INSIDE

Playdead

PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, iOS, macOSPremium

Health Score

DECENT

Watch Gameplay

About This Game

Super Review

INSIDE is a grim puzzle-platformer that challenges players with environmental brain-teasers in a relentlessly dark, dystopian world. While it offers excellent problem-solving, the experience is profoundly unsettling due to its graphic violence and disturbing themes of human experimentation, making it suitable only for mature players who can handle intense content.

Super Review

Parent verdict

INSIDE earns a Decent rating primarily because its significant content intensity outweighs its strong puzzle design. It is a premium, single-player experience devoid of monetization pressures or social risks, which is positive. However, parents must understand that its graphic violence and mature themes are pervasive and not suitable for younger players. It's a compelling, thought-provoking game best suited for older, more resilient teens capable of processing its dark narrative.

What players actually do

Players navigate a 2.5D environment as a boy, solving physics-based puzzles by interacting with objects and the environment, exercising critical thinking and observation.
Players use a mind-control helmet to take control of other bodies, requiring strategic planning to overcome obstacles and progress.
Players frequently encounter and must avoid various brutal hazards, leading to often graphic death sequences that demand quick reflexes and pattern recognition to overcome.

Where it shines

The game excels at fostering problem-solving and critical thinking as players must deduce solutions to complex environmental puzzles without explicit instructions.
INSIDE is a premium title with no microtransactions, daily rewards, or other addictive monetization schemes, offering a complete experience without financial pressure.

Parent watch-outs

The game features frequent and graphic violence, with the player character dying in various brutal ways, including drowning, being shot, mauled by dogs, or dismembered.
Its atmosphere is consistently dark, unsettling, and features mature themes of human experimentation and manipulation within a dystopian setting that can be disturbing.

Family rules worth setting

Players must be at least 17 years old to play due to the Mature ESRB rating and intense content.
Discuss the game's dark themes and graphic violence before and during play to ensure emotional preparedness and process disturbing elements.

Talk about this

The game's ambiguous story prompts conversations about its meaning, themes of control, and human nature, encouraging interpretation.
Discuss how the game's difficulty and frequent deaths teach perseverance and learning from mistakes, rather than frustration.

Play style

INSIDE is a solitary, single-player experience. Its session rhythm is self-paced, focusing on solving environmental puzzles, though some segments require quick reflexes. The difficulty comes from deciphering clever puzzles and avoiding instant, often graphic, deaths, but a generous checkpoint system mitigates frustration. Players may occasionally need help with particularly challenging puzzles or coping with the intense atmosphere.

Score Breakdown

Positive Aspects

Educational Value

4/5

Creativity

0/5

Pro-Social

0/5

Risk Factors

Addictive Monetization

2/5

Time Pressure / FOMO

1/5

Social Risk

0/5

Content Intensity

3/5

Why this rating

Educational Value

4/5

While not overtly educational, INSIDE strongly develops problem-solving, critical thinking, and pattern recognition skills as players must experiment and learn environmental rules to progress. The ambiguous narrative also encourages interpretation and discussion, contributing to a moderate educational benefit.

Addictive Monetization

2/5

INSIDE is a premium, single-purchase game with no microtransactions, daily rewards, or limited-time events, which is a significant positive. The only minor monetization element is an initial in-app purchase for the full game on iOS, hence its very low risk score of 2.

Content Intensity

3/5

The game carries an ESRB M (Mature 17+) rating due to frequent and graphic violence, blood, and gore, with the player character dying in various brutal ways. Its dark, unsettling atmosphere and themes of human experimentation contribute to a significant content intensity risk score of 3.

Negatives

•The game has a Mature 17+ rating and features frequent, graphic violence and gore.
•Its dark, unsettling atmosphere and themes of human experimentation may be disturbing for many players.
•There are no opportunities for player creativity, such as customization or building.
•It is a solitary experience with no pro-social or cooperative gameplay features.

Positives

•Strong focus on problem-solving and critical thinking through environmental puzzles.
•No addictive monetization
•the game is a single-purchase title with no microtransactions.
•The experience is self-paced with no time-pressure mechanics like daily rewards or limited-time events.
•As a single-player game, there is no risk of cyberbullying or exposure to strangers.