It has nice puzzles, it doesn't have a lot of foolish jumpscares and, fortunately, it has a captivating storyline.
In a nutshell: it's a nice horror game. (something pretty hard to find)
Bons puzzles, não tem um monte de sustos ridículos e, felizmente, tem uma história cativante.
Em suma: é um bom jogo de terror. (algo difícil de se encontrar)
In a nutshell: it's a nice horror game. (something pretty hard to find)
Bons puzzles, não tem um monte de sustos ridículos e, felizmente, tem uma história cativante.
Em suma: é um bom jogo de terror. (algo difícil de se encontrar)
One of the best horror games I've played in recent years.
Being in the AA space it won't have the production values of something like RE Village but the puzzles and exploration are just as good, if not better, and there's a surprisingly emotional story with an amazing soundtrack to boot.
Combat isn't great but isn't the main focus nor is it actually bad.
It's a shame it's been overlooked likely due to all the first person horror wank on the market but this game is unmissable for horror fans.
Being in the AA space it won't have the production values of something like RE Village but the puzzles and exploration are just as good, if not better, and there's a surprisingly emotional story with an amazing soundtrack to boot.
Combat isn't great but isn't the main focus nor is it actually bad.
It's a shame it's been overlooked likely due to all the first person horror wank on the market but this game is unmissable for horror fans.
This starts as a horror game and ends something closer to original Half-life. The combat might not be close to same quality as Half-life but this does not hamper the experience because there are some truly creepy and creative set pieces here with story that keeps you captivated through it.
Performance is sadly little all over the place with frame drops here and there without any real reason.
Performance is sadly little all over the place with frame drops here and there without any real reason.
Nice gameplay, with an interesting story and some scares.
This game has a wonderful story, and is definitely worth playing. It was kinda scary on "the first tape", but it is rather a puzzle, kinda.... I did not expect it to lure me in so much.
The down sides are, of course, terrible optimization and half-life 2 graphics.
The down sides are, of course, terrible optimization and half-life 2 graphics.
This game is currently in the Humble Choice for August 2022, this is part of my coverage of the bundle. If you are interested in the game and it's before September 6nd, 2022, consider picking up the game as part of the current monthly bundle.
A great example of psychological horror, I think.
The first forty minutes of In Sound Mind had me going. Players begin by exploring a strange basement, and then a building with a lot of odd events happening. There are quite a few moments that had me questioning my sanity, or if I remembered things correctly, and that’s where Psychological Horror is the strongest. There are a few moments that were so well designed that I was amazed.
And then the horror kicked in. Those first forty minutes made me think I could handle In Sound Mind, and then the first scare rattled me so hard, that I questioned if standing still in a location would count as “playing” the game for purposes of the review. I kept trying to continue to play, but In Sound Mind had my number.
I am a scaredy cat, and I don’t like horror at all, so being able to play the first section is nice, but this game feels extremely terrifying though it has a compelling story, so fans of psychological horror or just normal horror, will have something exciting to experience here.
Pick this up if you want to be scared, this game didn’t just get me, it demolished me, and it was done in a skillful way that made me appreciate its craft. The atmosphere and experience here are well designed, as are some of the more unsettling moments.
If you enjoyed this review or want to know what I think of other games in the bundle, check out the full review on or subscribe to my Youtube channel: https://youtu.be/86XgeDUfRGA
A great example of psychological horror, I think.
The first forty minutes of In Sound Mind had me going. Players begin by exploring a strange basement, and then a building with a lot of odd events happening. There are quite a few moments that had me questioning my sanity, or if I remembered things correctly, and that’s where Psychological Horror is the strongest. There are a few moments that were so well designed that I was amazed.
And then the horror kicked in. Those first forty minutes made me think I could handle In Sound Mind, and then the first scare rattled me so hard, that I questioned if standing still in a location would count as “playing” the game for purposes of the review. I kept trying to continue to play, but In Sound Mind had my number.
I am a scaredy cat, and I don’t like horror at all, so being able to play the first section is nice, but this game feels extremely terrifying though it has a compelling story, so fans of psychological horror or just normal horror, will have something exciting to experience here.
Pick this up if you want to be scared, this game didn’t just get me, it demolished me, and it was done in a skillful way that made me appreciate its craft. The atmosphere and experience here are well designed, as are some of the more unsettling moments.
If you enjoyed this review or want to know what I think of other games in the bundle, check out the full review on or subscribe to my Youtube channel: https://youtu.be/86XgeDUfRGA
Game isnt horror, there is only 1-2 jumpscares and that's it, combat is somewhat ok though what makes this game special is its unique narrative, puzzles,relatable characters with their problematic background and beautiful soundtracks. Recommend if youre into games about psychologic trauma games like SOMA.
