The actions taken by the child are very fluid animations. He is a real acrobat that leaps, dives, swims, crawls, falls, pushes, pulls, runs, hides, swings from ropes, cowers, and displays emotion. His body animations are straightforward for basic actions, but subtle in certain circumstances. The tilt of his head, the slouch of his body, and the circumspect glance of his shoulder tell a story. Sometimes he displays emotion through sound, like ragged breathing (which I joined) or the sound of his heartbeats through the player's headphones. Despite his featureless face, his whole body conveys powerful emotions, whether fleeing dogs (have I made the point yet?) or resting after his last successful achievement. He may feel beset by difficulties, facing desperate circumstances, or overwhelmed by terror, but he never feels the ennui or despair the Listless exhibit.
Eventually the child finds a spherical submarine. Exploring deeper areas completely underwater, I'm struck by the feeling of safe... WHAT WAS THAT!?! I am afraid to exit the sub. A few minutes later, I'm forced to exit the submarine (it will come and go for a bit). There's a long puzzle where the child, out of water, has to collect nineteen bodies to open a door. Using a mind control helmet that's broken from its mooring, the child gains a following. And drags a corpse. And pushes a cage of listless from a great height that kills them. Except it doesn't, relieving an ounce of guilt. Eventually the player returns to the water, and encounters the eerie, long haired, naked humanoid that strangles the child, or if you are in the sub, breaks into the sub, because of course it does. It does have a few weaknesses to exploit, because exploiting them is required to progress.
In the water, and without, Inside deploys atmospheric sounds to maintain its tense experience. The distinct drip drip of water, the clink of machinery, the soft hum of nature, the exertions of the child, and the shuffling of other people, all combine to immerse the player in the child's experience. Some commonplace sounds offer peace, while others threaten the child with unseen threats.
From slum, to flooded city, to submarine, to a beach, and into a war zone Inside flows seamlessly. Or maybe it's a facility that tests explosive weaponry. Here the child is in danger of dying to, not the explosive itself, but the shockwave. He cowers behind barriers to protect himself as the explosions repeat in a perfect rhythm.
Finally, I made a mistake that got me killed. That's a joke. I died forty-four times in Inside. That averages out to ten times an hour. I started referring to the game as a Dark Souls spin-off. If you read the previous article about Death's Door, you might remember I only died thirty times in eleven hours. Death is everywhere, as I've mentioned many times already. I can imagine dying less the second time, but I can't imagine not dying the first playthrough. Even as I skimmed a two hour YouTube video of a 100% Insideplaythrough, I saw the player die a few times.
But this time when I died it was clear it was a game imposed death. The platform the child jumps to shudders. The child slips into the water, where, struggling, he is grabbed by a water demon. Dragged under, he succumbs, becoming listless. Inexplicably the water demon plugs a lighted cord into the child's body, though it breaks away. Then a school of fish gather around as the child continues sinking. He comes to rest on the bottom, next to a large bright light. And whether because of the cord, the fish, or the light, he revives, but with the power to breathe underwater indefinitely.
Returning to the office buildings the child sees Listless floating in water which hangs from the ceiling. He witnesses strange behaviors of gravity. For a few puzzles the player controls gravity to advance. The child rescues the floating Listless, now hideously mutilated, with hacked off limbs. With their help, he enters a scientific facility with men in white shirts, slacks, and ties. They are running to look at something, ignoring the child. Inside a chamber is a hideous blob. Inside offers only one option. Free it, and be absorbed into it. Even someone who hasn't played Inside, but has some hint about it has seen the blob. It's an abomination of seething grafted flesh. It emits gross sounds of pain and suffering as it shuffles along in a mass of limbs, heads, and fat. The adults flee their creation. Even dogs flee the fleshy mass. As the player continues, the adults, from safe vantage points, seem to be observing, testing, and using the blob. During one puzzle, an adult even hands the blob a box it needs to solve a puzzle.
With a final rush the Blob breaks free of the facility and tumbles down a wooded cliff to lie at rest, and presumably dead, at the edge of a calm shore, bathed in light.
Is Inside a metaphor? It's an obvious question due to the simple plot, the stylized visuals, and the lack of words or explanation. I read an explanation on Reddit that describes the child as a cancer and the game as a process of catching and eliminating it. That theory ignores the emotions of the child. I don't have a full theory, or even much of a partial one. There are many possible ideas that come to mind, but none fulfills all conditions of the game. Inside might be a simple story of science run amok. Or a criticism of a society run by elites to the determinant of the working classes. This theory is supported by the clothing of the adults. The people the child controls with the mind control device are always workers with overalls and hard hats. The Listless wear similar clothes. But the people the child encounters in the science area wear clothing associated with technocratic jobs.
In Conclusion,
Inside might appear like a simple boring game unworthy of your attention. In reality, it is a tense and yet meditative experience, full of puzzles woven seamlessly into its innovative world. Its story feels universal, aided by the fantastic visual design of contrast. Its style, and the lack of an answer from the developer, allows the player to speculate on its themes and ideas. Despite its age, Playdead's 2016 adventure remains relevant as an engaging experience in 2024.
Comments
Post a Comment