Every once in a while a game comes along that shakes up the normality of what is usually published, bringing a breath of fresh air to the gaming community. With different aesthetics and unique concepts, these games, while often Indie titles, help to even out the regular stream of what gamers are used to playing.
In this case the title that we're discussing is Playmind's The Inner Friend. The Montreal-based developer initially launched the game on Steam in 2018, but this week saw The Inner Friend's celebrated release on both PS4 and XBOX One, allowing even more gamers to experience something new.
Playmind was nice enough to share a review copy with us so that we can give you our thoughts on the game straightaway and help you decide whether you think the title is worth diving into. So without further adieu let's dive into the myriad of horrors that is The Inner Friend.
The Inner Friend is described as an experimental horror piece of art in the form of a video game. Steam players have already had the opportunity to enjoy the terrors that the title has to offer, but now that the game has expanded to PS4 and XBOX One as of yesterday, the scares have multiplied aplenty.
Featuring no words at all, the game is a breath of fresh air from those that bog you down with tutorials and text at the beginning. Rather, The Inner Friend leaves it up to the player to make their way through the subconscious of the unnamed main character and face the horrors within one by one.
Nightmares that the player will traverse include levels such as a classroom, a jungle, a museum, a hospital, a parking lot, and more. Exploring what seems to be bad and intensified memories from the main character's past, the goal is to follow and guide the shadow version of yourself through the stages. While sneaking past and running from horrifying mutated beings such as teachers and shadow monsters, the player can also locate hidden items like soccer balls and stereos which help complete the bedroom - aka the home point of the character's subconscious.
The title may be geared toward adults, but there is nothing in The Inner Friend that will completely alienate people of any age. Though the horrifying aspects will be easier tolerated by adults, the choice to face the terror lies in the hands of any and all gamers that find themselves interested and posess the courage to climb inside.
The Inner Friend is a title that may be overlooked at first glance, but for those who give it a shot it won't be soon forgotten. Boasting a concept unlike the overused storylines of the general stream of video games from big name publishers, this title proves that smaller publishers can stand with the rest of the pack and deliver new experiences to gamers who thirst for the unknown. - Five out of five.
Are you brave enough to check out The Inner Friend? Check out the reveal trailer and synopsis below and share your thoughts with us in the comments!
The story of The Inner Friend takes you on a journey through a fragmented dreamscape, led by a mysterious Shadow. Horrifying monsters stalk The Shadow’s memories; the player must evade and fight them while dealing with obstacles and puzzles in the darkness of The Shadow’s mind.
The Inner Friend is now available on PS4 and XBOX One for $14.99 in addition to its previous Steam release.