"They say curiosity killed the cat. I killed the cat, curiosity just brought her to me"
In Sound Mind is described above as "an imaginative first-person psychological horror with frenetic puzzles, unique boss fights, and original music." I would say this is a pretty accurate representation of what this game is. Maybe horror lite though, it's more thematic with a few jump scares then a truly pure horror game. If you go in expecting that then it will disappoint though it still made me nervous on quite a few occasions but then I'm easily scared in video games. What In Sound Mind is though is extremely imaginative. It has a crazy and vivid world as therapist Desmond Wales explores the minds of his former patients trying to find out what really happened to them in an almost acid trip like state at times.
Each patient has their own trauma come to life in a fairly surreal way Desmond has to try and discover and break. The game plays in first person with some basic combat of shooting inkblot creations come to life while solving simple but surprisingly good puzzles for the most part. The atmosphere is excellent despite the limited enemies and feels constantly creepy. The boss encounters are great though, or more the way they appear and stalk you at times through their levels. These scenes can be either extremely unsettling or adrenaline pumping and some of the mechanics used around them keep things fresh.
It does have a slightly retro feel to the gameplay interestingly. I've seen other reviews refer to it like Half Life and while that's a little disingenuous I can't say I disagree in the way it handles. You explore and pick up small items and it does have that same kind of feel, like an older PC game though I don't see this as a negative. It actually made it feel a little refreshing in some ways. My only actual criticism, if you can call it that, is it feels a little long in the tooth at times. There is a decent amount of game here for your money and a few times the levels do drag in places. The story and characters keep it together though and the writing is fairly good at keeping you invested by being both enigmatic and obvious at the same time yet it works.
The visuals are solid, they won't blow you away but I think for a title of this budget range it does look nice overall. The real stand out though is the music. At certain points if you can find them you can get vinyl records sung by each of the patients in different styles about their circumstances and they are really good. Even when beating it I unlocked an animated music video which felt very 90's. Guess it matches that Half Life feel perfectly in that era after all?
In Sound Mind is described above as "an imaginative first-person psychological horror with frenetic puzzles, unique boss fights, and original music." I would say this is a pretty accurate representation of what this game is. Maybe horror lite though, it's more thematic with a few jump scares then a truly pure horror game. If you go in expecting that then it will disappoint though it still made me nervous on quite a few occasions but then I'm easily scared in video games. What In Sound Mind is though is extremely imaginative. It has a crazy and vivid world as therapist Desmond Wales explores the minds of his former patients trying to find out what really happened to them in an almost acid trip like state at times.
Each patient has their own trauma come to life in a fairly surreal way Desmond has to try and discover and break. The game plays in first person with some basic combat of shooting inkblot creations come to life while solving simple but surprisingly good puzzles for the most part. The atmosphere is excellent despite the limited enemies and feels constantly creepy. The boss encounters are great though, or more the way they appear and stalk you at times through their levels. These scenes can be either extremely unsettling or adrenaline pumping and some of the mechanics used around them keep things fresh.
It does have a slightly retro feel to the gameplay interestingly. I've seen other reviews refer to it like Half Life and while that's a little disingenuous I can't say I disagree in the way it handles. You explore and pick up small items and it does have that same kind of feel, like an older PC game though I don't see this as a negative. It actually made it feel a little refreshing in some ways. My only actual criticism, if you can call it that, is it feels a little long in the tooth at times. There is a decent amount of game here for your money and a few times the levels do drag in places. The story and characters keep it together though and the writing is fairly good at keeping you invested by being both enigmatic and obvious at the same time yet it works.
The visuals are solid, they won't blow you away but I think for a title of this budget range it does look nice overall. The real stand out though is the music. At certain points if you can find them you can get vinyl records sung by each of the patients in different styles about their circumstances and they are really good. Even when beating it I unlocked an animated music video which felt very 90's. Guess it matches that Half Life feel perfectly in that era after all?
It has such a bad first foot forward that I was actually bothered by this writing. Such a step down from this team's previous output (Nightmare House 2, notably, which is my favorite Source horror game).
It just feels like Scary Terry telling me suicide is badass and I can't take a single thing this game attempts to do seriously.
It just feels like Scary Terry telling me suicide is badass and I can't take a single thing this game attempts to do seriously.
