Inner Chains

About

Inner Chains is a first-person horror/adventure game set in a nightmarish, biomechanical world. Players must navigate through desolate environments, solving puzzles and battling grotesque creatures to uncover the truth behind their confinement. With a focus on exploration and immersion, Inner Chains offers a unique and harrowing experience.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

43%

Audience ScoreBased on 272 reviews

graphics92 positive mentions

gameplay36 negative mentions

The game features stunning visuals and a unique art style inspired by H.R. Giger and Zdzisław Beksiński, creating an immersive atmosphere.
The gameplay includes interesting mechanics such as using environmental traps and limited ammo, which encourages strategic thinking.
The game has a compelling premise and offers a different experience compared to traditional shooters, appealing to fans of atmospheric horror.

The gameplay is slow and tedious, with clunky controls and a lack of engaging combat, making it feel more like a walking simulator than a shooter.
There are numerous technical issues, including poor optimization, frequent frame drops, and game-breaking bugs that hinder the overall experience.
The story is vague and poorly presented, with little narrative depth, leaving players confused about the plot and character motivations.

graphics
173 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
53%
45%
2%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their stunning art style and attention to detail, drawing comparisons to the works of H.R. Giger and Zdzisław Beksiński. However, issues such as frame rate drops, long loading times, and a lack of optimization detract from the overall experience. While the visuals are a highlight, many reviewers note that they alone cannot compensate for the game's shortcomings in gameplay and sound design.
- “The design is awesome; they crafted a great alien world, attention to detail in all assets is superb, the aesthetic, color palette, music, everything is great.”
- “The amazing visuals and immersive atmosphere are the only real praise-worthy points of this game; the environments, though very claustrophobic and linear in nature, are richly detailed, as are the character models.”
- “Absolutely stunning art style and visuals.”
- “The framerate micro-stutters often, occlusion is far too tightly vectored causing the sensation of things constantly popping in at the edge of corners as you round them, and at one point the visuals for an entire area took several minutes to load in after the initial parts of it did.”
- “Inner Chains looks unfinished, unoptimized and we barely have any option to change in the graphics menu.”
- “This is another one of those Kickstarter games that sells itself on its visuals and fails to deliver on gameplay.”
gameplay
165 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
65%
22%
The gameplay of Inner Chains has received largely negative feedback, with many players describing it as dull, slow, and repetitive. While the game features a visually appealing biomechanical world and some interesting mechanics, the combat is criticized for being clunky and unengaging, with limited enemy variety and a lack of depth in gameplay mechanics. Overall, the experience is marred by technical issues and a vague story, leading to a consensus that the gameplay does not live up to the game's aesthetic promise.
- “Graphics look good, gameplay is smooth once you get used to the mouse speed.”
- “As for gameplay, Inner Chains is simple to pick up and play.”
- “Overall, I really enjoyed the gameplay though.”
- “The gameplay is a mix of walking simulator and FPS; I was excited at the prospect of an FPS in this already cool-looking game, but the gameplay is dull and bland. You get 3 guns that you acquire as you progress into the game.”
- “I cannot recommend it though due to the repetitive gameplay, the horrible optimization, and the clunky combat.”
- “The gameplay in particular is too mediocre to really recommend it, and the bad performance is the final nail in the coffin.”
story
154 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
79%
12%
The story in "Inner Chains" is widely criticized for being vague and poorly developed, with many players noting that it lacks coherence and depth. While the game features an intriguing opening cinematic, the narrative quickly becomes muddled, relying on minimal exposition and requiring players to piece together plot elements through exploration, often leading to confusion. Overall, the storytelling is seen as a significant weakness, detracting from the otherwise visually appealing experience.
- “The storyline and atmosphere are top notch.”
- “The rich visuals and engaging story make Inner Chains a unique and memorable adventure for fans of atmospheric shooters.”
- “The story opens up with a very intriguing opening cinematic, but unfortunately, that’s about all the story you seem to get.”
- “The story is a massive conundrum and even though you get an introductory cutscene, it didn't make a lick of sense.”
- “The focus was all on the look of the levels, there was no discernable story arc, no interaction with NPCs other than to kill them, and the gameplay was repetitive and easy.”
- “In the end, Inner Chains feels somehow incomplete, whether it's the lack of continual narration, that almost all of the text and enemy remarks are in an alien language, that the enemy AI presents no challenge, or the fact that the story is not fleshed out at all, leaving the game to feel a bit pointless.”
atmosphere
81 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
49%
43%
7%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its dark, immersive, and visually stunning environments, often described as eerie and filled with a sense of horror. While many players appreciate the artistic direction and atmospheric sound design, some criticize the gameplay mechanics and pacing, which can detract from the overall experience. Overall, the atmosphere stands out as a key highlight, making it appealing for fans of atmospheric horror, despite some gameplay shortcomings.
- “There's a strong opening where you get to take in some of the atmosphere and see the strange world you're in.”
- “It has a fantastic atmosphere and horror feeling.”
- “The amazing visuals and immersive atmosphere are the only real praise-worthy points of this game; the environments, though very claustrophobic and linear in nature, are richly detailed, as are the character models.”
- “Just from the start it has solid atmosphere but damn the micro stutter/choppy framerate now and again just kills any momentum the game starts to bring and kicks you out of any immersion.”
- “It sets an aptly dark and foreboding atmosphere but lacks variation to sustain interest.”
