Well done.
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Playdead's INSIDE spoiler thread.
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Well done.
Good post. This was along the lines of my thinking as well.
RespectThySole
Member
I like this explanation.
Great explanation.
Gnome Scat
Member
I actually didn't want to squash the boss so if you wait long enough, he'll move over to the side and you can pass through.
Also, thanks for the feedback, glad I was able to write a coherent explanation that late at night.
Comfort Jones
Banned
I'm kinda not into the idea that the guys running that facility planned for you to break out seeing how many people die horribly during it. Or are the people in the facility not the people controlling the boy?
I was so intrigued by this game and really loved it's presentation but in some ways I wish the real plot wasn't as vague because the world seems so interesting I want to know more about it
Not that it isn't fun to read theories and think it up on your own but I want to know even more about the state of the world and how it ended up that way etc. I agree with the above posts discussing how it was mostly a set up, and that makes it so much more depressing. I thought you were actually gaining some power over your situation to escape once you became the blob but it was the exact opposite. It was interesting as a blob nothing tried harming you, you weren't shot/attacked by the guard dogs iirc or anything(it probably wouldn't do any good, I suppose?), just stared at like an attraction.
Not that it isn't fun to read theories and think it up on your own but I want to know even more about the state of the world and how it ended up that way etc. I agree with the above posts discussing how it was mostly a set up, and that makes it so much more depressing. I thought you were actually gaining some power over your situation to escape once you became the blob but it was the exact opposite. It was interesting as a blob nothing tried harming you, you weren't shot/attacked by the guard dogs iirc or anything(it probably wouldn't do any good, I suppose?), just stared at like an attraction.
SmackAttack
Member
Finished this last night. What a game. From a masterfully tense opening to an ending that is equal parts horrifying, exciting, and batshit insane. This is definitely a game I'll remember for some time. it really is unique and fantastic. Bravo, Playdead, you've outdone yourselves.
Pegasus Actual
Member
Finished the game today. Overall I thought as a puzzle platformer it was farily engaging from start to finish, I enjoyed the final sequence which involved me yelling "I AM STRONG NOW FEAR ME" and the like at my TV. It's good that sequence came at the end. Limbo had the spider thing in the beginning and then the rest never could quite live up to that.
It's fine to be vague and open to interpretation and all that through the game, but I think at some point the creator should talk about what his intent and own interpretations are. If elements are vague and intentionally left as open to interpretation, then say so. I think to some extent this kind of story tries to make itself look more clever and deep by co-opting other people's theories and ideas. Just make some things vague and hope someone can think connect them together in an interesting fashion, while pretending it was meant all along.
So apparently Limbo/Inside creator guy gets mad when people figure out what's going on and made things more ambiguous in response. Didn't Jonathan Blow get mad that nobody interpreted Braid 100% correctly? I don't like either approach to be honest.
It's fine to be vague and open to interpretation and all that through the game, but I think at some point the creator should talk about what his intent and own interpretations are. If elements are vague and intentionally left as open to interpretation, then say so. I think to some extent this kind of story tries to make itself look more clever and deep by co-opting other people's theories and ideas. Just make some things vague and hope someone can think connect them together in an interesting fashion, while pretending it was meant all along.
So apparently Limbo/Inside creator guy gets mad when people figure out what's going on and made things more ambiguous in response. Didn't Jonathan Blow get mad that nobody interpreted Braid 100% correctly? I don't like either approach to be honest.
godhandiscen
There are millions of whiny 5-year olds on Earth, and I AM THEIR KING.
Amazing game. I'll never forget it.
Mostmanlyman
Member
I like the themes of power, lost and sacrifice in game. It is really neat and small details. Like when 1 of the chicks die, when you have to drag the dead construction workers body for puzzle, and so on. Till the end where you lose your own body to the blob.
BackFromThePast
Banned
Just finish this amazing game.
I thought it was pretty clear that the boy represented a sperm making his way through all the trials and tribulations of getting to the EGG (the blob) once becoming the blob he fought his way to the green beautiful peaceful pastures of the uterus.
I thought it was pretty clear that the boy represented a sperm making his way through all the trials and tribulations of getting to the EGG (the blob) once becoming the blob he fought his way to the green beautiful peaceful pastures of the uterus.
Wow, just did this game in one sitting and that ending sequence is just.... mind-blower well beyond anything I've ever played. Metal Gear Solid 2, Bloodborne, etc... nothing quite took me off guard like that did.
