【Bendy and the Ink Machine】Traverse procedurally generated stages whose structures change every time you play! What is the truth lying beyond where the Ink Demon awaits...? The action game starring Boris, Bendy: Lone Wolf, appears in a packaged version!

“Is it a slightly cute game like old cartoons?”—If it's a person seeing “Bendy: Lone Wolf” for the first time, they might hold such an impression. However, if you step one foot inside, that thought sinks to the bottom of the ink in the blink of an eye. The stage of this work is a twisted rubber hose animation-style world created by Joey Drew Studios. What the player operates is Boris, who has become a lone wolf. Dim hallways, eerie rooms, monstrous existences appearing from who knows where... If advancing while thinking “There is definitely something up ahead, right?”, there really is. It is a survival adventure full of tension where such bad feelings become reality one after another.

“If it's scary, shouldn't I just keep fleeing?”—is what you might think, but it doesn't go so easily. Inside the studio, not only enemies, but also dangerous gimmicks blocking the way lie in wait. Therefore, securing supplies through exploration and crafting weapons become important. Gathering usable things, advancing while making preparations to fight. That situation of “not knowing what will become necessary next” making exploration itself thrilling is the interesting part. Furthermore, rather than solving things simply by punching enemies, assessing attack timing or utilizing traps to intercept grotesque monsters requires judgment as well. The feeling of cutting through crises while working your brain in the dark would be the real pleasure unique to this work.

And what makes the horror of “Bendy: Lone Wolf” decisive is the Ink Demon relentlessly pursuing Boris. Relief like “It hasn't come yet, so it's okay” is strictly forbidden. The moment the throbbing in the dark announces the approach of danger, the brain that was concentrating on exploration until then switches to “Run!” all at once. Rather than an opponent to manage from directly in front, you must flee, hide your body, and sometimes outsmart the opponent. Moreover, because an absolute safe zone is not guaranteed, a restlessness as if something is always behind you continues. Feeling even quiet time to be scary—this psychological pressure generates a charm different from mere jump-scare horror.

The worry that “If I play it once, won't I remember the developments?” is also greatly reduced in this work. This is because procedural generation is adopted for environments, and situations change every time you challenge. From possessed studio rooms to animation worlds shaping nightmare itself, what lies in wait cannot be completely predicted. The compatibility of this mechanism and survival elements is truly good, and the point is that you cannot be careless thinking “Since last time was like this, this time is the same too”. Even if failing, you want to re-challenge thinking “Next time I might be able to do better”, and the more you repeat, the more the player's own judgment and positioning are polished.

Not only game systems make this work impressive. Unique animation expressions, beautifully adjusted visuals, audio stimulating anxiety, and responsive control feel become one, dragging players into an alternate world covered in ink. Although there is somehow nostalgia in appearance, things existing there are terribly ominous. This worldview where “approachability” and “creepiness” coexist is intense. And if continuing exploration, mysterious machines and secrets hidden in Joey Drew Studios also gradually show their figures. “I want to go back because it's scary. But I want to know what lies ahead”—“Bendy: Lone Wolf” makes you feel such conflicting feelings. Can you outsmart the dark and reach the truth? Or when you realize, will everything be swallowed by ink?