Limbo 2: Mind Control Boogaloo

Granted, it's been nearly a decade since I played Limbo, but I've got no reservations against saying that Inside is basically the same game.

Inside is prettier, sure, with a polychromatic palette; fully three-dimensional environments; and rich lighting and water effects. (Occasionally, its 3D-ness is a detriment, as there's a slight learning curve to interacting with objects versus walking "around" them.)

The goal is the same though: walk to the right while avoiding capture and/or gruesome death, solving basic environmental puzzles to open doors or otherwise un-block your way. Some scenes require precise timing to pass, but convenient checkpoints keep the frustration factor down. And ambient storytelling in the background is intriguing, but the full plot is never really explained.

Inside's chase sequences are tempered by requirements for well-timed interaction - stop and hide in cover, turn back to misdirect, hit a button to seal a door - so gameplay consistently feels more like a puzzle than like fast-paced action. However, the puzzles also never get very complex; they're less about figuring out how a system works, and more about placing objects or timing button-presses correctly to execute said system.

And while I admire the game's commitment against a visually-intrusive user interface, I would have appreciated some tutorial prompts -- the early game forces you to guess that an object can be pushed, and that the X button is how pushing works. Frankly, I think this strict anti-UI stance makes the game hostile to newcomers, in spite of its mechanical simplicity.

I don't regret the three hours I spent with Inside, since it did show off some cool environments, and its puzzles were just enough to keep me engaged. But it's a little disappointing that, narratively and mechanically, it feels so "simple" and similar to its predecessor. (Are all of Playdead's games going to be about brain-control slugs?)

Better than: Limbo, I guess.
Not as good as: Headlander
Longer than, but similar to: Burning Daylight, a free game in the same vein that was so brief I didn't bother glogging about it.

Progress: Got the "normal" ending.