Love, Loss, and Silver Linings | INMOST
“Do you remember it? That tale about pain? I was wrong, it’s a tale about love.”
There’s something about sad stories that is so compelling to witness. Maybe it’s because pain is something so tangible, or because there is beauty in realising that feeling such an intense emotion means you had to care deeply in the first place. INMOST is one of those games that plays with the possibility of both. Following the somewhat ambiguous stories of three characters, an old man, a young girl, and a knight, you venture into dark and melancholy worlds that come with their own shadows haunting your every step. As the truth unveils, and a little light is shone upon the threads that tie these three together, the game reveals itself for the true masterpiece that it is. But don’t expect to understand what on earth is going on until the very last few minutes of the game. If you think you know, trust me, you don’t.
Screenshot by Samuz via steamcommunity.com
Being a 2D pixel art platformer, you may wonder how so simple a game style can dredge up such complex feelings. To that I would answer that some of the best stories I’ve ever encountered - and still think about to this day - are pixel rpgmaker games, as simple as it gets. Creating wondrous experiences comes down to the overall atmosphere. When done well, they have the ability to manufacture a compelling story that resonates from the world itself, not only the words that are spoken. Inmost has no shortage of such an atmosphere. There is not another game out there that has made me feel so simultaneously complete and broken with such a limited number of pixels, spoken words, and colours. The music is as epic a score as a Hollywood blockbuster with a million dollar budget which brilliantly matches with the monochromatic beauty of the pixel art world. The way these components sweep through the story is akin to an orchestra, individually respectful in their own rights, but as a total, reaches another degree of breathtaking artistry. Bundle it all into a 3-4 hour game, et voila, an experience you’ll never forget.
In terms of the gameplay it has a little bit of everything. A bit of combat, some platforming, a few puzzles to solve. Each of the three storylines have different mechanics, just to keep you on your toes, but by no means is it a difficult game. As someone who is average in skill, I can seriously appreciate that. You might need a few brain cells here and there, but for the most part, it is meant to be experienced without challenge, though it never felt like it was missing anything.
Screenshot by CoolaTheMagicOtter via steamcommunity.com
Spoiler Warning
Yet again, I must warn you about the spoilers coming your way. Skip past the ☀️ to avoid them. Though the best way to avoid spoilers is to check out INMOST yourself. I highly recommend this option.
We follow the stories of three very different characters, a man, a knight, and a little girl. We watch them traverse through horrifying landscapes, one as a survivor, one as the predator, one as a victim of horrors that lurk in her parents’ shadows. How these characters perceive their worlds seems reflective of how they deal with tragedy, how they manifest pain and grief around them. As revealed at the end of the story, the man is the grandfather, exploring a world full of monsters, vulnerable and unable to fight back, and so avoidant of those that would harm him. The knight is his son, already so intertwined with suffering from the loss of his daughter that it has become a part of him. He fights his way through his world, feeding the Keeper of his grief with the pain that is so readily available to him. And then the little girl, the stolen soul flower, too young to be surrounded by so much despair. Her world is hauntingly close to reality, and perhaps that is the real horror. But she brings light into the darkest of places, as a true soul flower would.
☀️
Screenshot by svenevil via steamcommunity.com
Pain and tragedy come hand in hand as the main concepts of this story, and they are most certainly not topics to be taken lightly. It is difficult to craft something so beautiful and melancholy without romanticising it or making it unbearable to experience, but I believe there is such balance in INMOST that allows both the anguish and the peace to be appreciated equally. The worlds of the man, the knight and the little girl are heavily allegorical to represent their unimaginable circumstances, and as such allows room for imagination in the player’s mind. As much as we attempt to scrape off the layer of fantasy and reveal the truth underneath, some parallels with the real world originate from within our own perception, even our own experiences. I find that to be the hidden wonder of stories such as these. What you receive from them is your own. What I see may be different from what you see, different even from how the developers intended it. Perhaps the only thing that was intended was the ambiguity. Loose enough to wrap around our own theories, but clear enough for the feeling to be real.
INMOST finds its place among the many games that tear your heart to shreds only to stitch it back together, but it is unique in the way it does so that it solidifies itself as one of the most well-crafted. Whether we collect the pain of our loved ones to burden, or feed it to the monster of our grief, or manifest our own without understanding where it comes from, there is something about this game that speaks to the depths of us. You cannot feel pain without first feeling love. None of that takes away from how awful the pain can be, but maybe reaching through the darkness there is a handhold to grasp onto.
Developed by the small team at Hidden Layer Games and published by the well established Chucklefish Games with many fantastic pixel games under their belt, INMOST is a wrenching story plucked straight from the hearts of its creators. This is a game of silver linings and breaks through the clouds. Play it on steam here.