- “Sorry, but I could not go on playing because there was nearly no atmosphere, lack of storytelling, and I felt like I was just walking around with the feeling of 'you know nothing, Jon Snow,' which did not get better at any time in the first 45 minutes.”
optimization
74 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
8%
43%
49%
The game's optimization has been widely criticized, with many players reporting frequent stutters, frame rate drops, and overall poor performance even on high-end hardware. Despite some improvements through patches, the technical issues remain significant enough to detract from the gameplay experience, leading to frustration among users. Overall, the optimization is considered inadequate, making the game difficult to recommend.
- “Performance will dip at times but it's nothing major.”
- “I don't know where everyone's optimization issues are coming from but it runs perfectly fine on my system... 3440 would be a nice update.”
- “So aside from that, this game is fun; I really like it, so due to the performance, this game gets a 7 out of 10.”
- “The game has some glitches here and there, and some stuttering on my good hardware, which I can forgive, but it's still optimized poorly as it easily makes my PC sound like a plane compared to newer and technically more demanding games.”
- “Worst part was the optimization; some other people have mentioned stuttering and frame rate issues despite their hardware being up to the task.”
- “Performance is atrocious - if it was just minor frame drops here and there, it might be okay, but there are so many times where the game stutters and lags hardcore, to the point where it is briefly unplayable.”
music
56 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
43%
21%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players noting its repetitive nature and limited variety, consisting mainly of a few looping tracks that can become monotonous over extended play. While some appreciate the atmospheric quality of the soundtrack, others criticize it as uninspired and poorly integrated with the game's overall design. Overall, the sound design is seen as a weak point, detracting from the otherwise impressive visuals and gameplay experience.
- “The design is awesome; they crafted a great alien world, attention to detail in all assets is superb, the aesthetic, color palette, music, everything is great.”
- “It has a very good, atmospheric soundtrack and its art design is quite unique, so the screenshot aficionados will definitely rejoice.”
- “It plays like a shooter, with preserved ammo, in an eerie setting with a lot of atmosphere provided with what you see, accompanied with the creepy sounds and a suited musical score.”
- “There is 'the calm song' and 'the combat song', and while there isn't necessarily anything wrong with the music, it's all you're going to hear for five hours straight.”
- “The only plus of this game is the visuals, but after a short period of time you will notice the poor sound design of the world, the uninspired looped soundtrack for the entire game, the clunky repetitive combat mechanics, and the most amazing game design solution - collecting letters to discover the plot only in the second playthrough.”
- “Music is the same track played on repeat.”
stability
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game exhibits significant stability issues, including frequent stutters, one-second freezes, and poor optimization, even on high-end hardware. While some users noted minor bugs that were not game-breaking, the overall performance is marred by technical problems that detract from the experience.
- “The game is plagued with technical problems (e.g., poor performance and sound glitches).”
- “The game has some glitches here and there, and some stuttering on my good hardware, which I can forgive, but it's still optimized poorly as it easily makes my PC sound like a plane compared to newer and technically more demanding games.”
- “The only thing that I want to complain about is the lack of optimization; the game stutters and freezes from time to time when stuff is loaded, and it has quite a lot of framerate drops.”
grinding
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious and unsatisfying, detracting from the overall experience and the already minimal storyline. The slow-paced combat and lack of engaging activities contribute to a sense of boredom, making the gameplay feel laborious.
- “Ultimately the game is just slow, tedious, and boring to play.”
- “In practice, it is incredibly tedious and unsatisfying.”
- “The combat is extremely tedious and boring, and that's a huge problem because there's nothing else to do.”
emotional
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
Players report a strong emotional impact from the game's stunning visuals, evoking feelings of awe and despair, particularly in its depiction of colossal structures. However, this emotional engagement is often undermined by monotonous gameplay, a lack of narrative depth, and limited control options, leading to a mixed overall experience.
- “Maybe that is just inside my head (bobbing really made me cry).”
- “There's some real stunning colossal structures in the distance that made me feel like I was in some kind of hellscape.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
Users express frustration with the game's replayability, viewing it as a poor attempt to extend playtime rather than enhance the experience. However, improvements have made the game more playable and customizable, allowing for a better personal experience.
- “All the issues were dealt with accordingly and now this game is much more playable than before, understandable and customizable for personal preferences.”
- “It's a poor excuse to boost the length and replayability; this alone deserves a thumbs down.”
- “The game lacks meaningful replayability, making it feel tedious after the first playthrough.”
- “Once you've completed the game, there's little incentive to return, as the experience feels repetitive.”
humor
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is highlighted by the amusing animations of enemies, particularly their awkward movements likened to "constipated crabs." While the enemies are not challenging and often lead to deaths from environmental hazards rather than combat, their comedic portrayal adds a lighthearted element to the gameplay experience.
- “And don't get me started on the animations; the less 'zombified' enemies moving like constipated crabs is just hilarious.”
- “The enemies don't feel very challenging, at least not in an entertaining way. You're going to die far more often from just taking fall damage or being eaten by plants than by getting killed by the brain-dead enemies that are hilariously easy to cheese.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization aspect of the game is not directly addressed in the provided texts, which focus instead on gameplay mechanics, specifically the absence of ads or zoom features for weapons, leading to a reliance on hip fire.