Games featuring weird characters seemingly created for the umpteenth redundant creepypasta don’t have any right to be as good as Bendy and the Dark Revival proves to be. The follow-up to the unexpected hit Bendy and the Ink Machine, which gained traction online thanks to the countless streamers who have pushed other names such as Slenderman and Amnesia to fame, Bendy truly deserves the recognition.

Despite bordering on copyright infringement with characters who resemble everything Disney and other animation studios, from Mickey Mouse to Goofy and even Betty Boop, this is nonetheless an incredibly detailed and clever creation, with lore aplenty and a style that puts many triple-A productions to shame. This is a quality horror game, no matter which way you look at it.

Creepy Ink

Let’s ignore for a second that most of the discussions over Bendy on the Internet seem to originate from pre-teens and their fascination for the titular character, but also for the supporting cast, including Alice, Boris, and Sammy, among others. The truth is that this time, the hype is understandable and sustained by an actual game, one that is hiding some very engaging world building for any adult who is a fan of horror, with visuals that may deceivingly pass as being aimed at children.

Bendy and the Dark Revival starts in an animation studio, as Audrey suddenly realized that she is locked inside and there’s a storm brewing. This is the setup for a tale that is best kept unspoiled, with a few twists and a slow-walking, creepy janitor asking for strange favors in dark rooms. The game mixes stealth and puzzle solving in often clever ways, and without being groundbreaking, it offers enough variety and excitement to keep us guessing and absorbed, looking forward to push the story forward.

It helps that the designers brought some fantastic attention to detail into the game, with first-person animations that are among the best I’ve ever witnessed. There’s such care in actions such as picking up an item or using it somewhere, with complete respect for size, fingers, the way the hand grips the object or opens the door… this level of attention is seldom seen, immersion gains so much from these seemingly futile animations, but they contribute to a world that is both fantastical and wonderful to see and interact with. It feels like Audrey truly is an extension of the player, not just a robot with some rushed animations that miss the interaction point by miles; quite on the contrary, it’s worthy of praise.

The way the game paces your progress and introduces you to this haunting and antique vision of an animation studio is remarkable, regularly revealing a new face or two, before unleashing the demons and getting on with the stealth and action parts. You’ll often have to crawl and move silently as to not alert the enemies, hiding under desks, inside lockers and barrels, and fortunately the game makes these actions extremely fast and easy, not a slog like in other stealth games. A resourceful hunter will slowly approach an enemy from behind and use the banish ability, saving themselves from combat and a potential health hit.

However, the Ink Demon that will eventually “chase” you is far from being the wisest design choice. Instead of being a creature with an actual physical body walking around the stages, it is nothing but a glorified warning for you to rush and hide, otherwise you’ll face a jumpscare and die, only to respawn in a nearby ink well. Not the greatest mechanic and it even feels cheap compared to the rest of the game.

Speaking of combat, a pipe will be your best friend for most of the game, with some upgrades along the way. Not only it breaks padlocks preventing you from opening some doors, but it also gives those ink creatures a good beating. But combat isn’t flawless and may be one of the most lackluster aspects of the game; there isn’t enough variety as you spam click the attack button to use the pipe, and the absence of a parry option is something that is hard to comprehend, ditching a much-needed tactical aspect that would make it a little more interesting.

The other thing that may befuddle players without properly being a downside, is that sometimes it’s difficult to realize where we should head to. As incredible as the art style may be, there’s some heavy asset reuse and many parts of the maps look similar, fostering some clueless wandering about. When vents are added into the mix, you’ll shake your fist in anger as you crawl for the third time to the dead-end where you’ve been just a few minutes ago.

Not Ink-redible, But Close Enough

For all its flaws, Bendy and the Dark Revival is a terrific horror adventure with one of the finest art styles that you’ll see in many, many years. At times, it feels like a cartoonish BioShock set in a twisted Disney world, with enough lore to keep you intrigued and many loose ends to entertain your mind, both for kids and adults alike.

Pros

• Fantastic and original art style
• Incredible attention to character detail and first-person immersion
• Lore is interesting and far from being childish-oriented
• Atmospheric and engaging with some scares to go

Cons

• Combat is extremely basic and dull
• Ink Demon stealth is nothing but a glorified timer

Rating: 8/10