During PAX East I had the opportunity to play a demo of the horror FPS game Inner Chains. This game takes place on Earth in a future where nature and technology have merged to form a symbiotic relationship to the point where it can be difficult to tell the difference between the two. Humans on the other hand seem to have regressed to an almost medieval state. They make use of the of the technology around them but don’t really understand it. Because Inner Chains a horror FPS all of this is done in a very creepy and nerve-wracking way, and is incredibly interesting.
No Mo Bullets
One of the most intriguing aspects of Inner Chains is I was extremely limited on how much ammo I had. Even when I acquired a new weapon I only had at most 10 rounds and because of the way these weapons are merged with your arm they also are a drain on your health to use them. What this meant was I had to move much slower than I otherwise would and really assess each area for the best way to handle things. Most areas had a variety of options for getting around and handling the enemies, but some options are better than others and depend on how you execute them.
For example, there was one room which was packed with zombiesque monsters and I was low on health and fuel for my flame thrower. On the farside of this room was a refuel/health station which I was in dire need of. As I looked around the room I noticed there was a green plant which when shot would release a cloud of poison and then I could light that on fire. Timing was important though because not getting all the enemies in the fire cloud would be detrimental and I also didn’t want to accidentally light myself on fire.
No Safe Havens
As I mentioned before the weapons used during the gamer are melded into the arm of the player character; which aside from being creepy is also why I couldn’t just find extra clips of ammo laying around to carry with me. Each weapon type has a specific refill station, which by the way also is nightmare fuel. These refill station are plant/tech hybrids you must stick your arm into and they attach themselves to you. The first time I saw one I was fairly sure it was going to rip my arm off when it grabbed on. What I’m saying here is there’s no safe space or area where I could really relax, even the things which were helping me were unnerving.
Inner Chains does have a story to tell but it isn’t blatantly put out. There’s no NPC who happily tells you the history of everything or why you’re there. The player is pretty much left to figure out the story and how everything works on their own which in its own way reinforces the horror setting. There are short cutscene which will point out certain things or gently nudge you in the direction you need to go but that’s the most hand holding you’ll find in this game.
Details, Details, Details
Another impressive aspect of Inner Chains is the incredible amount of detail which they’ve put into everything. Every area I went to looked like it could be a place that actually existed and there seemed to be layers of dust, dirt, and blood all over. I died to the boss in the demo because I was too busy looking at the incredible detail of his accoutrement and the way he moved. Even his movement felt real and natural. Everywhere I look was a treat to my eyes… a creepy and scary treat, but definitely also beautiful.
Sadly, there’s no release date For Inner Chains yet but it is being developed for the PC and has controller support. This is a game I’ll be keeping a close eye on.
