InnerSpace Critic Reviews

InnerSpace just might be the de-stressor you need after a long holiday season. Polyknights and Aspyr have put out a game that revels in its peace. Boss fights aren’t “fights”, they’re boss puzzles. You just need to figure out how to approach every situation, but you never need to fear failure. It’s a journey, a world of self-discovery from beginning to end. It’s a beautiful game, a sad game, and a hopeful exploration. Highly recommended.

The organic nature really affected every part of my adventure playing InnerSpace. Everything from the backstory to the overarching gameplay goals had to be discovered and sought out by myself. There were many times where I was at the point of feeling completely lost, only to find that just around the corner contained the clue to unlock my next destination. While the controls could use a bit more polish, InnerSpace really came to be a beautiful experience that I grew to love. Nothing was handed to me, but I felt like I was actually charting the land and helping understand what had happened in this mystical world that was presented before me. If an ambient and memorizing adventure is what you’re in the mood for, don’t be afraid to explore the depths of InnerSpace.

InnerSpace can’t quite reach the heights of a RiME or Journey, but it’s a meatier and more compelling game than ABZU or Oure. There’s something genuinely chilled-out about its alien vistas and lazy exploration. It’s no thrill ride, but a thoughtful, mysterious adventure with moments of real wonder. If you’re in the mood for something different, give it a go.

Once I overcame my disorientation, figured out my tasks and conquered the middle of the Inverse, the last few sections were considerably more straightforward and delivered feelings of being awestruck similar to those I experienced at its beginning. InnerSpace suffers from some minor issues, but remains a game full of original ideas that’s worth getting lost in.

InnerSpace is beautiful, relaxing and has a great art direction, but gameplay-wise it falls short.

If the fact that it is just an exploration and puzzle-solving game does not pull you out, there is a moment when it can happen to be dull. Its design and music will seduce you.

InnerSpace is a really intriguing title that we wish we didn’t want to ever put down; the game’s worlds give such a strong sense of amazement that you will want to spend every second flying through them. Unfortunately, you’ll likely be left too frustrated by the sometimes near-impossible-to-find story progression tasks to keep going. We really want to love this game, and we very nearly did, but we just can’t quite manage it.

There is a lot to like about InnerSpace, especially for fans of flight simulators. As already stated, the game looks and sounds great. There are numerous areas to explore, several vehicles to unlock, and a handful of really dynamic boss encounters. The real shame is that is not enough to really make InnerSpace fun to play. At best it feels like a chore and at worst you’ll want to snap your Switch in half. If you can grasp the flight controls and are looking for a nonlinear story games then InnerSpace is available now on the Nintendo Switch.

Despite moments of brilliance and an overall lovely aesthetic, there are mechanics which seem to be at odds with each other and thus the game seems conflicted. One moment you’re slowly following an enormous, glowing beast through an oceanic tunnel, and the next you’re chaining drifts together to zip through tight caverns while breaking through cracked glass panes.

Though the idea of flying inside a spherical globe is cool, I’ve come to appreciate just how valuable a horizon is for collecting my navigational bearings (maps can sometimes be very confusing to look at). The lack of clear and defined objectives combined with a novel, yet disorienting, sense of place does make the adventure a little more confusing than it needs to be at times. When the flight controls, camera issues, and framerate drops become a problem (and they will), they are loudly disruptive to the meditative experience InnerSpace tries to cultivate.

If you’re after game that’s unlike any others on the Switch and you’re after a flight game or just want to soak in the trippy visuals, then InnerSpace has enough of both to enjoy. If you’re after a more traditional game, then it becomes harder to recommend as all the ‘gamey’ elements are the most frustrating parts.

It doesn't fulfill all its promises, however, as the lack of guidance can make the experience more frustrating and there is not enough variety regarding the puzzles to keep the players entertained for a long period of time.

InnerSpace definitely sticks the landing in creating a strange and stylish set of captivating worlds that are intriguing to explore. However, the flight controls and puzzles don’t come close enough to those same high points.

InnerSpace is definitely a game that earns plenty of kudos for the sheer effort and creativity put into it. The art direction is truly gorgeous and the spherical worlds present both visual and gameplay concepts unlike anything else out there. When you take the gameplay into account, however, this unique experience is marred by a sense of disorientation. Ultimately, InnerSpace could have benefited from more gameplay diversity than the constant relic hunting as well as some sort of mapping or guidance system to make navigating its unnatural worlds easier to acclimate to. So, while the game presents a creative concept that will undoubtedly appeal to many gamers, that same ingenuity comes at a cost to the core gameplay.

InnerSpace manages to craft a bright, bizarre and beautiful world that is probably the best example of the phrase “eye candy” I can think of. Unfortunately, the act of exploring and navigating that serene, majestic world often times felt like a headache. The poor frame rate on Switch and no clear horizons made flying and swimming in InnerSpace far less enjoyable than the idea of those actions ever was.

InnerSpace falls more than a bit short of the heights it aspires to. The levels feel hard to navigate and they aren't helped by the laggy controls and constant motion of the Cartographer. It feels poorly optimised for Nintendo Switch, with frequent camera stutters and choppy frame-rates. It's overall a very unsatisfying experience, which is made all the more frustrating by the sheer potential InnerSpace has. The beautiful environments and quietly haunting atmosphere are still enchanting, but everything else just feels empty.

Innerspace is a game full of style, but little substance. Its stubborn refusal to give direction throughout the experience can lead to extended periods of frustration, making this a game hard to recommend.