I really, really, really hope it goes without saying that all of us who have played this are in a very special "society" which is sworn to absolute secrecy. This is not an ending you can just give away to people. The game is very accessible and it should definitely be seen for oneself.
I really, really, really hope it goes without saying that all of us who have played this are in a very special "society" which is sworn to absolute secrecy. This is not an ending you can just give away to people. The game is very accessible and it should definitely be seen for oneself.
When I was playing the game I was on Skype with someone while they watched. So basically I was talking out loud with them about it.
During the final sequence, at the very end as you're escaping I was ruminating "We're escaping, but to what end? What happens after I get out? There is no place for me. There's no happiness out there for a huge blob creature. There's no satisfaction or joy left in the world. There isn't happy ending here."
Then i roll down the hill, and stop just in the sun, and the blob no longer moves.
And for this mass, feeling the suns warmth on their skin was the little bit of joy and happiness they needed to finally give a single moment of satisfaction. It hit me like a ton of bricks because it lined up so perfectly with what my thought process was at the time. I felt completely hopeless and like everything I was doing was for naught, and then they layed in the sun and instantly I felt like everything I had done to help free them was worth it. Its such a small joy to me, but monumental to them.
What a powerful game.
During the final sequence, at the very end as you're escaping I was ruminating "We're escaping, but to what end? What happens after I get out? There is no place for me. There's no happiness out there for a huge blob creature. There's no satisfaction or joy left in the world. There isn't happy ending here."
Then i roll down the hill, and stop just in the sun, and the blob no longer moves.
And for this mass, feeling the suns warmth on their skin was the little bit of joy and happiness they needed to finally give a single moment of satisfaction. It hit me like a ton of bricks because it lined up so perfectly with what my thought process was at the time. I felt completely hopeless and like everything I was doing was for naught, and then they layed in the sun and instantly I felt like everything I had done to help free them was worth it. Its such a small joy to me, but monumental to them.
What a powerful game.
HueyFreeman
Banned
This is a great analysis. Just finished it this moment, and I felt the same way. I think it is just a context-less world of cruelty, and they are (even if only momentarily) free from it.
In no way perfectly analogous, but the whole game reminded me of darker Ico (which itself has a much darker world context than it's often given credit for), including the ending on the beach.
As silly as it might sound, the pregnancy theory is the one I can't stop thinking about and come back to.
Thinking about the boy as the sperm on a mission, finding his way through the mazes and challenges to get to the goal. The one and only goal, to get inside the egg (blob) and then begin a transformation into a new being. Then the final stretch of the egg's challenges of making its way into and through the Fallopian tubes and with a little help and guidance (from the lab staff = tubal cilia) to finally crash land into the uterus (beach).
I know it's ridiculous but Jesus, I can't get the thought out of my head.
Thinking about the boy as the sperm on a mission, finding his way through the mazes and challenges to get to the goal. The one and only goal, to get inside the egg (blob) and then begin a transformation into a new being. Then the final stretch of the egg's challenges of making its way into and through the Fallopian tubes and with a little help and guidance (from the lab staff = tubal cilia) to finally crash land into the uterus (beach).
I know it's ridiculous but Jesus, I can't get the thought out of my head.
Finished it yesterday.
People seem to think the scientists are using the worms to control drones, but I beg to differ: the worm-controlled pig you find is highly aggressive, and becomes completely passive once the worm is removed. So I think the drones are people who were taken over by worms and then had the worms removed.
That would explain the whole hunt element: the drones we see in-game are all docile and safe enough for kids to be around, there's never a sign of one rebelling, so why have weapons, hunting dogs and machines? I think those are for worm-infected people. That'd explain why they hunt you: they can recognize you're a drone but displaying autonomous behavior, so they think you've got a worm.
This also reframes the whole drone slavery in something more ambiguous and brings back the possibility of a catastrophe: the worm infection could've been an accident, and people figured out how to capture and de-worm zombies, but found out you couldn't bring the victims back to humanity. Rather than just kill them they discovered their susceptibility to mind control and "recycled" them into a cheap workforce and continued to experiment on them to understand the phenomenon (the ethics of this are still highly debatable). Rather than oppression they're trying to do the best they can with the resources they have (possibly using the drones because there aren't that many humans left).
