The Beast Inside Review (Nintendo Switch OLED)

Rating: 7
Author: Jim Smale

by Jim Smale · Published November 15, 2024 · Updated November 15, 2024

The Beast Inside Review, The Beast Inside is a unique, gripping twist on thriller and survival horror. Immerse in the story of long-buried secrets, personal tragedies, and madness. Play as two protagonists bounded by dark heritage. Combat the enemies, solve riddles, and experience real terror in the 3D-scanned environment.

The Beast Inside Review Pros:

Decent graphics.
6.9GB download size.
Controller settings – HD rumble, Invert axis, and sensitivity slider.
Head bobbing – on/off.
Three game difficulties – adventure, standard, and beast.
In-game cutscenes and interactions.
Good voicework.
Horror them throughout with jump scares and the feeling of uneasiness.
You can skip the cutscenes.
First-person view.
Action adventure gameplay.
Tutorial pop-ups as you play and they get stored in the help menu.
Your voice recorder is used to help with what needs doing or what your objective is.
Items and tools can be found to open up new areas of the game world.
Find letters and notes for backstory and again these are stored in the menu.
A full 3D game world.
You can grab doors, drawers, and that and then open them with the right stick.
Handy icon prompts pop up when you can interact with something.
Any item you pick up can be rotated in your hands.
Physics plays a part in all the items that are grabbed and thrown.
A fully 3D object viewer is on your menu.
Puzzles throughout the game.
Audible cues can happen to help sometimes.
The game is split up into chapters with each having its own synopsis of what to expect.
You can push and pull heavier objects.
Good lighting system.
Day and night sequences along with different weather types.
The Story is good if a bit all over the place and chaotic with its flashbacks and set pieces.
Once the game opens up and gets the horror in there it is a lot more fun and memorable.

The Beast Inside Review Cons:

Long initial load time.
You cannot remap the controls.
The loading times in general are long.
You can see where they have cut corners to make it run on the Nintendo Switch from less vegetation to lower scaled-back graphics.
The game still doesn’t run that well with slowdown frames dropping and textures popping in, it’s a very jarring experience.
Never sure when it has saved and you have no manual save.
A bit unbelievable in places like going for paint in the attic just as you move in or when your wife is in a room you can’t enter and the doors are locked.
You may be told what to do but the game doesn’t help you achieve that in either precise instructions or having a marker to show where to put or do something.
No way to bring up the controls so you are at the mercy of the game to tell you.
Tutorial pop-ups can feel delayed or in the wrong spot.
Interaction sometimes has to be pixel-perfect.
When picking up items it just says picked up and you have to enter the menus to find out what it was.
A slow starter in a game.
I found the grabbing of objects to interact with them clunky and not that smooth.
My god the house layout is bad and feels like a cruel joke!

The Beast Inside:

Official website.

Developer: Illusion Ray

Publisher: Illusion Ray

Store Links –

Nintendo

8/10

Graphics - 8/10
7/10

Sound - 7/10
6/10

Accessibility - 6/10
7/10

Length - 7/10
7/10

Fun Factor - 7/10

7/10

Summary

The Beast Inside offers a mix of strengths and weaknesses that make for an intriguing yet sometimes frustrating experience. The game features decent graphics and a manageable download size of 6.9GB. It includes various controller settings such as HD rumble, invert axis, and sensitivity sliders, along with the option to toggle head bobbing on or off. Players can choose from three game difficulties: adventure, standard, and beast. The game is presented in a first-person view and combines action-adventure gameplay with horror elements, including jump scares and a pervasive feeling of uneasiness. In-game cutscenes and interactions, which can be skipped, are complemented by good voice work, adding to the immersive atmosphere.

The game world is fully 3D, allowing players to interact with doors, drawers, and other objects using the right stick. Handy icon prompts indicate when an item can be interacted with, and items can be rotated in the player’s hands, with physics playing a role in how they are grabbed and thrown. The game includes a fully 3D object viewer in the menu, and puzzles are scattered throughout the game. Audible cues sometimes help guide the player, and the game is divided into chapters, each with its own synopsis. Players can push and pull heavier objects, and the lighting system, along with day and night sequences and different weather types, enhances the atmosphere. The story, while good, can be chaotic with its flashbacks and set pieces, but once the horror elements kick in, the game becomes more fun and memorable.

However, “The Beast Inside” has several drawbacks. The initial load time is long, and loading times, in general, are lengthy. The game suffers from performance issues on the Nintendo Switch, with noticeable frame drops, texture pop-ins, and reduced vegetation, making for a jarring experience. The controls cannot be remapped, and there is no manual save option, leaving players unsure when the game has saved. Some aspects of the story are unbelievable, such as going for paint in the attic just after moving in or being unable to enter a room where your wife is locked. The game often fails to provide precise instructions or markers for objectives, and there is no way to bring up the controls, leaving players reliant on the game’s tutorial pop-ups, which can be delayed or in the wrong spot. Interactions sometimes require pixel-perfect precision, and picking up items only displays a “picked up” message, requiring players to enter the menu to see what they collected. The game starts slowly, with clunky object interaction and a confusing house layout that feels like a cruel joke.

In summary, The Beast Inside offers a compelling horror experience with decent graphics, good voice work, and an immersive 3D world. However, its performance issues, cumbersome controls, and slow pacing may detract from the overall enjoyment. The game is best suited for players who are patient and willing to overlook its flaws to experience its atmospheric horror and engaging story.