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While traversing these areas, the boy uses a mind-control helmet to solve puzzles by controlling lifeless grey bodies. The boy eventually comes across an underwater siren-like creature that attaches a device onto him. This allows the boy not only to utilize mind control without a helmet, but also to breathe underwater.
While traversing these areas, the boy uses a mind-control helmet to solve puzzles by controlling lifeless grey bodies. The boy eventually comes across an underwater siren-like creature that attaches a device onto him. This allows the boy not only to utilize mind control without a helmet, but also to breathe underwater.


Continuing through the office/laboratories, the boy eventually sees many of the scientists running toward a large spherical container. There the boy sees a large blob-like creature resembling the mind-control helmets but made up of humanoid arms, legs, and heads connected to four rods in the container. After disconnecting them, the boy is pulled into the creature.<ref name="crave plot" />
Continuing through the office/laboratories, the boy eventually sees many of the scientists running toward a large spherical container. There the boy sees a large blob-like creature made up of humanoid arms, legs, and heads connected to four rods in the container. After disconnecting them, the boy is pulled into the creature.<ref name="crave plot" />


The creature escapes confinement, crashing through various offices and work areas, killing some of the scientists in its path. Some scientists make attempts to capture or hinder the creature to no avail, while others attempt to direct it into a dark room<ref name="eurogamer ending">{{cite web | url = http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2016-07-08-whats-going-on-at-the-end-of-inside | title= What's going on at the end of Inside? | first = Jeffrey | last= Matulef | date = July 8, 2016 | accessdate = July 11, 2016 | work = [[Eurogamer]] }}</ref> where the creature is trapped in another tank. Escaping again, the creature breaks through a wooden wall, rolls down a thick forest hill, and rests at a grassy coastline in a sunbeam. The game ends with the creature silently and motionlessly bathing in the sunlight.
The creature escapes confinement, crashing through various offices and work areas, killing some of the scientists in its path. Some scientists make attempts to capture or hinder the creature to no avail, while others attempt to direct it into a dark room<ref name="eurogamer ending">{{cite web | url = http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2016-07-08-whats-going-on-at-the-end-of-inside | title= What's going on at the end of Inside? | first = Jeffrey | last= Matulef | date = July 8, 2016 | accessdate = July 11, 2016 | work = [[Eurogamer]] }}</ref> where the creature is trapped in another tank. Escaping again, the creature breaks through a wooden wall, rolls down a thick forest hill, and rests at a grassy coastline in a sunbeam. The game ends with the creature silently and motionlessly bathing in the sunlight.

Revision as of 05:54, 31 August 2016

Inside
Developer(s)Playdead
Publisher(s)Playdead
Director(s)Arnt Jensen
Producer(s)
  • Dino Christian Patti
  • Mads Wibroe
  • Forest Swartout Large
Designer(s)Jeppe Carlsen
Programmer(s)
  • Mikkel Svendsen
  • Mikkel Gjøl
  • Thomas Krog
  • Lasse Jon Fuglsang Pedersen
  • Søren T. Madsen
Artist(s)
  • Morten C. Bramsen
  • Jeremy Petreman
  • Marek Bogdan
Writer(s)Laurids Binderup
Composer(s)
  • Martin Stig Andersen
  • Søs Gunver Ryberg
EngineUnity
Platform(s)
Release
  • Xbox One
  • Microsoft Windows
  • PlayStation 4
Genre(s)
Mode(s)Single-player

Inside (stylized as INSIDE) is a puzzle-platformer adventure video game developed and published by independent studio Playdead. In the game the player controls a young boy in a monochromatic landscape, solving environmental puzzles while avoiding death in a 2.5D sidescrolling fashion, thematically and visually similar to Limbo.

Playdead started working on Inside shortly after the release of Limbo. Initially, the company used a custom game engine for Limbo, but used Unity to simplify development, with partial funding from the Danish Film Institute. It premiered at Microsoft's E3 2014 conference, and was originally to be developed for platforms, such as OS X and Linux. Afterwards, it was delayed from release in 2015 to mid-2016 and was to be released for the Xbox One and Microsoft Windows. A demo was released at Microsoft's PAX Prime event in August 2015, and was revealed at the Xbox E3 2016 conference.

Inside was released for Xbox One on 29 June 2016, Microsoft Windows on 7 July, and PlayStation 4 on 23 August. The game received near-unanimous acclaim upon release, with some critics and reviewers calling it a worthy successor to Limbo.

