The Inner Friend

68%
Game Brain Score Based on 30 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
The Inner Friend Game Cover
Traversing a terrifying, multi-dimensional modern art exhibit for 2 hours can get tedious, but it never stops piquing your curiosity.
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"The Inner Friend" is a third-person psychological horror adventure game that explores the player's subconscious mind. The game features various levels, each representing different fears and insecurities. Players must navigate through surreal landscapes, solve puzzles, and confront their inner demons to overcome their fears. The game has a unique art style and uses atmospheric sound design to create an immersive and intense experience.

  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

68%
Audience ScoreBased on 30 reviews
story6 positive mentions
optimization2 negative mentions
  • The game features stunning visuals and a captivating atmosphere that enhances the overall experience.
  • It offers a unique and thought-provoking narrative that explores childhood fears and traumas through surreal environments and puzzles.
  • The soundtrack is well-composed, adding to the immersive and eerie ambiance of the game.
  • The gameplay is relatively short, lasting around 1.5 to 3 hours, which may not justify the full price for many players.
  • Some players found the controls and puzzles to be simplistic or lacking depth, leading to a less engaging experience.
  • The story can be too abstract and open to interpretation, leaving some players confused about the overall plot and purpose.
  • story24 mentions

    The story of "The Inner Friend" is abstract and metaphorical, focusing on a protagonist confronting childhood fears through a visually driven narrative with minimal dialogue. While some players appreciate the surreal and artistic approach, others find the lack of direction and clarity challenging, often relying on hidden endings or visual cues to piece together the plot. Overall, the game effectively combines horror elements with puzzles, creating a deeply affecting experience that resonates differently with each player based on their personal experiences.

    • “Glad I checked this game out, and if you like surreal story-based games, this is a great pickup.”
    • “The game is presented in a tension-building sort of horror format, and it incorporates a seriously unsettling atmosphere that tells its story through little words and mostly visual cues and symbols.”
    • “Solve puzzles, find ways past obstacles, and overcome your darkest and most traumatic memories as a child in this fantastic visually driven story.”
    • “The secret/hidden ending seems to explain 90% of the plot in about 2 minutes, so anyone who finished the game without collecting all collectibles will want to track down the video of that to actually piece together what happened...more or less.”
    • “The events themselves have no real concrete structure to them or even dialogue to explain things away, but they have a story that can mostly be figured out by the player through visual cues and symbols.”
    • “It has a severely affecting storyline, and depending on who you are, what your past is, and how much you relate to this angst-ridden young protagonist, the wordless and purely visual plot structure will either make sense to you right away or leave you scratching your head in confusion.”
  • gameplay14 mentions

    The gameplay of "The Inner Friend" offers a mix of walking simulation and light puzzle-solving, with some engaging chase sequences and varied mechanics, though it can feel repetitive and lacks depth. While some players appreciate the atmosphere and tension, others criticize the limited gameplay variety and value for money, suggesting it leans heavily towards a walking simulator experience. Overall, the gameplay is seen as simple yet effective, but many feel it doesn't justify the price point.

    • “The gameplay offers a good amount of variety throughout its nightmare-fueled story; creepy decrepit old hags chase you through hallways of mirrors with scissors in a scene reminiscent of the classic Clock Tower villain in tense chase scenes, while ruined old antique classrooms hold progressively harder light puzzle solutions to solve.”
    • “While some of these sections are definitely a bit more obtuse than others, they flow quite well and never overstay their welcome, with new interesting mechanics and scenes being thrown at you at a constant pace.”
    • “In short: the gameplay is simple but effective.”
    • “No gameplay at all, huge level with nothing in it.”
    • “It is a walking simulator for $16.99 and not even 2 hours of gameplay.”
    • “Ultimately there's nothing here gameplay-wise you haven't seen elsewhere.”
  • graphics12 mentions

    The graphics of the game are generally praised for their quality and aesthetic appeal, with many users noting that they are visually striking and enhance the overall experience. While some mention minor issues like poor lighting, the unique visual style and chilling sound design effectively contribute to the game's unsettling atmosphere. Overall, the graphics are considered a strong point, making the game worth trying for fans of visually engaging experiences.

