Chapter 1-4 of Bendy and the Ink Machine

Created by TheMeatly

You know what goes by fast? School. First it was elementary school, running around playing on the playground, then middle/high school, where the tests never seem to end, and finally college, where you learn the skills for your future career. However, if you are like me who has just graduated college you think, “When did this happen?! How did I just become an adult?!” I feel a similar feeling when I think of the game, Bendy and the Ink Machine. I remember first watching one of my favorite YouTubers, Jacksepticeye, play this game back when it was first on GameJolt. Even though I am not usually a fan of the horror genre, the unique 1930s cartoon art style and story made me fall in love with the game.

Even though I was still completely scarred when playing Bendy and the Ink Machine, I absolutely loved it. I supported the series by donating a bit of money on GameJolt and a couple months later the 2^nd chapter was out. Every chapter made me fall in love with the game even more, along with updating previous chapters as the creator, TheMeatly, got more support. Now a little over than a year later chapter 4 of Bendy and the Ink Machine is now released. Along with a massive update to previous chapters, it also came with the announcement that the game will be on consoles such as the Nintendo Switch later this year once the final chapter releases.

One of the things I like about the Bendy series are the constant updates to previous chapters. TheMeatly does a good job of taking criticisms of the players and changing the game to have a better gameplay experience. An example of this is when in chapter 3 you have to collect items to progress the game, however, they were spread out between four floors. This cause a lot of backtracking and for me frustration because I had to keep track of what floors I been to. It also did not help that you had to keep a look out for the main antagonist, Bendy, who could spawn anywhere on the floors (instantly killing the player if caught), while also fighting other enemies. Now with the recent update to the chapters each item quest is specific to one floor allowing the players to not worry about finding the items and being able to concentrate more on staying alive.

This was not the only welcomed update to the chapters, there were graphic and layout updates. From adding rooms like the pool room in chapter 2 to redesigning the Ink Machine room in chapter 1 it allowed players like me to see the love and care that this indy gaming company had for the series. Seeing what this game once was, to what it is now it makes me really proud of the hard work TheMeatly has done.

However, there is always room for improvement. Even though the previous chapters have been cleaned up, there are still some improvements to be made on chapter 4. One of the game mechanics that I became frustrated on is the throwing mechanics when playing some of the mini games in the chapter. It was hard to tell how hard you were throwing objects. Personally, I would like to see a throwing meter to show how hard you are throwing objects or have a gauge to build up a throw. Another small detail that I notice that I feel like it could be removed is the Alice Angel boxes that are placed in the chapter. It confused me when I first saw them since I assumed that Bendy was still hunting us like in the previous chapter, but Bendy never hunted the player in chapter 4. Unless I experience a gaming glitch, but if not, I feel the boxes are not necessary in this level. The last problem they could fix is having some vocal cue in the first boss fight to find his weapon. At the beginning of the battle the player has none and for me I was wandering the room when the boss battle started, I was confused on what I should do, since this was the first boss battle in the entirety of the game. A cue from Henry saying something like “There is got to be something in here I can use” would be a big help to figure out what players should do. One last thing that is not a problem, but I would like see implemented if they update this chapter is to be able to interact with the inky figures that are in one of the rooms. Since in the previous room we saw they could talk, but I would like to hear a few lines of dialogue from a few of them in the next room instead of them just staring at you.

If you are not the biggest fan of horror video games, but want to try to start playing them, I would suggest starting with Bendy and the Ink Machine. The game allows players to be ease into the horror genre and gradually build upon the first chapter. While horror fans can appreciate the new yet old 1930s cartoon aesthetic of the game which stands out and is refreshing from the realistic graphics of classic horror games, but just as terrifying. The game may not be totally finish yet, but seeing the many improvements in the game so far I am already waiting excitedly for the final chapter of the series, which I will be also write a review for.

Platform: Microsoft Windows, Linux and macOS