Playtime: 18 Hours
Score: 7/10
In Sound Mind is a pretty decent AA survival horror game, with a really cool story and themes. The game has you play as Desmond, a therapist who wakes up in his apartment building with weird things happening around him and he needs to find out what is going on. Throughout the game he is stalked by a character named Agent Rainbow who is constantly phoning you to taunt you and give some exposition. He serves as the games main villain and while he's sometimes annoying, he is a good antagonist overall I feel.
The apartment building acts as your main hub area as you investigate into four of Desmond's patients by finding these sessions tapes which act as your gateway into levels where you have to go into that patients mind and help them move on from whatever their issues are. The levels are pretty well designed and the patients all act as bosses for the different levels. What's cool though as instead of you just having a boss fight with them at the end, they will stalk you all throughout the level kind of like the Xenomorph in Alien Isolation, and you have to run, hide or try to repel them temporally. At the end of these levels you will get an item that will allow you to access previously locked off areas back in the apartment building to find secrets which is cool. One of the levels is a straight up homage to Alan Wake with you even getting a flare gun which I thought was awesome!
I liked the variety in some of the items like the glass shard, that not only can be used to break open boarded up areas, you can also look into the reflection to reveals secrets around you. The collectables are also cool as you find pills that upgrade your stats or vinyl's of songs from the band, The Living Tombstone, that provide the soundtrack for the game. The nice part is you can only get them after you complete a patients tape, and it often relates back to the patient and the struggles they went through. They definitely treated the different mental illnesses well and some of the patients have some really sad stories, with the first one making me shed some man tears. The story definitely has some good emotional beats to it as you unravel the mystery.
Gameplay is pretty fun as you get a shotgun and pistol. The shooting is okay but nothing too amazing. Graphics are serviceable but overall pretty decent for a AA game. Some of things I didn't like (and this is subjective) is the game was just never really scary for me. The first patients level you do had some good horror to it, and even in the boss you fight, but after that it almost never tries to really scare you or at least create a foreboding atmosphere. After recently finishing games like Lost in Vivo and Amnesia The Dark Descent, I really enjoyed those games atmospheres and this one never really reached that. There is tension in the bosses stalking you, but after a while it just becomes annoying as I just wanted to explore and find some of the games collectables, but instead I am constantly being attacked by an annoying boss that I couldn't defeat until the end of the level. That plays into the games stamina bar for when you sprint which becomes another hinderance. You can upgrade it through the pills, but it seems to max out at a certain point, and even then it still runs out way too quickly. This became annoying when trying to run away from the bosses or other enemies, which most times your forced into combat which I didn't like. It especially became annoying during the final boss level.
The story overall was pretty well told, and I enjoyed it overall. They do weirdly sequel bait at the end which really felt out of place as the story doesn't feel like it needs a sequel, so I don't know if they will end up making one. Overall, if you like story driven games and survival horror, you might enjoy this one as its a solid game out of a AA studio. I recommend it.
Score: 7/10
In Sound Mind is a pretty decent AA survival horror game, with a really cool story and themes. The game has you play as Desmond, a therapist who wakes up in his apartment building with weird things happening around him and he needs to find out what is going on. Throughout the game he is stalked by a character named Agent Rainbow who is constantly phoning you to taunt you and give some exposition. He serves as the games main villain and while he's sometimes annoying, he is a good antagonist overall I feel.
The apartment building acts as your main hub area as you investigate into four of Desmond's patients by finding these sessions tapes which act as your gateway into levels where you have to go into that patients mind and help them move on from whatever their issues are. The levels are pretty well designed and the patients all act as bosses for the different levels. What's cool though as instead of you just having a boss fight with them at the end, they will stalk you all throughout the level kind of like the Xenomorph in Alien Isolation, and you have to run, hide or try to repel them temporally. At the end of these levels you will get an item that will allow you to access previously locked off areas back in the apartment building to find secrets which is cool. One of the levels is a straight up homage to Alan Wake with you even getting a flare gun which I thought was awesome!
I liked the variety in some of the items like the glass shard, that not only can be used to break open boarded up areas, you can also look into the reflection to reveals secrets around you. The collectables are also cool as you find pills that upgrade your stats or vinyl's of songs from the band, The Living Tombstone, that provide the soundtrack for the game. The nice part is you can only get them after you complete a patients tape, and it often relates back to the patient and the struggles they went through. They definitely treated the different mental illnesses well and some of the patients have some really sad stories, with the first one making me shed some man tears. The story definitely has some good emotional beats to it as you unravel the mystery.