    • “If you're a fan of strange games that feature nice graphics, it's worth giving this a try.”
    • “I loved the graphics and concept of this game.”
    • “It was very enjoyable and the graphics are great!”
    • “There's a fair degree of graphical polish here with some examples of poor lighting.”
    • “Now graphically the game is in the price range of 10-15 dollars but in terms of gameplay I feel 5-8 dollars is much more fair and would recommend it once it hits that discount.”
    • “In the settings you’ll find graphics (gamma, display mode, resolution, vsync, texture, shadow, effects and post process quality).”
  • music7 mentions

    The music in the game is generally praised for its atmospheric quality, enhancing the overall experience with a solid soundtrack that complements the environment and story. While some users noted a lack of voiceovers, the background music received high marks for its effectiveness, contributing to a captivating ambiance. Overall, the music aspect is rated highly, with many users giving it a perfect score.

    • “The background music is very good and gives a nice atmospheric feel to the game.”
    • “+ great atmospheric music”
    • “The environment is interesting, the soundtrack is solid, and the story is great.”
    • “No voiceover, no music to engage.”
    • “The audio options include music and sound volume, but the overall experience feels lacking.”
    • “The game offers a choice of nine different languages, but the music does not enhance the gameplay.”
  • atmosphere6 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is deeply unsettling and effectively builds tension through visual cues and symbols rather than dialogue, creating a spooky experience without relying on cheap jump scares or gore. The flickering lights, creaking doors, and eerie sound design contribute to a strong, immersive atmosphere that emphasizes feeling over puzzle-solving, making it a compelling visual and auditory experience.

    • “Lights flicker ominously and doors creak open while eerie mirrors crack and break leading to new ominous rooms. There are no cheap jump scares or gratuitous gore, but the atmosphere and the building of tension make 'The Inner Friend' feel completely spooky.”
    • “It's very atmospheric and more about feeling the strange than solving the simple puzzles.”
    • “The game is presented in a tension-building sort of horror format, and it incorporates a seriously unsettling atmosphere that tells its story through little words and mostly visual cues and symbols.”
    • “Lights flicker ominously and doors creak open while eerie mirrors crack and break leading to new ominous rooms. There are no cheap jump scares to speak of or gratuitous gore to come across and gross you out with, but the atmosphere and the building of tension makes 'The Inner Friend' feel completely spooky.”
    • “A great visual experience with strong tone and atmosphere.”
  • optimization2 mentions

    Overall, the optimization of the game is generally solid, with only minor hitches reported and no significant framerate drops or performance issues noted by users.

    • “A few hitches in optimization, but nothing significant in terms of framerate drops.”
    • “There are a few hitches in optimization, but nothing significant in terms of framerate drops.”
    • “Performance hasn't been an issue either.”
  • grinding1 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspects of the game to be generally well-paced, with new mechanics and scenes introduced frequently enough to keep the experience engaging. However, some sections, particularly the light puzzles, can feel tedious and slightly obtuse. Overall, the grinding does not overstay its welcome.

  • replayability1 mentions

    Reviewers generally feel that the game lacks significant replayability, as once players have completed the experience, there isn't much incentive to return.

    • “The only issue is that once you've experienced the game, I don't think there's much replay value.”
  • emotional1 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by its unique and thought-provoking narrative, which resonates deeply with players, evoking a range of feelings from oddity to profound connection. Overall, it leaves a lasting impact that many find touching and memorable.

    • “It's weird, it's odd, it's thought-provoking, it's touching, and I absolutely loved it.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

66% average critic score

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Play time

3hMedian play time
3hAverage play time
2-5hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 3 analyzed playthroughs

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