Gameplay

Inside is a puzzle platformer in which the player character is a young red-shirted boy who explores a surreal environment presented as a primarily monochromatic 2.5D platform game, using color only to highlight parts of the environment. The game is very dark in nature and mostly silent, with only occasional musical cues. The player controls an unnamed red-shirted boy who walks, runs, swims, climbs, and uses objects to overcome obstacles and progress in the game.[1] Later the boy gains the ability to control bodies to complete certain puzzles, a mechanic that IGN's Marty Sliva compared to a similar mechanic in The Swapper.[2] At various points in the game, the player may discover hidden rooms containing glowing orbs. If all the orbs are deactivated during a playthrough, the player can unlock the game's alternate ending.[3]

The boy character can die in various ways, such as being shot with a tranquilizer dart, mutilated by dogs, ensnared by security machines, blown apart by shockwaves, or drowning. As in the predecessor game Limbo, these deaths are presented realistically and often graphically. The game continues from the most recent checkpoint.[2]

Plot

A nameless red-shirted boy slides down a rocky incline. While running through a forest, he encounters masked guards with flashlights, as well as vehicles with mounted spotlights. If these lights fall on the boy, the guards will pursue him or set vicious dogs to chase him. He must escape these guards, then cross a road (where a block has been set up with more vehicles and guards) to a farm where parasitic worms cause pigs to run rampant. The boy must use the animals and farm equipment to escape to the city where lines of zombie-like people are moved through mind control. Beyond the city is a large factory of flooded rooms, a shock-wave atrium, and a laboratory environment where scientists are performing underwater experiments on bodies.[4]

While traversing these areas, the boy uses a mind-control helmet to solve puzzles by controlling lifeless grey bodies. The boy eventually comes across an underwater siren-like creature that attaches a device onto him. This allows the boy not only to utilize mind control without a helmet, but also to breathe underwater.

Continuing through the office/laboratories, the boy eventually sees many of the scientists running toward a large spherical container. There the boy sees a large blob-like creature made up of humanoid arms, legs, and heads connected to four rods in the container. After disconnecting them, the boy is pulled into the creature.[4]

The creature escapes confinement, crashing through various offices and work areas, killing some of the scientists in its path. Some scientists make attempts to capture or hinder the creature to no avail, while others attempt to direct it into a dark room[5] where the creature is trapped in another tank. Escaping again, the creature breaks through a wooden wall, rolls down a thick forest hill, and rests at a grassy coastline in a sunbeam. The game ends with the creature silently and motionlessly bathing in the sunlight.

Theories

Some theories speculate that the creature is still inside the facility, and that the sunlit ending is an illusion or a hallucination meant to prevent further escape attempts.[6]

Alternate Ending

If the player deactivated the hidden light orbs, an alternate ending is unlocked. Underneath a cornfield at the farm, an underground bunker will be revealed. Opening a large door will show the player a room where a mind control helmet is connected to various computers. If the boy unplugs a socket on a wall, the room darkens and the boy will go limp like the walking bodies, implying that he is one of them, and that the computer symbolizes the user that plays the game and controls the boy.[5]

Development

Playdead released the monochromatic Limbo in July 2010,[7] which was critically praised and sold over one million units.[8] Within a few months of its release, Playdead began development on their second game under the working title "Project 2".[9][10][11][12] As a spiritual successor to Limbo,[13][14][15] Inside reclaimed assets from Limbo's development.[8] Playdead said that the two games were similar, though Inside is more "crazy", "weird", and 3D.[10] The Danish Film Institute provided one million dollars in funding towards the game.[16]

While Playdead had built a custom game engine for Limbo, they chose Unity to reduce their workload.[17][8] The developers created a temporal anti-aliasing filter for the engine, entitled "temporal reprojection", to create a signature look for Inside. In March 2016, Playdead released the source code under open source license.[18]

Microsoft announced Inside during its E3 2014 press conference.[7] Prior, the game had been planned for release on non-Microsoft platforms, including the PlayStation 3 and OS X.[8] Playdead had purposely waited four years so as to give little time between the announce event and the launch.[10] IGN's Ryan McCaffrey wrote that the announcement was a sign of Microsoft's commitment to indie game development[19] and said it was his biggest surprise of the year.[20] The developer later delayed the game from its expected early 2015 release for further refinement of the game, but provided no expected launch window.[9][21] A playable demo was prepared for an August 2015 Microsoft event before PAX Prime.[22] With the delay, Playdead only planned for initial release on the Xbox One and Windows,[7] but has expressed interest in other consoles in the future.[10]

Playdead announced Inside's release dates during E3 2016, and as a limited-time promotion, let players download Limbo for free in advance of the title's release. Inside was released for Xbox One on 29 June 2016, and for Windows via Steam on 7 July.[23] A PlayStation 4 version was released on 23 August.[24][25]

