Bendy and the Dark Revival has you diving back into the inky depths of Joey Drew Studios' sepia toned nightmare. Much of the original draw from B&TIM is found in B&TDR, and I would say a fair amount has also been improved. However, TDR is not a wholesale improvement in all dimensions, and while I certainly appreciate the effort put into expanding on the original experience, certain design and story elements stood out to me as less polished than I would like. The game is, again, a Horror themed adventure/puzzle game rather than what I would strictly define as a 'pure' horror game experience.
Where B&TIM started off rather abruptly, B&TDR takes a somewhat more sedate opening sequence. In TIM you play as Henry Stein, Joey sent you a letter, and you have arrived at the studio. In TDR you play a Audrey, a young animator working late at 'Arch Gate Studios', which has in the years since the fall of Joey Drew, acquired the rights to Bendy and the rest of the Cartoon Cast. One immediate difference you'll see that TDR starts in the 'Real' world, full of colour, unlike the Sepia world that TIM starts with. Immediately you can see a marked improvement in lighting and modelling, at least as far as I can tell.
After a few moments walking through the dark hallways of the studio, Audrey stumbles across Wilson, the crooked, creaking, and cadaverous janitor at the Studio. To be frank, Wilson is a weak link in the game's story, in my opinion. This unfortunate circumstance is magnified to a full blown tragedy when you take into account that he is a central plot figure. Sporting a grim, lanky frame and a gaunt face, complete with one blind eye, Wilson appears to be cartoonishly villainous. This is compounded by Wilson's voice, which while interestingly malevolent, is also impossibly creepy. At first, I thought this choice was ironic. Surely any character this absurdly untrustworthy will be, in fact, kind hearted and helpful. After a few awkward moments, and a reenactment of the first game's chapter, gathering the idols for the Ink Machine, this hypothesis was proven terribly false, as Wilson reveals himself to be insane, activating the Ink Machine before 'drowning' both Audrey and Himself in a deluge of ink.
From this point on the game truly begins, with 5 chapters, exploring the dilapidated studio once again. Each chapter flows into the next, and you can retrace your steps all the way back to the first broken pipe. However, being trapped in this dripping nightmare, is not the only issue for Audrey. Confused and mutated by the ink, Audrey also notes that numerous posters espouse Wilson as the slayer of the 'Ink Demon', the terrible entity from the previous game.
Despite the posters stating the safety of Wilson's leadership, the dilapidated state of the studio remain present, as do the dangerous inky beings that inhabit it. Off the bat, the world is improved in it's visual quality. B&TIM saw a noted increase in complexity and quality as the project progressed, each episode building on the last, as they were released. In the case of B&TDR, the entire game is one cohesive experience, with the visual style of the first game with more detail.
The initial focus is exploration and stealth. The main enemies you face are the 'Lost Ones'. While nice to see them expanded upon, I also feel that they are too prevalent. They make up the vast majority of enemies, punctuated only by the Butcher Gang, who appear semi randomly and serve more as quick burst of tension or as a jump scare. The 'Seekers' make no real appearance, or at least none I recall. Seeing old enemies return is fine, and the new 'Keepers' are decently horrific, unable to be destroyed, only slowed. Still I would have liked to see a broader cast of menace
As it is, the game has around 2.5 bosses, the infrequent butcher brothers jump scares/ambushes, and lots and lots of Lost Ones. To be honest, I liked TIM for its multiplicity of villains. Butcher Gang, Lost Ones, Seekers, Sammy Lawrence, Alice Angel, the Projectionist, Burton, and, of course, Bendy. Round every corner and in every chapter there was a new threat. The world felt expansive and threatening, and it built on the idea of the ink world's corruption. These were strong foundations for the game's mystery and horror. Sadly, TDR feels somewhat bland in comparison. Even Bendy, rather than a relentless stalking predator, has had something of a downgrade.
Rather than actually being a separate being to evade, like in the first game, he simply 'catches' and kills you if you do not find a place to hide in time. This transforms the game of cat and demonic mouse, into an unprompted session of musical chairs. Overall, this feels lesser to TIM, even given the greater number of encounters overall.
As you progress you'll acquire more tools to combat the Lost Ones and traverse the world. In my review of B&TIM I suggested that the game had a strangely similar vibe to Bioshock 1. That comparison has only become more true as you bludgeon foes with your metal Pipe, grab healing snacks from trashcans and vending machines, and listen to yet more audio logs scattered through the dripping halls. However, Bioshock 1 is not the only influence on display. The new 'Flow' mechanic, allowing you to quickly surge as a puddle of ink from one location to the next is highly redolent of Dishonored. What's more the games initial focus on stealth, and the curious glowing sigil on one hand, also feel like they are inspired in that same vein. Still if one were to pick titles to emulate, Bioshock and Dishonored are two very good choices.
(Here There Be Spoilers)
Now that I've added a warning label, I can speak about the game's plot. I already mentioned Wilson, the comically evil looking Janitor, who turns out to be comically evil. One of the threads the game plays with is the idea that Wilson is a manipulator, the Lost Ones buying into his tale of heroism and the defeat of Ink Demon. Audrey too seems tentatively drawn for Wilson, at least as a means of escape. However, this feels off. At no point does Wilson stop his creepy persona to convince us of the idea that he's really good. The game initially has you seek Wilson out, though this instruction is given by Wilson himself. Yet, at no point did I hear Audrey contest the Wilsons character prior to actually meeting him again, despite how this whole affair started.
At first, you may think Wilson just wants power, but then you realise this is decades of childhood issues revealed at the end. It's not that these beats couldn't be good, but the sequence of events seems poorly thought out. Why make him so blatantly malicious before we even enter the ink realm? If Wilson has prolonged issues with his childhood, why could we not uncover aspects of this before the finale.
Audrey also seems to be linked to the Ink Demon, who is more intelligent, and able to speak. Offering up scraps of information while baiting you further and further into the world. This is compelling, but suffers from some of the same awkward story beats as the game veers this way and that. Audrey herself is revealed to have a special relation to Joey Drew and Ink World, but this seems to come packaged with a rather generic message about heart and the power love. Mixed with everything else it felt a bit tacked on to me. I wouldn't call the theme shallow, but it certainly isn't an ocean. It is perhaps, an above ground pool.
(Conclusion)
If you enjoyed B&TIM you'll probably find something to enjoy with B&TDR. My suggestion is to not take it as more than it is, a fun and competent horror puzzle game, that can be played through fairly quickly. An improvement in game feel from the first title, but with some clumsy elements of story and concept. Overall a better game that my long critic probably implies, but not perfect either. If you want a light horror style title, or you liked the first game, there is probably something you'll enjoy in B&TDR.
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