People seem to think the scientists are using the worms to control drones, but I beg to differ: the worm-controlled pig you find is highly aggressive, and becomes completely passive once the worm is removed. So I think the drones are people who were taken over by worms and then had the worms removed.
That would explain the whole hunt element: the drones we see in-game are all docile and safe enough for kids to be around, there's never a sign of one rebelling, so why have weapons, hunting dogs and machines? I think those are for worm-infected people. That'd explain why they hunt you: they can recognize you're a drone but displaying autonomous behavior, so they think you've got a worm.
This also reframes the whole drone slavery in something more ambiguous and brings back the possibility of a catastrophe: the worm infection could've been an accident, and people figured out how to capture and de-worm zombies, but found out you couldn't bring the victims back to humanity. Rather than just kill them they discovered their susceptibility to mind control and "recycled" them into a cheap workforce and continued to experiment on them to understand the phenomenon (the ethics of this are still highly debatable). Rather than oppression they're trying to do the best they can with the resources they have (possibly using the drones because there aren't that many humans left).
I'm gonna traumatize you for all eternity: if you really pay attention you'll see one of the chicks isn't moving anymore after it comes back out.
Having just finished the game, yeah, this is a huge takeaway for me from a technical standpoint. It just looks so naturally organic, it's a phenomenal bit of animation work.
My best guess is at that point it's actually made up of multiple independent entities which just have one limb on the outside, structured into a ring of about eight to ten or so, with a core 'blob' mesh linking them up.
Yeah, I did pick up on the fact that I hadn't actually seen a lot of the scenes from the E3 trailer by the point I got quite late in the game (pre-blob), and I was wondering about that.
The SOUND also - that really sold it. The slapping sound of bare feet, and all the mixed grunts and exhalations, like a train car packed full of people trying get out.
Could that be a clue that in the secret room at the bottom you should press REC?
KINGofCRA5H
Member
Besides myself after finishing this just now. What an incredible experience. This thread helped me undertstand what the hell just happened because I had no clue what was going on. Found this video too https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2NXvDuz520
I dont know if anyone had this interpretation, but I got two different feelings.
THe whole thing felt like the inside of the human body for me. IN the end, the blob was the heart and the collectibles signified the brain. when you destroy one or the other, the whole thing dies, in different ways. the pulses, everything can be the different systems of the body.
ANother thing is the levels made sense in teh order they appear in. the pigs are for breeding the worm that feeds the mind control tech, like the worm in bioshock. then the farms to feed the pigs, the people going to work in the factories, etc.
There are political implications as well. I think there are 2 types of people in this world, the controlled people and the "free" humans. the controlled people are controlled by the blob hivemind to do menial work. notice that all humans we can control are factory works, or janiitors, etc. THen we have the upper management humans, who seem to be the ones creating and maintaining the hivemind for that purpose.
THe blob is an amalgam of people, so its a collective that controls everything. WHen the boy enters, that blob becomes an individual, and the system breaks down. the gruesome killing of the manager guy attest to that, no other human was given that much attention to his death.
I dont think the girl that drowned him was trying to save him. I think it was a coincidence that the hivemind was able to control the boy. everyone connected to those things were puppets of the hivemind, so maybe they wanted out and used the boy as their instrument, since he was the only one seemingly able to escape?
much to deconstruct in this game, best game I played this year easy.
THe whole thing felt like the inside of the human body for me. IN the end, the blob was the heart and the collectibles signified the brain. when you destroy one or the other, the whole thing dies, in different ways. the pulses, everything can be the different systems of the body.
ANother thing is the levels made sense in teh order they appear in. the pigs are for breeding the worm that feeds the mind control tech, like the worm in bioshock. then the farms to feed the pigs, the people going to work in the factories, etc.
There are political implications as well. I think there are 2 types of people in this world, the controlled people and the "free" humans. the controlled people are controlled by the blob hivemind to do menial work. notice that all humans we can control are factory works, or janiitors, etc. THen we have the upper management humans, who seem to be the ones creating and maintaining the hivemind for that purpose.
THe blob is an amalgam of people, so its a collective that controls everything. WHen the boy enters, that blob becomes an individual, and the system breaks down. the gruesome killing of the manager guy attest to that, no other human was given that much attention to his death.