Music

Martin Stig Andersen composed and designed Inside's soundtrack, returning from Limbo. Andersen was inspired by 1980's B horror films, often using synthesizers, but did not want to compose actual soundtrack. Instead, he created the music by routing sound through a human skull and recording the result, a "bone-conducting sound" that created a "sombre, chill quality" that often contrasted to Inside's visuals.[26]

Inside has tighter integration of the gameplay and audio, with some puzzles set directly to visual-musical cues. This required Andersen to work more closely with the gameplay developers than he had in Limbo. This also enabled additional visual elements tied to the audio; Andersen noted that the boy's chest movements related to breathing are tied to the sound effects he created for his breathing, which themselves are influenced by where the character is in the game, with differences being calm and panicked emotions depending on location.[26] Andersen also suggested the design team on the game's overall structure and pacing to provide scenes where the music builds up atmospheric tension.[26]

Reception

Inside received near-unanimous acclaim. The game was one of Polygon and IGN's most anticipated 2016 releases.[40][41] From previewing the game at E3 2016, Marty Sliva considered the title to be "Super Limbo", polishing and improving from Playdead's first game into the new title in the same manner that Nintendo had done for its previous games in bringing them to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System.[2] Kotaku' Kirk Hamilton called the game an "evolution" on what Playdead has succeeded to do with Limbo.[42] Jaz Rignall of USgamer previewed Inside and wrote that it was one of the best puzzle platformers he has played, even better than its predecessor.[43] Inside was named "Best Independent Game" of E3 2016 in the Game Critics Awards.[44]

Inside received universal acclaim, according to video game review aggregator Metacritic.[27][28] Critics favorably compared the title as a worthy successor to Limbo.[45][46][47][48]

