If you're looking for a game that will stick with you long after you've finished it, you have to check out Inside. It's a puzzle platformer from Playdead, the same developers who made the classic game LIMBO. Inside takes everything that made LIMBO great, including its dark atmosphere, clever puzzles, and minimalist storytelling, which makes it even more powerful. It's a short but incredibly impactful game that is less about jump scares and more about a slow, creeping sense of dread and mystery that will have a lingering effect.
Inside puts you in control of a nameless young boy dressed in a simple red shirt, and you don't know who you are, where you are, or why people are chasing you, but you know you have to keep moving forward. The entire game is a continuous, seamless journey that takes you from the woods through a farm, a vast factory, and into the depths of a research facility, all while you try to evade the sinister forces that want to capture you.
Even though Inside seems to be just a 2.5D puzzle platformer, the gameplay masterfully blends environmental puzzle solving and tense stealth sequences. There are no tutorials, no dialogue, and no text on screen to guide you. You have to learn the rules of the game's world through trial and error. The puzzles are incredibly clever and are often based on physics and manipulating the environment, but the game is most famous for its mechanics, which allow you to control zombie-like bodies of other people to solve complex challenges. It has a dark, beautiful, and unforgettable game design, and you can buy Inside and play it on Windows, macOS, iOS mobile devices, and Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch.
Why should I download Inside?
Inside has a haunting and unforgettable atmosphere where the world is bleak, oppressive, and incredibly melancholic. The art style is minimalist, using a muted color palette with occasional splashes of color, like the boy's red shirt. The sound design is subtle, as mostly, the only sounds you will hear are the boy's footsteps, his panicked breathing, and the ambient sounds of the world around you. This creates a powerful sense of isolation and tension that can keep you immersed.
As part of the gameplay in Inside, you will have to solve intelligent and creative puzzles that feel like a natural part of the world, not just arbitrary roadblocks. They are often based on physics, requiring you to move objects, manipulate water levels, or time your jumps perfectly to avoid danger. The most unique and memorable puzzles, however, involve finding strange helmets that allow you to control the bodies of lifeless characters. You will have to command them to stand on pressure plates, catch you from a high fall, or work together in a line to push massive objects, creating incredibly clever and often unsettling challenges.
Inside has no dialogue, cutscenes, or text to explain what is happening. The entire story is told through the environments you explore and the events you witness. You piece together the narrative by observing the details in the background, seeing how the mindless characters are used in the giant factory, and discovering the horrifying experiments taking place in the underwater facility. This subtle approach makes the Inside story shocking and bizarre, leaving a lot to the player's interpretation.
The movements in Inside are incredibly fluid and realistic, so every run, jump, swim, and climb feels weighty and precise. This level of polish is crucial, as many of the game's challenges and escape sequences require precise timing. The simple, three-button control scheme (move, jump, and interact) is easy to learn but allows for a surprising amount of nuance in how you interact with the world's puzzles. You can download Inside and play it on Windows, macOS, iOS, Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch.
Is Inside free?
No, you need first to buy Inside on the platform of your choice to play it, but it's a relatively inexpensive indie game. On some platforms, you can get a free demo that allows you to play the very beginning of the game, after which you have to pay to continue.
What operating systems are compatible with Inside?
Inside is available on a wide range of platforms, so you can get it on Windows 7, 8, 10, 11, or macOS 10.12 or higher. You can also play the game on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch, and it's fully backward compatible with current-generation consoles.
There's also a dedicated version of the game available for mobile devices with iOS 13.0 or later.
What are the alternatives to Inside?
LIMBO, coming from the same developer, shares the same minimalist, black and white art style and tells a haunting, wordless story about a young boy searching for his sister in a dangerous and hostile world. The gameplay is a 2D puzzle platformer with a heavy focus on trial and error, as you must figure out how to overcome a series of clever environmental traps. You can buy and play LIMBO on macOS and Windows PCs, all major consoles, and iOS and Android mobile devices.
Little Nightmares II is a 3D puzzle platformer that blends suspense and adventure in a horror-like setting. You explore the various locations as a girl named Six and a boy named Mono. The storytelling relies on the environment, soundtrack, and visual design to create an eerie atmosphere and evoke emotions. Little Nightmares is a paid game that you can play on Windows computers, PlayStation 4 and 5, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One and Series X/S.
GRIS is a puzzle platformer that offers a different kind of emotional experience. While it shares the wordless storytelling and stunning art style of Inside, its tone is one of hope and healing rather than dread and horror. You play as a girl named Gris who is dealing with some pain in her life, and the game is a metaphorical journey through her sorrow. The gameplay is light and relaxing, focusing on simple color-based puzzles. Gris was released as a paid game on Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, and Xbox.