I dont think the girl that drowned him was trying to save him. I think it was a coincidence that the hivemind was able to control the boy. everyone connected to those things were puppets of the hivemind, so maybe they wanted out and used the boy as their instrument, since he was the only one seemingly able to escape?
much to deconstruct in this game, best game I played this year easy.
Just finished it. What an experience. I swear the blob animations while moving about and grabbing things are the most impressive bit of animation I have ever seen in a game. When you have to throw the rocket box that the worker throw at you, I barely made to the door on time, and it closed on me, so the blob kind squished inside the door to make it. Just amazing.
Theory time. As much as I like meta narrative, I feel most of the time it just isnt as good alone. What i really like is when a media tells a story, and that story makes us think about ourselves. I think there is a bit of a method to this madness beyond "Player controls boy".
I think this world is on the verge of being in ruin. At the start, you have this countryside where nobody else lives, full of abandoned buildings and decay. Humans are being herded in trucks and being sent to the facility will be visiting later. The first thing I thought was that the boy was going to try and save a relative of his that was sent: He starts frantic, determined to get "inside" wherever they were takem that person (subjetive, but what I thought). The first humans you see are just sad and fatalistic. After, you see some of them being processed and lots of people making notes and determining their suitability for whatever their purpose was.
That pig farm grew the parasites, I thought. They were used on pigs, then harvested, and are these parasites that are the base of the mind controlling devices. When you get to the lab, especially the inner parts, you see some synthetic people. They are dolls, possibly used because the world is becoming even more hostile and unsuitable for life, that humans are trying to use these dolls as a mean to interact with the "outside" world. What really sold me this was the part where theres a cabin being constantly being bombarded with the shockwave, first thing I thought were those tests car companies make to test the safety of cars with those dolls inside.
I think what they were doing was to find a way to make the human race capable of continuing to live in that world that was colapsing. People were being processed and becoming dolls that, through manipulation from a safe place, could interact with the dangerous world outside (Theres a symbolism to our generation sheltered life in there somewhere). The blob thing, I think, is where they were processing humans and making new dolls out of. When the boy is drowned by the mermaid kid (wich is another doll, too, wich I dont think was trying to help you at all.) and starts existing in this weird state between life and death, and also when he can control the dolls without the helmet, he kinda becomes what those people were looking to create. When you start to get near the blob, people flock to the chamber probably because the blob sensed the boy near (Just like the other dolls before would flock to him) and started to freak out. At this point I think the boy saw everything they were doing to people, and just decided to shut the place down, starting with that thing that seemed so important, so he starts destroying everything while looking for a way out (Thinking at the beginning, he kinda knows theres no chance in hell the person he was looking for was alive). So he gets out, and we have that ending (I tottally think hes still alive inside the blob.)
Wow, sometimes i speak too much.
Theory time. As much as I like meta narrative, I feel most of the time it just isnt as good alone. What i really like is when a media tells a story, and that story makes us think about ourselves. I think there is a bit of a method to this madness beyond "Player controls boy".
I think this world is on the verge of being in ruin. At the start, you have this countryside where nobody else lives, full of abandoned buildings and decay. Humans are being herded in trucks and being sent to the facility will be visiting later. The first thing I thought was that the boy was going to try and save a relative of his that was sent: He starts frantic, determined to get "inside" wherever they were takem that person (subjetive, but what I thought). The first humans you see are just sad and fatalistic. After, you see some of them being processed and lots of people making notes and determining their suitability for whatever their purpose was.
That pig farm grew the parasites, I thought. They were used on pigs, then harvested, and are these parasites that are the base of the mind controlling devices. When you get to the lab, especially the inner parts, you see some synthetic people. They are dolls, possibly used because the world is becoming even more hostile and unsuitable for life, that humans are trying to use these dolls as a mean to interact with the "outside" world. What really sold me this was the part where theres a cabin being constantly being bombarded with the shockwave, first thing I thought were those tests car companies make to test the safety of cars with those dolls inside.
