By Maliyah Battle and Anna Quick
Inside is a puzzle game that immerses players in a dystopian world that is filled with eerie environments and strange events. Playing as a young boy, your goal is to travel through the varying landscapes solving puzzles, fighting against dangers, and uncovering the dark and twisted secrets of the world. Devoid of any type of dialogue, the focus of the story is set on environmental storytelling. Allowing the player to make their own perceptions about the nature of this society. A strong theme present in Inside is the lack of free will. Throughout the gameplay, you encounter mind-controlled human experiments and civilians who mindlessly walk through government checkpoints. With the main character being different from all of them, it's easy to believe that the young boy would have free will in comparison. It appears that he is conscious and aware of the nature of his environment. Although, this is only an illusion. The mechanics of the game only allow the boy to move left or right, forcing him into a linear predetermined path. Then as you continue further along, you may start to question if the boy is even operating on free will anymore. Any choice made by the player has minimal impact on the outcome and only serves to move the boy further along the predetermined journey.
Inside is a confusing game, and that is why it was one of our first choices. It is a game with no spoken meaning; however, you can interpret the dialogue-less game in many ways. When researching, we found countless theories surrounding the game. The main character is a little boy running carelessly through many obstacles, however, there are many times when this nameless boy can control these zombie-like creatures. Many theorize that mind control and lack of free will is what this game is about. In the YouTube video “Inside: The Story & its Meaning Explained (Horror Game Theories),” the commentator mentions a theory regarding the boy and his free will. This theory is that the boy never had free will and is being controlled by the government —which is more than likely controlling these zombie-like humans— in the game. This theory is reminiscent of the movie we watched for class, Black Mirror: Bandersnatch. Both mediums explore the themes of free will or lack thereof, and this correlation is a huge reason why we picked this game to discuss.
As stated, this game never explicitly says what it is about. The whole point of the game is up to the viewer's discretion. This allows for many ways to play the main character, even though there is only one right way. Although there are no choices you can make, the game makes it seem like there are certain choices. There are no instructions or hints in the game, it is all puzzle-based. Some of these puzzles differ in difficulty, but figuring them out makes it seem like the player discovered something secret and hidden. So even though there is one correct way to play the game, some of the puzzles seem too hard for anyone to know which creates the illusion that the player has figured out this secret way to pass the part of the game they are on. Therefore, the game creates an illusion of free will and wants players to think they can control what is happening. In one portion of the game, you have to utilize a horde of ducks to complete a puzzle, but because of the illusion, some players may think that they decided to choose to use the ducks. The use of the ducks could lead some players to think that the boy is sweet and carefree even in the ruined world he is in. It is interesting to see that even in a game with no choices, it can still seem like the players are making choices and gathering information about the main character when making those choices.
Inside is a suspenseful game that keeps you waiting and guessing what is going to happen next. With so many interpretations, Inside could be whatever the player makes it, which is one of its clear affordances and downfalls. Many people love it when games are left open-ended and up to interpretation, and that is why there are countless theories about the game. However, there is a large audience that hates open-ended games. Whether you love it or hate it, Inside is a truly captivating game that keeps you on your toes and constantly thinking.
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AuthorWe are the students of "Digital Literatures" at Millikin University. These are some of the digital narratives that entice, inspire, and challenge us. Categories
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