Have you grown tired of survival horror games that just use the tried and true gameplay formulas seen in almost everything? We know many of you out there rose your hands in almost a second. Bendy and the Ink Machine created by Kindly Beast—though under the name Joey Drew Studios Inc—have tried their hands at survival horror and truly have made an experience many shouldn’t miss out on. Need to know more about Bendy and the Ink Machine? Then scroll on down to read our full review of Bendy and the Ink Machine for the PS4!

Infused with survival horror and remarkable story telling, Bendy and the Ink Machine is a first-person survival horror unlike any other out there. Taking subtle cues from titles like BioShock, players will dive into a dream that has become a literal nightmare. Do battle against ink-like monsters and survive against a cartoon that has become real. With immersive lore, creepy gameplay and an atmosphere that sinks into your eyes, Bendy and the Ink Machine is a great survival horror that needs to be played.

It has been ages since Henry Stein set foot in the old Joey Drew Studios run by Joey Drew himself. This all changes when Henry receives a letter from Joey claiming he needs him to see something at the old studio. With curiosity in tow, Henry heads to the studio but quickly discovers something twisted has been occurring since his departure. Now, Henry will find himself facing off against an enemy crafted originally by loving hands and turned into something devilish. Can Henry find a way to survive this hell or will he join the former employees as they have become…something else entirely?

Do you folks remember BioShock? Who doesn’t, is the better question. BioShock wowed gamers with an ambiance not seen in any other game and truly set a standard for what survival horror games could do without relying on the usual jump scares and loud noises most games tend to use too much. That’s why when Bendy and the Ink Machine released last year—2017—as an episodic title we couldn’t help but wonder what this cartoon-like survival horror game could do seeing as how it mirrored elements taken from games like BioShock. Well, we finally nabbed a copy of Bendy and the Ink Machine for ourselves for the PS4 and we’ve got some things we wish to share with you curious readers out there. Why don’t we do that as we review Bendy and the Ink Machine?

As we noted—and will probably say multiple times—Bendy and the Ink Machine plays a lot like BioShock. Players control an animator named Henry who re-enters his old work studio—run by Joey Drew—and finds some horrific nightmares have begun to run amok. Henry quickly ends up facing off against ink-like beings that have been spewed out by a giant machine—the Ink Machine—and also discovers that Joey’s creation named Bendy has become a real life being. The player controlling Henry must navigate this warped studio, stop Bendy and escape alive. While it sounds like a tall order, we assure you it’s a pretty simple battle.

Gameplay wise, Bendy and the Ink Machine is a first person survival horror title where you must roam around the derelict building and face off against monstrosities made from ink. The other element to Bendy and the Ink Machine is solving rather curious puzzles to move around the studio and make it from place to place. The exploration element is where Bendy and the Ink Machine truly thrives as a homage to BioShock and titles like it. With a wonderful—yet strange—setting, there’s no moment of Bendy and the Ink Machine that we didn’t find curious and gripping.

Just like in BioShock, players discover audio logs that explain different parts of the narrative from those who were working within Joey Drew’s Studio. We also loved that there are small pieces of random lore thrown across the world that can be found by those who have detective-like eyes and or have beat the game at least once. Moving around the studio was never an issue and we enjoyed soaking in the brownish black landscape that created a feeling of walking in an old Disney black and white short. The issues with Bendy and the Ink Machine begin though when you have to occasionally do specific missions or fight off the ink creatures that roam the halls alongside of you.

While BioShock had combat that felt powerful and fearful—since dying felt like it had weight—Bendy and the Ink Machine feels like a casual horror ride that has death bearing no gravity against the player. When you die in Bendy and the Ink Machine—and you will die at least once or twice—you’ll find yourself in a strange ink tunnel and must walk towards a light to respawn in front of one of a dozen Bendy statues scattered across the 5-chapter game. It doesn’t help that hitting enemies with one of several weapons you’ll obtain feel weak even though they kill foes in one hit usually. Combat just doesn’t have impact and it’s a shame seeing as how some of the enemies in Bendy and the Ink Machine are genuinely creepy. Though, running away from the impossible to kill Bendy at least bears a bit of difficulty, at least during the chases themselves.

Another element that falters in Bendy and the Ink Machine is the quest design. Most of the quests in Bendy and the Ink Machine go like this. Find several of these items or go to a specific location. Very rarely does this system of quest design change and it makes Bendy and the Ink Machine feel repetitive quite often. We didn’t mind the journey to get items—though their obscure locations were sometimes annoying—but we wished Bendy and the Ink Machine had some more titillating puzzles or quests to conquer.

We wish to end our review on a good note though and talk about the second greatest element to Bendy and the Ink Machine. The incredible voice cast, art and music. Not one of these three elements left us with anything bad to say honestly. The voice acting in Bendy and the Ink Machine is on point and truly immerse you into each of the character’s unique tales and trials they went through. The art does the same with simple style that makes for a great experience. Then there’s the music which as rare as it plays, it just hits your ear drums and makes you want to do a small little dance or be truly unnerved as you realize Bendy has just found you and a chase will soon begin.

Bendy and the Ink Machine does something we love to see here at Honey’s Anime. Instead of relying on the usual themes of survival horror, Bendy and the Ink Machine creates an atmospheric adventure that has some clichés here and there—expect a few jump scares—but relies on well crafted story telling to truly hook the player. Unfortunately, Bendy and the Ink Machine falters in its gameplay with some stale combat and very repetitive quests/missions that detract from an otherwise awesome ambiance. Bendy and the Ink Machine might not be the best survival horror game we’ve played and it might not be the second BioShock as many believe it to be, but it’s a game we loved experiencing for ourselves and found it was a journey that was worth taking once. We recommend Bendy and the Ink Machine for those who want a creepy and immersive horror title that begs the question, what happens when one man allows their dreams to take hold of them and never let go?

Bendy and the Ink Machine is like a good horror movie. You’ll play it once or twice and then dwell on what you witnessed and have it reappear in your mind here and there over time. While it’s far from perfect, Bendy and the Ink Machine shows that horror doesn’t always need to rely on cliched jump scares or ahhh moments but instead can use atmosphere and good story telling to truly get into your head. We think many of you will love Bendy and the Ink Machine and hope you give it a try seeing as how it’s only $19.99 for a several hour experience.

Are you going to play Bendy and the Ink Machine or have you already when it was episodic? Comment below to let us hear from you as we always wonder how you feel about a game we’ve reviewed/played. Be sure to keep coming back to our hive for even more game reviews and gaming related articles curtsey of us here at Honey’s Anime.