I think what they were doing was to find a way to make the human race capable of continuing to live in that world that was colapsing. People were being processed and becoming dolls that, through manipulation from a safe place, could interact with the dangerous world outside (Theres a symbolism to our generation sheltered life in there somewhere). The blob thing, I think, is where they were processing humans and making new dolls out of. When the boy is drowned by the mermaid kid (wich is another doll, too, wich I dont think was trying to help you at all.) and starts existing in this weird state between life and death, and also when he can control the dolls without the helmet, he kinda becomes what those people were looking to create. When you start to get near the blob, people flock to the chamber probably because the blob sensed the boy near (Just like the other dolls before would flock to him) and started to freak out. At this point I think the boy saw everything they were doing to people, and just decided to shut the place down, starting with that thing that seemed so important, so he starts destroying everything while looking for a way out (Thinking at the beginning, he kinda knows theres no chance in hell the person he was looking for was alive). So he gets out, and we have that ending (I tottally think hes still alive inside the blob.)
Wow, sometimes i speak too much.
Jibbajabbawockky
Member
What a weird fucking game.
Not in a bad way or anything, just really strange. I went in cold and figured something strange would happen once you had the creepy underwater kid chasing after you and you kept running into the mind control zombies constantly invading your personal space when you led them around.
The blob part was just creepy as hell. I guess in general I'd say the game was pretty damn creepy. Just all the animations and the sounds the blob made were really unsettling.
That said, once the kid got absorbed by the blob and you were breaking free, I was kind of hoping you'd just go crazy absorbing people Katamari style or something until you just absorbed everything and broke out instead of still having to work through some little puzzles.
Not in a bad way or anything, just really strange. I went in cold and figured something strange would happen once you had the creepy underwater kid chasing after you and you kept running into the mind control zombies constantly invading your personal space when you led them around.
The blob part was just creepy as hell. I guess in general I'd say the game was pretty damn creepy. Just all the animations and the sounds the blob made were really unsettling.
That said, once the kid got absorbed by the blob and you were breaking free, I was kind of hoping you'd just go crazy absorbing people Katamari style or something until you just absorbed everything and broke out instead of still having to work through some little puzzles.
PREC0GNITIVE
Member
Also not sure if anyone here has seen the Dutch film Borgman (it's excellent) but I can only assume that Arnt Jensen has:
I'll check this out!
I just watched Upstream Colour for the first time and there are definitely some similarities like the worm/ pigs thing, mind control and this might be a stretch but in the film the Bass heavy sound in the ground keeps the mind control worms away and I wonder if that is what that pulsing sound-wave is towards the back-half of inside is used for?
I think there are some parallels for sure.
Yabberwocky
Member
Just finished the PS4 version, and goddamn, the game definitely lived up to the hype. It was just such an impeccable experience all-round. I think I spent the whole time as the human blob whispering what the fuuuuuuuckkkkk over and over.
Love this analysis, it makes a lot of INSIDE's pieces fall into place.
Love this analysis, it makes a lot of INSIDE's pieces fall into place.
NightShift
Member
Now that the game's finally on PS4, I managed to play through it in kinda one sitting. First things first, I thought it was going to be over hyped when I sat down so I was trying so lower my expectations. Especially the ending where I have heard nothing but it being perfect. Luckily I didn't think this going throughout the game, it was so wonderfully paced by asking questions and thinking about puzzles that everything flowed naturally.
I knew the game was going to be gruesome since the barn with pig corpses surrounding it, chicks you shoot out of that blowing machine (which kills one
) and cart of dead pigs you jump into. But I would never have expected a fleshy mass of humans to suck the kid in and making you control it for the final stretch. That, the underwater creatures, mind-control zombies and all the strange machinery makes me want to know more about this world but I understand why there is no dialogue, it suits that grim dark tone very well.
One other thing is that the animations are stunning, the dogs are so fucking threatening and the mass of humans flowed so well. The animators especially need to be awarded for their effort. What an extraordinary game and deserving of all the praise and hype.
I knew the game was going to be gruesome since the barn with pig corpses surrounding it, chicks you shoot out of that blowing machine (which kills one
) and cart of dead pigs you jump into. But I would never have expected a fleshy mass of humans to suck the kid in and making you control it for the final stretch. That, the underwater creatures, mind-control zombies and all the strange machinery makes me want to know more about this world but I understand why there is no dialogue, it suits that grim dark tone very well.One other thing is that the animations are stunning, the dogs are so fucking threatening and the mass of humans flowed so well. The animators especially need to be awarded for their effort. What an extraordinary game and deserving of all the praise and hype.
OrbitalBeard
Member
So glad more people are getting the opportunity to experience this masterpiece. I double-dipped on the PS4 version and I'll probably put on some headphones and play through it again sometime this week.