Gameplay is pretty fun as you get a shotgun and pistol. The shooting is okay but nothing too amazing. Graphics are serviceable but overall pretty decent for a AA game. Some of things I didn't like (and this is subjective) is the game was just never really scary for me. The first patients level you do had some good horror to it, and even in the boss you fight, but after that it almost never tries to really scare you or at least create a foreboding atmosphere. After recently finishing games like Lost in Vivo and Amnesia The Dark Descent, I really enjoyed those games atmospheres and this one never really reached that. There is tension in the bosses stalking you, but after a while it just becomes annoying as I just wanted to explore and find some of the games collectables, but instead I am constantly being attacked by an annoying boss that I couldn't defeat until the end of the level. That plays into the games stamina bar for when you sprint which becomes another hinderance. You can upgrade it through the pills, but it seems to max out at a certain point, and even then it still runs out way too quickly. This became annoying when trying to run away from the bosses or other enemies, which most times your forced into combat which I didn't like. It especially became annoying during the final boss level.
The story overall was pretty well told, and I enjoyed it overall. They do weirdly sequel bait at the end which really felt out of place as the story doesn't feel like it needs a sequel, so I don't know if they will end up making one. Overall, if you like story driven games and survival horror, you might enjoy this one as its a solid game out of a AA studio. I recommend it.
I loved the hell out of this game. Story was incredible, the gameplay felt original and interesting, and it was pretty fun to 100% as well! Also thanks to The Living Tombstone for making an INCREDIBLE soundtrack.
not the best in horror and writing,but gameplay and music are good
Really loved this game: the setting, the story and the gameplay are all really good....just do me a favor and play the game on other console....it runs fine but it's really ugly on nintendo switch, that's why it has some point taken in the score.
The ost is perfect, I love the living tombstone. The gameplay is great, keeping you engaged the whole time. Graphically its not the best but I can do without that. The concept of going into tapes to help people through their struggles makes this unique as hell, my favorite being Virginia's tape (the first one). The concept of being a therapist and having to help your patients who were considered a "lost cause" by many is just awesome dude. And it has an ending you wont soon forget.
HIGHLY recommended.
HIGHLY recommended.
good game very underrated
Ich liebe ja Indie-Horror-Games. Und In Sound Mind macht in dem Sektor einfach echt vieles richtig. Natürlich kommt das ganze nicht ohne Bugs und Probleme daher, aber die Story hat mich total abgeholt, die Horror-Elemente funktionieren gut und insgesamt hatte ich viel Spaß mit dem Titel.
only played because the living tombstone and personally didnt like so much the story
A very low budget horror game that still is able to represent some great puzzles and story moments. Puzzels are definitely not too hard or obtuse. Not very scary though.
An excellent game with an intriguing story and fun gameplay. The puzzles make you think and the visuals are well made. Additionally, the soundtrack is amazingly composed, with great, original songs produced for the game's characters.
The brightest flames burn twice as fast. In Sound Mind starts so very strong but loses it's direction and begins to drag on by the turning point of the story.
An introspective horror game well worth a try. Prepare for a mostly generic gameplay experience, where most enjoyment comes from the story and some memorable scenes/moments.
An introspective horror game well worth a try. Prepare for a mostly generic gameplay experience, where most enjoyment comes from the story and some memorable scenes/moments.
Seems like a pretty solid (though not particularly scary) horror game, but levels are quite long and there are some very questionably spaced checkpoints, something for which I don't have a very high tolerance, especially in a game with no manual save feature. Maybe I'll come back to it at some point, I dunno.
It might not be the scariest game, but I'd still call this a great horror game. Enemy variety is pretty weak and any apartment combat scenarios can be avoided by just going through a door and returning, but I won't lie that (at least on Hard) several fights left me missing a bunch of shots and failing to hit non-armored spots, leaving me properly scared of death and ending up in an encounter. The enemy difficulty decreases as you go along though, with the final zone straight up gives you an infinite ammo 1-3HKO weapon.
The real highlight in this game for me were the stalker scenarios in each of the four zones. The first chapter left me terrified to move for half of it, crawling and spending 90% of my time checking to see where the stalker was. The second chapter's stalker led to some tense moments, having to constantly run back and forth between the safe zones and the rest of it - although honestly it didn't seem to do that much damage so maybe I was being overly safe. The third chapter's stalker is probably the weakest, being the most predictable and easy to avoid along with no real scary moments involving it outside of the introduction and a segment near the end of the level. The fourth chapter was another highlight, leaving me constantly tense going through the open areas wondering if he was gonna pop up and if I was gonna have to sprint for my life.
