The Inner Friend | PS4 Review
Indie platformers have seen a bit of a trend in recent years. There’s no shortage of 2D platformers out there, and certainly no shortage of ones with an emotional core. The esoteric, metaphor-laden indie game is abundant, but less so in the 3D space. This is where The Inner Friend, from developer and publisher Playmind, differentiates itself from the pack. Sometimes, however, being different isn’t enough.
The Madness of the Mind
We enter the game looking upon a sad man, writhing in his bed, as the camera zooms all the way into his mind. This helps to establish the game as firmly about a man’s mental health. Every area of the game is an illustration of a different kind of fear, from school to getting a haircut. The setup may be familiar, but the execution is fairly refreshing. The range of fears represented is surprising, and I was both happy and horrified to be reminded of some of my own childhood terrors.
As interesting as all of that is, The Inner Friend is a difficult game to play through. The control of your main character is dreadfully slow to respond and wonky even in the best of times. There are many instant-fail stealth segments, and never once did failing feel like my fault. You have to wait for your character to turn, sluggishly, in the direction you want them to walk. In fact, I eventually discovered by jumping up, and then turning, I had more success.
Insanity is a Point of View
Even with that trick, though, the platforming sections are mediocre at best. The timing demanded of you simply does not correlate to the control you’re given. I rarely failed because of this, but it never felt fun or interesting. The puzzles are where the game shined brightest, even if one color-based puzzle made this color-blind reviewer a very sad boy.
The Inner Friend has a bold, artistic visual style, but it dragged me down in almost every other way. It was as if the game didn’t want me playing it. I have long been a proponent that a great story can get me through bad gameplay. But when it’s the same sort of sad, somber, metaphorical narrative that the genre has become known for, it’s harder to convince yourself to power through it.
To hear me talk more about The Inner Friend, be sure to check out Episode 293 of The Gaming Outsider Podcast.
This review is based on a PlayStation 4 copy of The Inner Friend provided by Homerun PR for coverage purposes. It is also available on Xbox One and Microsoft Windows.
The Inner Friend
$14.99
Pros
- Bold Visual Style
- Nice to See This Kind of Game in 3D
Cons
- Sluggish Controls
- Cliche Story
- Frustrating Stealth and Platforming
