I is for... Inside

Platform: Epic

Genre: Platformer

Completed: 05/01/2024

Inside was not my first choice for my I game. Originally I was meant to play Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine. The latter was a game that I had been wanting to play for some time but never got around to it. When I finally did, I couldn't map the controls properly and it was an absolute headache to try and get it to work.

The game was running fine, it was simply the controls. I barely made it five minutes into the game, died a dozen times from fall damage, and then couldn't progress because the action button wouldn't work.

I saw online that others had the same issue and that there were fixes. But they were all so convoluted that in the end, I thought, "Nah" and switched to my backup game. And I am glad that I did.

Inside was such a smooth and seamless game that I didn't even realize how far I had progressed in the first day alone. The puzzles weren't too taxing so I always felt like I was constantly moving forward.

There was just one thing about the game, which when looking online about it, I wasn't the only one. I had no clue what was going on! You are thrown straight into the situation from the get-go. Initially, it is unclear whether you are running from or to something. Though it does feel like that in the starting act, you are running from; then the later act you are running to.

Still it never gets explained why.

Even after you get to where you need to go, there is just a mass of unanswered questions, that persist with intensity till when the credits roll. Oh and don't even get me started on the secret ending, because that's just another can of mind-buggery.

I sense the developers wanted this game to be an allegory for something, and I have read many theories online as to what it could be. But nothing seems to fit 100% with the game. One thing is for sure though, it's left a lasting impression on me. And who knows, maybe that's what the developers wanted. No hidden meaning or message, just a game that would embed itself into your mind with its vagueness and weirdness.

Next up will be - Jazz Jackrabbit