The game's story was overall pretty solid - I enjoyed the stories of each of the patients, and I think the game did a good job at making you feel bad for what happened to each of them. The finale was nice narratively, although I'd be lying if I didn't say that the final boss fight was kinda disappointing.
TheLivingTombstone did a great job on the soundtrack, and I kinda hope he works on more games after this one. The vocal songs are all standouts, with my favorites being A Doll's House, Bottom of the Pit, Whatever It Takes, and Here Comes A Savior.
I hope there's a follow-up that concludes this story, but honestly I'm worried on how they could possibly do that. At least from how the game ends, any potential sequel sounds like it would have a different tone and most likely have a super high emphasis on gunplay and combat, which would make for a disappointing follow-up depending on how it's done.
also you can pet the cat and that alone is enough to make this game amazing
The real highlight in this game for me were the stalker scenarios in each of the four zones. The first chapter left me terrified to move for half of it, crawling and spending 90% of my time checking to see where the stalker was. The second chapter's stalker led to some tense moments, having to constantly run back and forth between the safe zones and the rest of it - although honestly it didn't seem to do that much damage so maybe I was being overly safe. The third chapter's stalker is probably the weakest, being the most predictable and easy to avoid along with no real scary moments involving it outside of the introduction and a segment near the end of the level. The fourth chapter was another highlight, leaving me constantly tense going through the open areas wondering if he was gonna pop up and if I was gonna have to sprint for my life.
The game's story was overall pretty solid - I enjoyed the stories of each of the patients, and I think the game did a good job at making you feel bad for what happened to each of them. The finale was nice narratively, although I'd be lying if I didn't say that the final boss fight was kinda disappointing.
TheLivingTombstone did a great job on the soundtrack, and I kinda hope he works on more games after this one. The vocal songs are all standouts, with my favorites being A Doll's House, Bottom of the Pit, Whatever It Takes, and Here Comes A Savior.
I hope there's a follow-up that concludes this story, but honestly I'm worried on how they could possibly do that. At least from how the game ends, any potential sequel sounds like it would have a different tone and most likely have a super high emphasis on gunplay and combat, which would make for a disappointing follow-up depending on how it's done.
also you can pet the cat and that alone is enough to make this game amazing
Story isn't the most satisfying, but plays very nicely
In Sound Mind is an extremely creative game that my brother and I stumbled across this Halloween. I wouldn't class it as a horror game, instead I'd say it has some horror elements. There are definitely moments that will make you jump as the game likes to mess with you. Just don't go into it expecting a pure horror experience as you might be disappointed.
The majority of the game focuses on puzzles and does a pretty good job with them for the most part. I didn't find any of them too hard but at the same time they weren't too hand holdy either. I thought the lengh was just right. New tools are introduced throughout the game which help keep the gameplay fresh so I never found myself getting bored. In Sound Mind also has a unique spin when it comes to it's bosses. Instead of just fighting a boss at the end of an area, they stalk you at times during the level, keeping you on edge the whole time.
Expected very little going into this but it has ended up being one of the top games I've played this year. Definitely give it a go.
The majority of the game focuses on puzzles and does a pretty good job with them for the most part. I didn't find any of them too hard but at the same time they weren't too hand holdy either. I thought the lengh was just right. New tools are introduced throughout the game which help keep the gameplay fresh so I never found myself getting bored. In Sound Mind also has a unique spin when it comes to it's bosses. Instead of just fighting a boss at the end of an area, they stalk you at times during the level, keeping you on edge the whole time.
Expected very little going into this but it has ended up being one of the top games I've played this year. Definitely give it a go.
was fun until it wasnt.. banger soundtrack tho
Começando pela gameplay que é bem boa fluida e divertida, trilha sonora vai muito muito duro, o voice acting muito bom tambem, enredo deixa um pouco a desejar porem tem seus pontos fortes, no fim um jogo de terror que não chega a dar muito medo mas tem uns momentos de gloria com level design muito bem pensado
Extremely underrated indie horror game. Play it if you haven’t
- full of creative ideas executed perfectly
- soundtrack: complete perfection
- great visuals & gameplay
so underrated, you gotta try it!
although this whole experience was like a dream, but it felt very close to my real life...
that's why everything about this game felt perfect to me.
- soundtrack: complete perfection
- great visuals & gameplay
so underrated, you gotta try it!
although this whole experience was like a dream, but it felt very close to my real life...
that's why everything about this game felt perfect to me.
it's so goofy i love it
Just a really good game with a really nice ending. It's divided into four sections with a unique "boss" in each one with different mechanics and useful items acquired in each. So it's always feeling fresh and it's also only about 10 - 15 hours depending on how much you want to collect.