Bendy and the Ink Machine Review (Frond Fox)
A wonderful game with beautiful style.
I started following the game from the moment of its first release, after seeing early let's plays on YouTube. I remember the day I tried playing the project myself and really liked it, despite the raw of the first chapter. I can consider myself a part of the community to some extent, even though I never did content around the game. At the time, I was more into FNAF, and new indie horror projects were something fresh for me.
As for the game itself, throughout the development of all 5 chapters, the project transformed, improved, and in the end, we got good product, in my opinion. I postponed playing the game for a long time since I already knew the story, lore, and game mechanics. But the day finally came when I finished it 100%, and I do have something to say.
When the chapters were being released, the game felt bigger to me. Now, having played it myself, the chapters seemed small. I can't really consider this a downside, but adding up the total playtime, it’s around 5 hours of gameplay if you know where to go and what to do. For newcomers, the game might take much longer.
The story, music, and characters are all good. The entire atmosphere is well conveyed through the violin and other musical instruments, which makes the melodies really memorable. Same goes for the characters, they each have their own goals and motivations. They’re not just empty ink shells that want to kill you. I like how each chapter, dedicated to a specific character, reveals their backstory through audiotapes.
And let’s not forget the main aspect — the horror element. For me, the game wasn’t scary. There are very few jump scares, and it’s clear the developers didn’t focus too much on that, instead they tried to dive deeper into the gameplay mechanics and the story.
If you’ve never played and aren’t familiar with Bendy, you can safely buy and enjoy the game. The game isn't difficult and doesn’t make you get stuck on any level. Now, I’m off to play Bendy and the Dark Revival for the first time, see ya.