I played it a while ago, so the initial shock and feeling I had at the whole thing has waned, but it was still a hell of an experience. I played it in one 4 hour or so sitting in the middle of the night, felt all icky afterwards.
The atmosphere and pacing to INSIDE is pitch perfect. A few times I had to pause to keep myself from getting too freaked out (that water kid, god I hate being chased), and each revelation either made my jaw gape open or drop entirely. If there's one thing that I find fault is that it's a bit too vague overall, which honestly hampered a bit of my enjoyment. I really wanted to figure out the lore, themes, etc... by myself but found it difficult to pin down what it all "meant" because a lot of those smaller details that build up some of the more obvious themes are really easy to miss (or at least I missed them, it was 3 in the morning, what do you want from me).
One thing that I haven't seen an explanation for (unless I missed it in this thread) is just what the hell was up with that sonic boom area? Like, I can sort of imagine what the other areas are for, a good portion of them seem to be somewhat related to the water kid/creature/whatever, but what is going on there? Only explanation I could think up of was maybe it was something for mining? The area right before it has drones, mining carts, and material deposits, so maybe?
Still a freaky as fuck area. Also the animations on the blob, so freaky and satisfying at the same time. Playdead has a knack for gamefeel.
The atmosphere and pacing to INSIDE is pitch perfect. A few times I had to pause to keep myself from getting too freaked out (that water kid, god I hate being chased), and each revelation either made my jaw gape open or drop entirely. If there's one thing that I find fault is that it's a bit too vague overall, which honestly hampered a bit of my enjoyment. I really wanted to figure out the lore, themes, etc... by myself but found it difficult to pin down what it all "meant" because a lot of those smaller details that build up some of the more obvious themes are really easy to miss (or at least I missed them, it was 3 in the morning, what do you want from me).
One thing that I haven't seen an explanation for (unless I missed it in this thread) is just what the hell was up with that sonic boom area? Like, I can sort of imagine what the other areas are for, a good portion of them seem to be somewhat related to the water kid/creature/whatever, but what is going on there? Only explanation I could think up of was maybe it was something for mining? The area right before it has drones, mining carts, and material deposits, so maybe?
Still a freaky as fuck area. Also the animations on the blob, so freaky and satisfying at the same time. Playdead has a knack for gamefeel.
Handyandy58
Member
I too just finished the newly released PS4 version, and ooh boy. I am not going to be able to sleep today. I really was thinking that you were going to uncover some serious shit, but then turns out that you're not really free from it yourself. Anyway, off to bed to try to both simultaneously mull that over and put it out of mind.
HabDashCine
Banned
Just finished the game on PS4 and ran over to this thread as fast as I could. So glad I found this right away! Very cool analysis. Stoked to get back in and get the secret ending.
More_Badass
Member
Four-post breakdown of my second playthrough, pointng out things I noticed on my second time through
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?p=209437824&highlight=#post209437824
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?p=209439615&highlight=#post209439615
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?p=209443215&highlight=#post209443215
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?p=209531535&highlight=#post209531535
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?p=209437824&highlight=#post209437824
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?p=209439615&highlight=#post209439615
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?p=209443215&highlight=#post209443215
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?p=209531535&highlight=#post209531535
uomoartificiale
Member
I think you explained it very eloquently but I also feel that this game is mainly a mood piece and that it escapes the concept of a linear story or allegory in the traditional sense. As I see it, the narrative elements are just there to provide some context for the current screen/puzzle and then the same elements are re-proposed but subverted in later encounters (ie.
the underwater boy
The narrative here it's mainly a series of clashing events that push in the back of your head while you push forward (walk left to right) into the world. This is really a game that "lingers" with you during and after gameplay.
I'm cool with that and I want to know more about the world/story, but I won't want to demystify its atmosphere too much.
The Shift
Banned
This track evokes thoughts about Inside for me:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Cb9moxhv6LM
Even the title seems to compliment the premise of the game.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Cb9moxhv6LM
Even the title seems to compliment the premise of the game.
Salty Hippo
Member
Just finished it. Loved it, but one thing about the story bothered me:
Why do you survive after being drowned and suddenly have infinite lung capacity? Like, why. What's the explanation? I can't even think of a far-fetched one.
I also don't buy the thing about the Ring girl trying to save you the whole time. If that's the case why didn't I wake up underwater the first time she caught me? It's stupid.
