This article is part of our new experimental series, Backlog Club, where we (Nintendo Life!) pick a game that's likely to be on our list of "games we should get around to playing", and then we (NL + you!) spend the next month playing that game. This is the halfway point, the Part One of two, where we stop for a minute to check in with the game, and how much we're enjoying it.
For the month of October 2022, to get in the mood for Halloween, we're playing Inside! Part Two will be about its companion game, Limbo...
It's halfway through October, and that means that it's time for climbing out of my summertime wardrobe of shorts and sunglasses, and into my autumntime wardrobe of jumpers and seasonal depression. It also means that it's time to get into the mood for spooooky things. Because of Halloween. I've never particularly understood why people want to make themselves feel scared, because I have anxiety and feel that way no matter what the season, but hey! I love to join in with things.
So this month's Backlog Club choice is a fun, spooky twofer: Playdead's Limbo, and Playdead's Inside. Although these two games are not (as far as I know) narratively linked, they're practically brothers — both are about children going right and meeting lots of horrible things that want to kill and eat them. I actually played a bit of Limbo, but then there was a spider, and I got scared and stopped. I think that was within the first five minutes. I am a baby.
But, weirdly, although Limbo is one of those games that people just seem to sort of own on every platform, even if they don't remember buying it, I can't find my copy. It's probably buried on a PS4 or an iPhone account somewhere. No matter! I will just play Inside first, and Limbo later, closer to actual Halloween.
Here is your spoiler warning — this article talks about the entire game. Go play it, it's only a few hours long!
So! Inside begins with a boy running away from dogs and searchlights. He has probably done some sort of crime, because he is constantly under threat of murder for the entire game — we know he's escaped and the ominous forces that lurk in the game's shadows want him back, but clearly not that badly, because they're more than happy to let him be crushed, mauled, exploded, and drowned by a horrible underwater lady.
The boy, evading said ominous forces, manages to infiltrate an ominous laboratory/factory that's also doing a bunch of crimes, this time against humanity. They've created zombified workers that are happy to fling themselves into pits and against walls, solving puzzles by brute force and probably not getting hazard pay. Eventually, the boy meets a [REDACTED], and from there, things get really... gooey? Squelchy? I don't know if there's a word to describe... that.
Journalists, as I've discovered, bloody love the motifs of mindless workers and the magnetic mystery of the [REDACTED] in Inside, because there are roughly ten billion thinkpieces on What Inside Means. That's the thing — Inside refuses to tell you, with no dialogue, no in-game lore guide, and only the sparsest of environmental clues. Even those are up for interpretation.
I presume that the designers knew what they were making, and weren't just sitting in the Playdead office saying "hahaha let's add a bunch of baby chicks here that you have to Pied-Piper into a big machine and then they get brutally murdered so you can solve a puzzle, and it doesn't mean anything at all, it's not even some kind of foreshadowing, hahaha." No, even the weirder stuff in Inside has a Point and a Purpose, but it's all just academic, anyway — it doesn't change how the game plays out.
Except, in one way, it does. You see — and this is going to get mega-spoilery, so be warned — Inside has a secret, alternate ending that you can only access if you've finished the game, and seen the ending with the [REDACTED] on the [REDACTED]. You'll then have to find a bunch of hidden bunkers, and destroy the glowing orbs within. So far, so video game, right? You know the drill: destroy the things, run right, get the secret thing. Maybe it's a Warp Zone. Or you get to unlock the ability to play as Inside Boy's tall brother, who wears a green shirt instead of a red one.
Haha! No! It's actually a meta-textual commentary on player character agency, you fool! You have been tricked! Nyahaha!
In the secret ending, the Boy pulls a gigantic plug. Why? Because that's what you do in games. If a game says "Press A to interact" then you do it. Because interacting is fun. No questions asked. But in Inside, when you pull that plug, you... lose control of the Boy. He slumps over, either dead, or zombified. You, the player, were on the other side of that plug. You idiot.
But there's more. In the normal ending, the Boy is drawn ever rightwards, eventually towards the [REDACTED], as if the [REDACTED] were controlling him. Even though the Boy is not mindless like the zombie-people we see at several points, he is still mindless. He goes right, because that's what you do. He goes right, because you know what games want from you. And you, the player, do it, unquestioningly, because that's just what you do. You're the zombie. Or you're the [REDACTED]? Uh. I don't know. No one knows.
It's both refreshing and infuriating to play a game that tells you nothing. I have no answers, only theories and questions. But my takeaway is that Playdead's Inside is trying to tell a story about agency and control, in which you are left questioning what it means to puppet a character around, making them do whatever you want, getting them killed over and over again because you're not paying attention.
