#playdead games

[cake-popss]

Been years since I’ve played INSIDE, and no matter how many times I’ve replayed it, I’ll never get tired of it.

Decided to redraw an old doodle I did of the game from 2024, might draw more of INSIDE, but yes, me and the other 2 fans of the game are still here

Recommend you play this game & another game called SOMERVILLE

[orchiddevourer]

Sharing some thoughts abt a main character from a game from 2016 *spoiler warning*

Ok so probably a lot of things have been already said about this game. Personally im very doubtful of the theory that the Huddle is controlling the boy because its debunked with the alt ending revealing that the boy seems to be controlled by a computer AKA us?

With that out of the way i just wanted to make this post to share my thoughts about the protagonist himself and his VERY contradictory nature.

Who is the boy and what is his role?

"Hunted and alone, a boy finds himself drawn into the center of a dark project." - from the game's steam page

If we go by the theory that he is part of some grand experiment to test the Huddle's capabalities then it doesnt make sense that he is hunted and chased down by the masked men. Why not just let him go do his business? Anyways with or without of the inclusion of the boy into the this dark project, judging by the diorama of the blob its "escape" from its confinement was planned. Maybe the kid just happened to be in the middle of the way by pure chance? Or he was programmed to head into the facility. OR is he a part of some sort resistance against the higher-ups?

Maybe he himself is a seperate project all together from the Huddle project. We could say that he IS programmed to head into the facility bc he always heads in one way and one way only towards the facility. But if he really is some boy looking for shelter than it also makes sense that he keeps heading in that way since from what've seen there aren't really any other hospitable places he could head to without being caught or him dying.

Either way, what's obvious is that the boy is some outsider or an anomaly if we go by the aggression of the dogs and the masked guards towards him. The dogs specifically are clearly trained to go after outsiders if they can sniff him out from the line of drones the kid had found himself in.

Now that im done speculating on his identity, i think its time to move on what exactly he is.

What is the boy?

From first glance its obvious the he is human. He reacts and acts like a person/kid would. He cant survive long falls, if he hits the ground too hard, its over. But why am i pointing this out? There's nothing unusual, right? The alternate ending, however, shows that that is not the case. Here is where his nature starts to really get contradictory in that he is it's revealed that he was a drone too all along. But something's not quite right.

From what we've been shown in the game the mind-controlled people (lets call them serfs) do not have a will of their own, they are empty shells to be used for labor. They are either artificial or normal humans turned into worker drones. Whats also known is that they are capable of survivng long falls and injuries.

Throughout the game the kid runs, swims and jumps without ever taking any brakes except for one occasion at the end of the shockwave sequence where he takes the elevator down. As he goes down, the elevator is hit with several shockwave blasts that manage to unhinge it from its railing, making it go down fast with it and the boy ending up in a deep pool of water. To escape the boy has to force open the elevator's door underwater and make it up to an opened hatch nearby. Right as he climbs up we can clearly see that the kid is exhausted, holding a hand up to his chest. If dont let him take a break and immeadiatly set on then he will move and climb in a lethargic way for a few seconds. Idk if im overthinking this scene too much or not. Its obvious that he has experinced distress and exhaustion. What im trying to point out is:

He behaves like a normal human while in action, but once you pull the plug he slumps over like a serf, shuts off like a robot. That's not normal behaviour you'd expect from a serf from what we've been shown.

Also let's not forget to mention the spheres scattered throughout the game.

Some might think that these spheres serve as a large antenae to help control the boy, but when all of them are shut off he seems to be doing... fine? Them being shut off also seems to turn off the activity of nearby mindhats and control of serfs in the surrounding area.

Once you pull the main plug twice at the end of the room, everything shuts off. There is a mindhat with all these cables connected to it in the middle back of the room. It jerks when the boy jumps, so he is clearly connected to it. This mindhat is titled "Master Mind", so it's function is either to only shut off the boy's activity OR shut off all serf activity in general.