References

  1. ^ Rignall, Jaz (June 13, 2016). "Xbox One Inside is a Superlative Platform Puzzler". US Gamer. Retrieved June 13, 2016.
  2. ^ a b c Sliva, Marty (June 13, 2016). "E3 2016: Inside is Super Limbo in the Best Possible Way". IGN. Retrieved June 13, 2016.
  3. ^ Hillard, Kyle (June 29, 2016). "How To Find All Of Inside's Hidden Rooms And The Alternate Ending". Game Informer. Retrieved July 8, 2016.
  4. ^ a b Tamburro, Paul (July 6, 2016). "Inside's Ending and Why it Puts Other Video Games to Shame". Crave. Retrieved July 11, 2016.
  5. ^ a b Matulef, Jeffrey (July 8, 2016). "What's going on at the end of Inside?". Eurogamer. Retrieved July 11, 2016.
  6. ^ Tamburro, Paul (July 1, 2016). "Inside's Ending Explained: Our Theory On the Limbo Sequel's Brain-Bending Conclusion". Crave. Retrieved July 11, 2016.
  7. ^ a b c Philip Kollar. "Inside is the next game from Limbo creators Playdead Studios". Polygon.
  8. ^ a b c d Andrew Goldfarb (July 27, 2012). "Limbo Follow-Up Project 2 is 'At Least 2 Years Away'". IGN.
  9. ^ a b Samit Sarkar. "Inside, upcoming game from Limbo developer Playdead, delayed past 'early 2015'". Polygon.
  10. ^ a b c d Andrew Goldfarb (October 28, 2011). "Limbo Follow-Up Will be 'More Crazy'". IGN.
  11. ^ "Playdead's Project 2 uses Unity, may share 'ideas' with Limbo". engadget.com.
  12. ^ Goldfarb, Andrew (July 27, 2012). "Limbo Follow-Up Project 2 is 'At Least 2 Years Away'". ign.com.
  13. ^ Rignall, Jaz (June 28, 2016). "Inside Xbox One Review: Brilliant and Compelling". usgamer.net.
  14. ^ "E3 2016: Inside Preview: Unsettling Feelings". shacknews.com.
  15. ^ Vigild, THOMAS (December 21, 2011). "Her er fremtidens danske spil (Here is the future Danish games)". Politiken (in Danish). Retrieved June 13, 2012. "Den største samlede støtte kommer dog fra Det Danske Filminstitut, der i år har støttet syv større spil heriblandt den dystre sjælelige efterfølger med arbejdstitlen 'Project 2' til det prisbelønnede 'LIMBO' instrueret af Arnt Jensen fra udvikleren PLAYDEAD." ("The largest total support comes from the Danish Film Institute, which this year has supported seven major games including the bleak spiritual sequel with the working title 'Project 2' to the award winning 'LIMBO' directed by Arnt Jensen Developer PLAY DEAD.")
  16. ^ Harman, Stace (June 14, 2012). "Playdead's Limbo follow-up, new details and concept art". VG247. Retrieved August 28, 2016.
  17. ^ Rose, Mike (August 25, 2011). "Limbo Developer Playdead Using Unity Engine For Next Title". Gamasutra. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
  18. ^ Wawro, Alex (March 22, 2016). "Limbo dev open-sources its Unity 5 anti-aliasing tech". Gamasutra. Retrieved June 14, 2016.
  19. ^ Lucy O'Brien (June 9, 2014). "E3 2014: Microsoft is all About the Games". IGN.
  20. ^ IGN Staff (December 24, 2014). "The Biggest Surprises of 2014". IGN.
  21. ^ Carter, Chris (June 5, 2015). "Limbo developer's follow-up 'Inside' sees a delay". Destructoid. Retrieved June 5, 2015.
  22. ^ Brandin Tyrrel (August 14, 2015). "Limbo Followup Inside Playable at Xbox PAX Event". IGN.
  23. ^ Sanchez, Miranda (June 13, 2016). "E3 2016: LIMBO FOLLOW-UP INSIDE GETS A RELEASE DATE". IGN. Retrieved June 13, 2016.
  24. ^ Nunneley, Stephany (August 3, 2016). "Playdead's Inside has a date with PlayStation 4 at the end of this month". VG247. Retrieved August 3, 2016.
  25. ^ Paget, Mat (August 23, 2016). "PS4 Owners Can Now Play Critically Acclaimed Game Inside". GameSpot. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
  26. ^ a b c Broomhall, John (July 23, 2015). "Heard About: How Playdead used a real human skull for Inside's audio". Develop. Retrieved June 14, 2016.
  27. ^ a b "Inside for Xbox One Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved July 7, 2016.
  28. ^ a b "Inside for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved July 7, 2016.
  29. ^ Makedonski, Brett (June 28, 2016). "Review: Inside". Destructoid. Retrieved June 28, 2016.
  30. ^ Carsillo, Ray (June 28, 2016). "Inside review". Electronic Gaming Monthly. Retrieved June 28, 2016.
  31. ^ Hillard, Kyle (June 28, 2016). "An Engaging Interactive Nightmare – Inside – Xbox One". Game Informer. Retrieved June 28, 2016.
  32. ^ Paras, Peter (June 28, 2016). "Inside Review". Game Revolution. Retrieved June 28, 2016.
  33. ^ Newhouse, Alex (June 28, 2016). "Inside Review". GameSpot. Retrieved June 28, 2016.
  34. ^ Sullivan, Lucas (June 28, 2016). "Inside review". GamesRadar. Retrieved June 28, 2016.
  35. ^ Shoemaker, Brad (June 28, 2016). "Inside Review". Giant Bomb. Retrieved June 28, 2016.
  36. ^ McCaffrey, Ryan (June 28, 2016). "Inside Review". IGN. Retrieved June 28, 2016.
  37. ^ Kelly, Andy (July 7, 2016). "Inside review". PC Gamer. Retrieved July 7, 2016.
  38. ^ Robinson, Nick (June 28, 2016). "Inside Review". Polygon. Retrieved June 28, 2016.
  39. ^ Orry, Tom (June 28, 2016). "Inside Review". VideoGamer.com. Retrieved June 28, 2016.
  40. ^ "Ooooh pretty – The games of 2016". Polygon.com.
  41. ^ Chloi Rad (January 1, 2016). "32 Games to Keep on Your Radar in 2016". IGN.
  42. ^ Hamilton, Kirk (June 13, 2016). "The Limbo Crew's New Game INSIDE Is Utterly Fantastic". Kotaku. Retrieved June 13, 2016.
  43. ^ Rignall, Jaz (June 13, 2016). "Xbox One Inside is a Superlative Platform Puzzler". USgamer. Retrieved June 14, 2016.
  44. ^ Pereira, Chris (July 5, 2016). "Here Are E3 2016's Game Critics Award Winners". GameSpot. Retrieved July 7, 2016.
  45. ^ Dolan, Christian (June 28, 2016). "Inside Review". Eurogamer. Retrieved June 28, 2016.
  46. ^ Peckham, Matt (June 28, 2016). "Inside Review". Time. Retrieved June 28, 2016.
  47. ^ Kohler, Chris (June 28, 2016). "Inside Review". Wired. Retrieved June 28, 2016.
  48. ^ Webster, Andrew (June 28, 2016). "Inside is an incredible, unsettling adventure from the creators of Limbo". The Verge. Retrieved June 28, 2016.
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