There's no real "good" ending to Inside, either. The [REDACTED] ending feels unfinished, ambiguous, even pointless — there's a feeling of "oh. Now what?" that you're left with at the end. You didn't win anything, you didn't save the princess (unless the [REDACTED] is a princess, but there's no textual support for that theory), you just caused a big mess and now you're outside, good job. You don't even know what the [REDACTED] is, or why it wanted to be free, or what being free even means for something that... lumpy.
The hidden alternate ending can be taken as either good (you freed the Boy from the puppetmaster!) or bad (you turned the boy into just another zombie!) but what that means for the player is once again ambiguous. Are you a monster for using this Boy to achieve your own aims? Were you genuinely trying to help him? Has unplugging him freed him, or damned him? No one knows!
So, for me, Inside is a game that pretends to be about what we see on screen, a tale of the player assuming that the ends justify the means, only to be disappointed and horrified that the ends don't make sense at all. But actually, Inside is a game that, much like modern art, is more about how it resonates within the viewer than it is about what the art itself looks like. It's not what we see on screen, or what we do during the game, but it's about how the player is left feeling afterwards. Are you a monster? Is the boy free? Is a [REDACTED] not entitled to the sweat of his... lumps?
There are no true answers. Only the question, "why?" And, of all the questions, that's the most important one. The one that should have no true answer. The "why" is subjective. The "why" is for you to answer. And it's absolutely okay for the answer to be, "I don't know."
Okay, that's what *I* think about the ending to Inside. But what do you think it means? Does it matter? Are we all in a simulation? Tell me your thoughts in the comments. Or don't. You control your own destiny... probably.
Comments 34
I love INSIDE. To me the meaning is within the hidden ending, where the protagonist unplugs himself and the game ends. The game is about being controlled, either by the thing that wants to be freed at the end, or by the player themselves.
Grabbed this in a sale recently. Wasn't gaga over Limbo, but since getting the SWOLED, I'm becoming increasingly attracted to games that heavily showcase dark environments.
I have beat both Inside and Limbo on Switch. I’m glad to have experienced them both... not sure I could honestly say I enjoyed either though. I never thought I’d play them again when I was finished, but after your article I’m considering it.
@Ralizah if I get a Switch OLED, (and I can’t justify it right now, unfortunately), I would DEFINITELY want to play these games again on it.
Assuming I can get some annoying issues with my Switch fixed in time, I'll actually be playing Inside for the very first time on Halloween! I've heard nothing but good things about it so I'm decently excited to check it out! Plus: it's nice to have a spooky game for the spooky season.
Argh, just started playing this, so have skipped the actual article.
So far, and I'm not far into it, it's nowt special. But I will persevere, as it's a nice low-level challenge.
I own Limbo but hadn't really played it much yet so I'll be tackling it this month. It seems dark and atmospheric but not truly scary apart from a few jump scares which is about the right level for me because I'm a wuss. The puzzles seem pretty fun though are more stressful than the average puzzle platformer because of the tense atmosphere and horribly bloody consequences of failing.
This is a fantastic game. From beginning to end hardly a moment that is't somewhat memorable, or a much needed moment of relaxation, atmosphere building, or puzzle solving between mostly short but very intense moments. The ending is just insane, in one of the best ways possible.
Then again, I'm a big fan of everything disturbingly dystopian, totalitarian collectivist stories of how humanity has succeeded in creating power systems they no longer can control, and that no longer care about the individual, and turn against all that was supposed to be sacred in their "greater good" (except for the "reality" of it we live in, not a fan of that. Not. At. All).
@AmplifyMJ It really transforms games like Fatal Frame and Dark Souls, so I'm sure this will look extremely nice on the display as well.
I thought about holding out for a Zelda one next year, but I couldn't wait and ended up picking up just the tablet at a discounted price online. No regrets.
I really enjoyed my time with Inside last year when I picked it up on discount (Limbo is good too!...unless you have severe arachnophobia. ). Atmospheric, not really scary per se (to me anyway), memorable, some unique puzzles, and [REDACTED]. The game definitely has a dystopian/sci-fi feel.
While I never bothered with the secret ending, I did watch it online and do believe it's a commentary on control. Who was really pulling the strings? [REDACTED], or is it a 4th wall dig at the player?
I should finish Inside, only played for like an hour. Was basically what I expected for $2.
Removed - discussing moderation
@SteamEngenius and leave it at that, that is all I can say...
The actual puzzle solving was mediocre, the style is fantastic, and the ending is crap. 1 out of 3 merits about 3 hours of effort, which is how long it takes to complete the game. It's off my backlog now, so that is something. I guess. The game left me quite "meh".
Inside is one of the most memorable games I've ever played. I've played it through it three times now and reading this makes me want to do it again.
I gotta admit it's too easy to tell which article is a Kate Gray article just from the text blurb on the front page. Your articles might not be for everyone, but you've got one thing going for you that nobody can deny: personality!
