Welcome to our review of In Sound Mind, a special horror game that makes the narrative more important and focuses mostly on exploration.
In Sound Mind is an imaginative first-person psychological horror with frenetic puzzles, unique boss fights, and original music by The Living Tombstone. Journey within the inner workings of the one place you can’t seem to escape—your own mind.
As you awake in the corridors of an inexplicable building, you find the environment takes on a life of its own and leads you to discover a series of victims, all exposed to the same experimental chemical. In your search for answers, bizarre visions emerge and introduce a host of imposing horrors…and a cat named Tonia.
From the creators of the cult classic Nightmare House 2 comes In Sound Mind, a witty first-person psychological horror with frenetic puzzles and unique boss fights. Traverse a series of unsettling memories as you journey within the inner workings of the one place you can’t seem to escape—your own mind.
A new survival horror experience from the creators of the legendary Nightmare House 2. We Create Stuff, the team behind one of the highest-rated mods of all time returns with an unexpected spin on the horror genre.
Experience a series of haunting memories. Journey through a progression of unsettling stories, each with unique puzzles, mechanics, weapons, and boss fights.
Overcome a cast of terrors. Confront those who stalk you in a series of daunting boss fights and learn how to defeat them by solving mind-bending puzzles. An eerie soundtrack by The Living Tombstone. The internet icon lends his distinct sound to this next-generation psychological thriller, with a distinctive song for each story. Unexpect the expected. Explore an imaginative and disorienting narrative, featuring sentient mannequins, a feline companion, and much more. And yes, you can pet the cat.
In Sound Mind is not a game I would have bought, but after having played it, I can only recommend it if you are in the market for something very unusual. From going around, solving weird and often witty puzzles, to all-out guns blazing to get rid of those demons. Find tapes in the house and find the clues in the audio contained in them.
For example that supermarket you are to explore. There is a watcher that you need to defeat by showing it the mirrors in the supermarket. Now while that sounds easy, every supermarket section, whether that is the toy section, the food aisle, or the electronics, each section has its own intricate missions and puzzles to solve. From figuring out that you need to find postcards in the store to scan them and then with the coins you get as a reward, you play a UFO style game to unlock a key.
While it all sounds complicated when I hear it out loud, it will not be complicated when you are playing. Despite its complicated nature at times, you always have a clue available in the inventory screen, which was possibly the best decision in gaming history ever. I love guidance in a game, but this is just such an example of how it should be done.
In Sound Mind is a very niche game, but in itself, that should not really prevent you from giving it a try. I admit to being very surprised by my own words, but the game is just fun to play! A ton of things to do, never a dull moment, and my personal favorite, a rather low horror level for a horror game, it is more a psychological thriller of sorts. It is more fun than I anticipated and I have to say it again, would not buy it beforehand but can not recommend it enough now!
In conclusion, In Sound Mind might be my surprise at the end of the year personally. I play a ton of games and this is just one that will stick with me for a very long time.
