INSIDE full of moments of shocking, uncaring and slightly twisted violence. Here, death means returning to a checkpoint, and players take on the role of a young boy caught in a deadly situation, the brutality to be witnessed if they fail gives added weight to mistakes. But the players do not know who this boy is and why he is being pursued by cruel people. It's a five-hour journey that includes platforming, lots of puzzles, and a final act.

INSIDE's story is told without text or dialogue and is vague in nature, leaving much of it open to interpretation. The absolute minimalism of the narrative is reflected in the stylish visual design. The muted color palette and careful use of shadows and silhouettes give the boy's surroundings a menacing, sinister feel. He's often the smallest thing on screen, a fragile red smudge against the dark mass that reinforces the sense of being lost and haunted.

The lighting ranges from the terrifying spotlights of mechanical sentries to the beams of flashlights cutting through the trees as masked men chase the hero. Many puzzles are reused with slight variations. The plot centers on masked men hunting a child in a dark forest. He catches his foot on a branch and falls; one of the figures rushes at him, pins him to the ground and strangles him to death. At another point, a child runs into the headlights of a truck and a masked man shoots him with a rifle.

He is later chased by a pack of snarling dogs who tear him apart in a vicious frenzy. Players will have to act in such a terrifying atmosphere and try to survive by reaching the end of the level. The gameplay is a 2D puzzle platformer. Death is common here and sometimes seems like a given, but in reality these mistakes can teach you which steps are worth taking and which ones are not.