I thoroughly enjoyed inside. Didn't know there was an alternate ending, will have to look that up.
@Tyranexx I hate spiders. I turned off limbo and never tried it again after the first spider
Ah, Inside, one of the last games from Xbox’s glorious run of indie exclusives… before Inside was on every platform under the sun, much like all other former Xbox indie exclusives!
I thoroughly enjoyed both Inside and Limbo. I felt that Limbo was a truly unique and fantastic lite-horror indie title and Inside built upon it in every way, going from lite-horror platforming to sci-fi surrealism in the end. I’ll always remember going, “What did I just finish?” once a certain moment occurred in the game. It’s still a thought-provoking platformer to this day. It’s one of the finest indie titles we’ve been blessed to have in the canon of gaming.
I’ve promised myself to stop worrying about my backlog. But this is the reminder I needed to try this game!
I loved this game (was the best $3 I ever spent), and enjoyed reading your thoughts on in Kate. I was definitely left with that feeling of “ok. Now what?”, like you mentioned. But it definitely had a lasting impact on me. I’m a big fan of short games that pack a punch like this.
Going FROM Inside to Limbo will be strange. Good picks though. Are polls still happening? I played or read along in all but one backlog club article, but due to moving and other life events, it didn't dawn on me that we hadn't had an article in a while (I had missed the Portal 2 one).
Anyway, Inside is great. I'm not sure I thought about the ending too much when I played it years ago.
How are you picking the next game? Maybe next one should be less puzzle/platformer-y (despite my love for those kinds of games)?
Don't let backlog club die, Kate! You're our only hope!
I feel like that title's gonna make people check out the article MORE.
Great job, Kate. Great job.
I played and completed both Limbo and Inside shortly after they were released on the Nintendo Switch, and it was my first time with both. I greatly enjoyed the experiences, which, while similar in tone, are very distinct.
I am not one to try and find "meaning" in games or their endings. The endings of both Limbo and Inside were a little weird, but I attach no more import or value to them than I do to, say, Super Mario Odyssey. For me, it's all about the journey. As long as I had a good time getting there, the ending is not especially important to me.
The exceptions are games with strong, clear narratives; I look forward to seeing how things wrap up. My favorite examples of this are the first two Bravely Default games on 3DS, and Xenoblade Chronicles. The XC ending was among the most satisfying I have experienced in any RPG.
@RPGreg2600 I used to work with someone who, despite being a big Zelda fan, could not finish Skyward Sword because of all the Skulltulas in the first temple. You got more up close and personal with them than in previous Zeldas before that point, so I totally understood.
This fits in my "backlog and never going to play it" or finish it, rather. I played about 30 minutes and didn't like it. I get it, and can appreciate it. But since I have choice I will play something like Gris, which in way is dystopian and confronts mental issues--but it is beautiful to experience and ultimately lifts me up.
Thanks for the article and the link though: I admit I did want to see the ending that I never saw.
I played and finished (both endings) Inside only a few weeks ago and it's a game that has stayed with me. Because of the ambiguity of the meaning of it all but also because, if we put aside the metaphor about gamers and control, his quest ended bittersweetly. In the normal ending at least. Furthermore, regardless of our search for the meaning of the game's concept and story, it's a gorgeous, poignant game. It marries sound and visual detail with mesmerising results. I cannot wait for Playdead's next game. I enjoyed Limbo, but Inside was a master class.
@TotalHenshin This month I've been experimenting with the format a little bit! Instead of a poll, I asked people to drop suggestions in the comments — that gave me a lot more games to pick from. Buuuuut I can add in more general polls, like "are you playing along?" if that's what you mean!
Great game, with a fantastic atmosphere. Has the somber tone of a John Carpenter horror flick.
I played Limbo after this and... Inside was such a massive step up in terms of visual storytelling that I'm sorry if Limbo seems like a disappointment in comparison. It truly is a fantastic game and a part of Indie history.
@KateGray Oh okay, I was just concerned by the lack of poll was an ill portent for backlog club. I'm glad it's not dead!
@Chlocean it's very frustrating! But I'll write all of that in my Backlog Club piece
@KateGray Excited to read it, frustrating for multiple reasons 😵
@KateGray Woops, but late to the party but this ended up on my tab backlog (even tabs have these now 🙄) .
“Although these two games are not (as far as I know) narratively linked... “
So I don't know if it's explicit but there is a maggot-thing attached to the aggressive pig in Inside who behaves completely differently after you remove it.
I always saw this as a link to a similar maggoty thing that affects the player and a few other NPCs in Limbo.
I interperated that Naughty Corp has been trying to use these in their mind control experiments.
Been a few years since I mindlessly speculated about this game so thanks!
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