Why do you survive after being drowned and suddenly have infinite lung capacity? Like, why. What's the explanation? I can't even think of a far-fetched one.
I also don't buy the thing about the Ring girl trying to save you the whole time. If that's the case why didn't I wake up underwater the first time she caught me? It's stupid.
More_Badass
Member
The girl injects you with something through that cable. The cable had the same orange lights as the mind control devices. It, and the additional ending, implies that 1) you were a husk and being controlled the entire time, 2) the long-haired "girl" was probably another boy like you who's been in the water for a long time, hence the long hair and how you're naked just like them after being sucked up the tube
And the latter is pacing and building expectations. By cutting it short, you assume she's trying to kill and it gives the moments tension and suspense. And then when those expectations are subverted and you see the whole process, you realize her true purpose
Iva Demilcol
Member
You actually died and got revived when (s)he connected your belly to that mind control-like apparatus.
Cthulhu_Steev
Member
Tonally, this whole thing with the pigs, parasites and mind control reminded me of Upstream Color.
Very much so. Interesting that two completely different works have such similar themes and story mechanics.
Fancy Clown
Member
Just finished. Incredible game. The visual presentation, atmosphere, animations, camera moves are just amazing. The game feels like a really dark picture book in a way. This was better than Limbo in every way. It's like he took the spider part of Limbo and stretched it out for a whole game. I thought the environmental progression was similar to Limbo as well going from forest/rural to city to industrial stuff. Obviously that's not the only similarity to Limbo, but I thought it was interesting. I wonder if there's a connection between the two games.
The last act was absolutely nuts. I thought I had an idea where the game was going, but I really, really didn't lol. Playing as the blob was one of the coolest gaming surprises I've had in a long time. It was straight out of a monster movie and super empowering (until you realize you're still being guided along) after being on the run the whole. Speaking of which, this game is fucking intense. Like right out the gate it captures the sort of visceral intensity from movies like Children of Men and No Country for Old Men. I'd probably classify this game as horror honestly, it's pretty scary the whole way through.
As for the story I'm still digesting and piecing it together so I don't really have much to add at the moment.
The last act was absolutely nuts. I thought I had an idea where the game was going, but I really, really didn't lol. Playing as the blob was one of the coolest gaming surprises I've had in a long time. It was straight out of a monster movie and super empowering (until you realize you're still being guided along) after being on the run the whole. Speaking of which, this game is fucking intense. Like right out the gate it captures the sort of visceral intensity from movies like Children of Men and No Country for Old Men. I'd probably classify this game as horror honestly, it's pretty scary the whole way through.
As for the story I'm still digesting and piecing it together so I don't really have much to add at the moment.
More_Badass
Member
Yes, I instantly thought of No Country when you're crossing the stream and the dog jumps in after you. I wonder if it was an intentional homage
Considering the other film references, undoubtably. I mean, it ends the same way as The 400 Blows
I just finished my playthroughs earlier today...the fuck...
There are two points where I was absolutely engrossed in the journey, and I ended up speechless staring at my screen.
- Being pulled underwater by the creepy kid, and realizing that it wasn't a death/back to checkpoint sequence. There was a point to where I thought it was glitched, and was about to load my game. Once I figured out what was going on, I realized I had no idea of what was going on. One of the highlights for the year personally.
- The ending with the extended fade and credit roll. My thoughts varied from figuring out what just happened and asking myself if it was over. There was a lot of time to quickly summarize all of the events from my prior point until then, and I feel like it was very effective in that regard.
The sound design was AMAZING. The animations are very well done, and the areas/graphics did a great job of pulling me into the world. So glad I was able to go into this blind besides the trailer that was released.
There are two points where I was absolutely engrossed in the journey, and I ended up speechless staring at my screen.
- Being pulled underwater by the creepy kid, and realizing that it wasn't a death/back to checkpoint sequence. There was a point to where I thought it was glitched, and was about to load my game. Once I figured out what was going on, I realized I had no idea of what was going on. One of the highlights for the year personally.
- The ending with the extended fade and credit roll. My thoughts varied from figuring out what just happened and asking myself if it was over. There was a lot of time to quickly summarize all of the events from my prior point until then, and I feel like it was very effective in that regard.
The sound design was AMAZING. The animations are very well done, and the areas/graphics did a great job of pulling me into the world. So glad I was able to go into this blind besides the trailer that was released.