June 28th, 2016 
Mark Playdead started developing Inside after the release of Limbo, its critically acclaimed platformer. The game has been in development for six years, but will finally be released on June 29.
Ahead of its launch, reviews have started to appear online. We’ve gathered a selection of these to give you an overview of its critical reception. Is it a worthy successor to Limbo or should you give this a miss? Take a look below and find out.
For a wider view on the game’s critical reception, head to GameSpot sister site Metacritic.
GameSpot — 8/10
“This is a beautiful, haunting, and memorable game, a worthy follow-up to Limbo. Its puzzles, although rarely difficult, are engaging complements to the story. The real achievement of this game, though, is the way that it crafts its narrative: detailed environments convey the bizarre world that you travel through; introspective moments are filled with minimalist sound design and just the barest touches of music; and the things you must do to complete your journey force you to confront the realities of humanity, freedom, and existence.” — Alex Newhouse [Full review]
Polygon — 9.5/10
“By every conceivable metric, Inside improves on the groundwork laid by Limbo. It deftly balances its elements. It could so easily have been too dark, too funny, too preachy–but it always stops just shy of going too far in any of those directions. At a glance, you could be forgiven for thinking that it hews a little too close to its predecessor. But Inside achieves something that Limbo didn’t: It actually lives up to its opening moments, delivering astounding setpieces and an unforgettable final sequence. Those jaw-dropping last moments are a fitting endcap to this superbly crafted, beautiful game.” — Nick Robinson [Full review]
Destructoid — 9.5/10
“The parallel to Limbo feels necessary when talking to people who haven’t yet played Inside; after finishing it, it feels wholly unnecessary. Inside stands on its own merits as a superbly captivating and moving experience, one that’s bound to be on your mind in the time you spend away from it. Someone once told me that the games you can’t stop thinking about when you’re not playing them are the truly great ones. I’m inclined to agree. Inside fits that mold even though we’ve seen others of its ilk before.” — Brett Makedonski [Full review]
IGN — 10/10
“Inside very clearly builds upon what made Limbo great, and in fact builds something greater. Its unimaginable twist may leave you dumbfounded, confused, and quite possibly speechless, but it will fuel heated discussion with your friends about its meaning, its message, and its intentions. It’s a short ride, but one I felt compelled to take again–including a search for its mysterious hidden orb collectibles. Play it soon before anyone spoils a single big moment for you.” — Ryan Mccafrey [Full review]
Eurogamer — Recommended
“Like Limbo, there is plenty of comedy here in amongst the darkness, and because the darkness is all that more grim this time, the laughs are just a bit sharper too. As with the cleverest of Inside’s tricks, the narrative itself is best discovered through the act of playing, but it’s worth saying that Playdead’s latest certainly feels peculiarly topical as it ceaselessly orbits persecution, violence, and all the other dehumanising, self-defeating monsters of fear. It toys with the meaning of that word, inside, until there’s nothing left to it that doesn’t feel strange and unsettling.” — Christian Donlan [Full review]
GamesRadar+ — 4.5/5
“Inside feels like an excellent entry in its genre that would rather zero in on its artistic intent instead of devising some revolutionary new form of gameplay. It won’t make you rethink the whole of puzzle platforming like Limbo, Braid, and Fez did before it, but it will absolutely leave a lasting impression–the same kind that makes us remember the likes of Another World or the Oddworld series all these years later. Whether or not it achieves the same touchstone status as Limbo, Inside is a spellbinding, haunting experience–one I don’t intend to relive any time soon, but absolutely recommend.” — Lucas Sullivan [Full review]
Time — 5/5
“What makes Inside interesting isn’t its dim woodlands, creepy factories, moody bunkers or underwater mysteries, but the craftsmanship of its puzzles and platforming challenges. This now feels like where Limbo was headed all along. I’m just grateful Playdead has been afforded the chance to bring us there.” — Matt Peckham [Full review]
GiantBomb — 5/5
“Looking at and playing Inside gives the feeling that every surface, every animation, every light and pixel were placed and replaced until they all fit together just right. You see where the six years went. I can’t even picture what kind of game Playdead could make another six years from now.” — Brad Shoemaker [Full review]
USGamer — 5/5
“At this point, I feel like I’m laying on the superlatives extra thick, but I think Inside deserves it. It just gets so many things right. It’s a brilliant platformer that tells a story that’s phenomenally compelling. It looks and sounds fabulous too, and it has an atmosphere that you could cut with a knife. The last game that I played that made me feel this way about it was Journey–and that was one of my highlights of the last generation. For me, Inside represents one of the highlights of the current generation so far – and I can’t think of much higher praise than that.” — Jaz Rignall [Full review]
IB Times — 4.5/5
“Inside is a worthy successor to Limbo, that improves upon it in many ways. It’s visually richer, less obtrusive with its puzzling elements and tells its evocative, grim fairy tale with a greater panache. Playdead has proven that its debut game was by no means a fluke, establishing itself as a unique developer brave enough to go places other developers would never dare. We can only hope there won’t be another six-year wait before whatever it is they’re working on next.” — Ben Skipper[Full review]
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