build entire ten-hour games around, but Playdead's willingness to introduce them, explore them and swiftly move on is to be welcomed.

Most impressively though, the harmony with which everything comes together is Inside's greatest success. The visual design feeds into the puzzles. The puzzles feed into the story. The story feeds into the puzzles. And so on, and so on. With only fleeting exceptions, this is the rare game where everything seems whole. It's a short game, but all the better for it - there's little that's extraneous or misjudged. It is a game where you more or less run left to right, but that allows for a game that is simple to play and experience but incredibly deep in artistry and surprise. As you may have guessed, I loved it, and my enthusiasm for it only grew in its bold final act. Even at full price, this cannot be recommended enough.

Bold final act stood out there, it wasn't bold it was out right audacious and succeed because of it !!!!!!!

Even after the WTF you get from that alone you have another WTF moment when it sinks in that

the kid was never running away he was running to

at least thats how I interpreted it.

I came to this after having seen the trailer and E3 1st 10 minutes gameplay and was fully expecting limbo 2 . I was so wrong and glad I was. As I said previously it poo's all over limbo in every way possible.


Johnny you hit the nail on the head when mentioning the story and those film directors. It could have and maybe did get inspired by them but never felt anything less than 100% original.

MiskyBoyy

This is the best analysis of the game I've seen yet & I agree with his interpretation fully:

BelovedAunt

Limbo is one of my favourite games but so far this has surpassed it in every way. Like Limbo, it drips atmosphere but the 2.5d style makes the world much richer.

Nedved85

Half way through the game - It's very good!

Stone Deaf 4evr

MiskyBoyy wrote: »

This is the best analysis of the game I've seen yet & I agree with his interpretation fully:

I'll watch that tonight when I'm home, but I seem to be one of the few that aren't completely blown away by this game. I avoided spoilers and played through it in 2 sittings. Its very well made, gorgeous to look at but at the end it just rang hollow with me. I found the puzzles to be overly simple and at the end I was left with more questions than answers - which isn't a bad thing, but I would have loved to have found out more about the world its set in. I actually enjoyed limbo more.