g1a5w3g1an
- Mar 2

The Beast Inside | Xbox Series S Review

Being a huge horror fan, it's always good when a new game comes along that intrigues you enough to want to play it just from watching the trailer. And that is exactly how I felt about The Beast Inside. Released back in 2019 for Windows PC, and now newly released on both Xbox and PlayStation, with previous as well as next-gen versions available. It is developed and published by Illusion Ray, and for the purpose of this review I was playing on the Xbox Series S, with a review key that was very kindly supplied to us by the developer/publisher.

The Beast Inside is played out over two timelines which are centuries apart. Initially, you start the game in 1979 as Adam, who, with his wife Emma, plan their new life out in the country at Blackstone House. Not long after they arrive at Blackstone, though, Adam comes across a mysterious diary while searching through the attic, which belonged to a man named Nicolas. He discovers from the diary that Nicolas was the son of the first owner of the house and that the diary was written in 1864. From now on and as you progress through the game, different chapters will be played through the eyes of either of these two main characters, Adam and Nicolas, and in their respective timelines. You will gradually uncover more of the story, and find out what links both of them together, and discover the horrific and dark history of the house. There will be puzzles along the way, some are tough, but hey, nothing is ever easy.

As you would expect with this type of game, there is a fair amount of walking around that you will be required to do. The game features a lot of places that you will need to visit over the course of your playthrough. Along the way, there are a whole host of items for you to pick up and/or examine. You can rotate objects you pick up, and read any documents or view images this same way. As I mentioned earlier, there are puzzles that you will have to solve. Some of these are a bit on the tough side, and will require some patience. Adam is a CIA Cryptanalyst in the game, so yeah, expect a few brain-melting moments. For the most part, though, I found the puzzles to have just the right amount of balance and not off-putting in any way. There is also a device in the game called a Quantum Localiser, and you can scan areas with this, but I won't go into too much detail about that so as to avoid any spoilers.

Graphically, the optimised version of The Beast Inside really does look absolutely stunning. The developer's used photogrammetry technology, which uses scanned 3D objects to create the gaming environment. I really cannot highlight enough just how good the game actually looked. The voice acting and soundtrack are also top-shelf here, and for fans of the horror genre, the amount of jump scares on offer will not disappoint. Personally, it does take a lot to make me jump, whether in a film or in a game, but The Beast Inside did have me jumping out of my seat on more than one occasion, which was surprising (for me), but in a good way.

You play in first-person mode throughout The Beast Inside, and will spend most of the time searching for clues and items, scanning areas, and generally walking about a lot. This is by no means a glorified walking simulator though, and at certain times, there will be QTE's to get you to safety or to avoid certain actions. There are also times, where just running away, or doing something at a certain time will be the best option. It is a mixed bag that you get in the game, features wise, and plenty to keep you interested, whether you are playing as Adam or as Nicolas. There are also multiple different endings, so there is that added bonus for replayability, maybe more suited for anyone chasing those achievements or that 100%.

To sum up, The Beast Inside, I would say more for fans of the genre, is survival-horror, and it is an indie game, which for its low price gives you a lot for your money. The game looks amazing, it plays and sounds great, and there are jump scares in abundance. I enjoyed every minute of my playthrough, and I would absolutely recommend The Beast Inside to anyone who loves a good survival-horror. There is nothing I could drop it even half a point for, so with that being said, I think you should click on the links below and buy the game.

g1a5w3g1an'a Rating: 5 out of 5.

For more information on The Beast Inside please use the following links...

Many thanks to Illusion Ray for the Review Key.

The Beast Inside | Windows PC | PlayStation | Xbox

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