The Inner Friend

Led by a mysterious Shadow, face fears and nightmares inhabiting its materialized subconscious universe. Dive into a unique and eerie world to relive the Shadow’s childhood memories and overcome them to restore what was once a safe haven. You’ll journey ever deeper through the subconscious to unravel a rich but wordless story and encounter gruesome beings that you must evade. Ultimately, however, you will have to face them. The Inner Friend features a rich visual environment, supported by an immersive soundscape and a cinematic soundtrack enhancing immersion and emotional moments. Movement, imagery, and music are the main ways for the player to interact with the Shadow, their guide throughout the descent. Dark and scary, mysterious at times, the world of The Inner Friend is a surrealist representation of memories and fears. I had this game in my wishlist for over 2 years as I could never figure out wtf it actually was. A T-rated horror game walking sim but-not-really with light puzzle elements sounds like a tough sell but I’m glad I picked this game up and discovered what it’s all about. This game isn’t necessarily ‘horror’ in the classic sense but it definitely nails a sense of dread and sometimes that can be more difficult to nail than horror itself. I loved the SIZE of the environments in this game, even in something like the school level the hallways stretch for what seems like an infinity and all the settings are so endless that once the ending hits and everything clicks, it’s a really powerful moment.