Also the location of the final orb contradicts the idea of this being a part of a resistance since its located in such an obvious spot. If someone were to follow the yellow wire up the wire, they would easily find it. or maybe im just overthinking it yet again, the lightning isnt very good there. food for thought tho

So in conclusion, the boy seems to be some different type of remote body that is convincing enough to be considered human. Maybe the way he functions is by certain points of his brain being stimulated or blocked by something somehow to make him act like a normal human. Maybe he's a less developed or a more advanced altered human in terms of the modification thats done for one to be turned into a drone ? Him having free will is under question, but its more likely he doesnt have free will at all. Idk, but if in this game a pool of water can be moved onto the ceiling and theres people who cant drown than maybe this is also could be possible.

[imaginary-minds-hey]

Hey! we introduce ourselves to everyone! we are limbo, inside and six! we finally managed to be free from the places that held us in captivity and in constant danger! And since we spent so much time there we have learned too many things to survive! So we are going to share it with you so that you ALWAYS take care of the evils!

•| ages:

Six: 9

Limbo: 9

Inside: 13

Welcome to all imaginary minds! <33

[lightmotif139]

Why I liked INSIDE but not LIMBO

After playing INSIDE and loving it (then hating it, then loving it again), I figured I'd go back and try Playdead's earlier game LIMBO. The two games have a lot in common, and it seems like most people who like one like the other.

Turns out that's not how I was affected. I should admit that I went into LIMBO a bit detached, since INSIDE had put me on a huge emotional roller coaster and I wasn't ready for another one yet. But even if this weren't the case, I don't think LIMBO could ever have made it onto my favorites list.

That's not to say I didn't enjoy it. The art style is unique and creepily beautiful, and the puzzles were a good challenge. But the story and the themes just didn't do it for me.

Both LIMBO and INSIDE are dark stories with lots of suffering and death. But in INSIDE, the darkness has a source. The world is clearly corrupted by human pride and greed, and those with power seek to dehumanize those without. Everyone is out to get you because you're trying to hang onto your (or possibly someone else's) last shards of humanity that they want to erase. It's sad, it's painful, and it has a point. Granted, exactly what that point is is up for debate, since the game is ambiguous, but it's not hard at all to find meaning in the story if you look for it.

In LIMBO, the darkness is inherent. The world is cruel for no apparent reason, and everything is out to get you just because it can. The only clue to the source of the suffering is the game's title, which indicates you're in some afterlife of punishment, but what you're being punished for (if anything) is not part of the story. It's just an apparently innocent kid being killed over and over for the heck of it. Granted, some of the deaths were a bit comedic, but not enough to excuse them. To me, it felt cruel and nihilistic.

But it occured to me that this may be a question of worldview. I believe that the world was created good, that it's broken by evil, and that it will be renewed someday. I believe there is meaning in life, even though it feels meaningless sometimes. Pain and suffering are very real and very horrific, but they're not inherent -- they have a source. Maybe that's why I vibed with INSIDE and not with LIMBO. To a person who believes life has no inherent meaning, or that suffering has no source, LIMBO would probably feel very relevant.

Of course, this is just based on my understanding of the games and how they resonated with me. Both of them are ambiguous and up for interpretation, so someone else might see meaning (or lack thereof) in either of these games that I haven't seen.

TL;DR: INSIDE and LIMBO are both dark and full of suffering. In INSIDE the suffering has a source and feels meaningful, but in LIMBO it seems to have no source and feels meaningless.

[mrkanman]

INSIDE was a really good game you guys

[disquietedpalefish]

I forgot that I had saved this shot of the boy from INSIDE being eaten by dogs.

[bertyose]

just my favourite images of this game. honestly its so beautiful and breathtaking, the storyline and art design is just so amazing. i love abstract storys and this one can be very confusing but it just adds to the mystery and the fun of replaying it trying to figure it out. ah god this game is just so great.

[skystumbler]

Limbo is one of my favourite games. The art style in the game is stunning and I just love everything about it. Made some fanart, that spider still haunts me.