Justin Parker - JUDDEE
2 May 2023
Inout
Inout is a first-person spooky horror by Developer and publisher Gample that released in early access on the 14th of April 2023. The game throws you into a dark and creepy wooded area of Madyland with a rather large mansion and ominous sounds. You can choose one of four brave people to take on the mission of investigating what happened in Madyland. At every turn, you anticipate a Slenderman-like figure to appear, but the being that haunts these halls is far more sinister. The locals say he was raised by a young mother and was gravely ill, but nobody has ever returned from the place of horrors.
So with that, the NetizeNZ crew teamed up with the online co-op as three torch-wielding exorcists on the hardest difficulty to find a way into this creepy house. Why you may ask? I don't know! I was rather happy when I was in the safety of the car but I couldn't leave my friends to do all the work. At this point, all I wanted was a weapon and with that, you'll get a taser. Sadly that's all you will get to defend yourself. This taser uses batteries faster than an old iPhone but luckily you will find spares lying around, try remembering these battery locations as this will help you further on.
Finally getting inside the manor I soon realize that this game is definitely not one to be rushed with all the different types of traps lying around. From sound based traps that let off a slight ding which sounds just like mum finished baking a cake and the timer is up which gets triggered by you running past them to bear traps on the floor. But don't stand there waiting for a delicious cake as HE will be coming!
In Inout, each pursuer is equally terrifying. When you hear the big man himself running from one end of the house to smack the life out of you. But fear not if playing with friends you will be able to guide them to a med kit with an x-ray type of vision. Once on your two legs again you'll have to search for a toy rabbit to gain the trust of a two-faced doll. Little does the doll know it will be burnt as a sacrifice with fuel that you find laying around. The altar outside the lavish mansion is the place where this sacrifice will happen. For every doll burned the big man will become more and more enraged. Inout lacks a tutorial but does have a how-to-play in the pause menu that makes total sense once you find things around the map.
The sounds of Inout create a terrifying atmosphere. Sounds such as dogs barking and howling, and other background animals create an enticing feeling deep down.The loudness of the killer's footsteps and his loud grunt as he chases you through each room not giving up really makes you sit on the edge of your seat while you try not to wet yourself. If it's not the big man then the creepy two-faced doll's little footsteps and evil giggle will really freak you out. The only thing I noticed that slightly set me off with the sounds of Inout is that when you run you can hear your footsteps and when you come to a stop they continue for a split second which activated my inner OCD to an almost perfect sound-wise game
The controls play really well and are easy to use. The opening of doors happens with no problems whilst running away from a vicious killer. Object interactivity is Smooth and easy with the picking up and dropping of objects. At one point I did become stuck in a doorway as I was killed and slammed into the door arch, having to leave the game as being revived and killed again still didn't help.
From a visual perspective, inout has graphics that are clean, smooth, and almost realistic. The reflection of your torch off objects and glass seems real. Without your torch it's almost impossible to see. In future updates I’d like to see a bit more moonlight coming through windows even though your torch doesn't require batteries, so turning it off isn't really needed.
We did find shutting doors on the big man really slows him down giving you time to get away and switching off your torch at the perfect time also helped us survive the house of horrors.
All in all, Inout is a thrilling horror game that will keep you on the edge of your seat. The gameplay mechanics are well-designed, and the controls are easy to use. The graphics and sound design add to the immersive experience. Although there are some minor glitches, the overall gameplay experience is excellent. If you're a fan of horror games, then Inout is definitely worth checking out. I highly recommend this game and look forward to seeing what updates and improvements the developers will bring in the future
8
10
The Bad
- Perfect mix of sounds
- Online co-op
- Plenty of jump scares
- Not much of a storyline
- Choice of weaponry