In Sound Mind is a single-player, first-person psychological horror game that delivers on fear of the unknown, and delves deep into the psyche of what scares humans the most. Developer We Create Stuff has taken the often-overdone genre of horror games and turned it into a more subtle, fear-elimination machine, and the result is a uniquely compelling game.
In Sound Mind has players take the role of protagonist Desmond Wales, a psychologist who suddenly wakes up to find himself trapped in his apartment building after the entire town appears to be flooded. Each level of In Sound Mind is represented by cassette tapes that are found throughout this hub world. When played, the tapes will give an of Desmond's different patients as he is transported into their psyche, where fears are manifested as literal monsters. Overcoming each fear-induced monster will lead Desmond deeper into the overall narrative of the story, as well as provide him the tools he needs to progress in the game.
Unlike other psychological horror games that utilize one style of gameplay, like sneaking and hiding in Resident Evil series, In Sound Mind uses a different mechanic in each tape. Tape one, for example, will have players carefully utilize a broken mirror to scare away the monster manifestation of patient Virginia in a claustrophobic shopping center. Virginia has a massive fear of being looked at due to an injury that left her disfigured. Tape two plays out in a much faster, frenetic rush as players attempt to avoid shadows and keep the lights on in an open-world coastal area. Each tape feels different and offers a distinct style of gameplay.
The Visual Style of In Sound Mind
One of the stand-out aspects of In Sound Mind is the visual variety it offers players. Each level creates a unique atmosphere, and the otherworldly elements that play out in the background only add to the overall aesthetic. Every new tape in the game has players trek through a purgatory-like land of flooded streets, heading towards the specific world of each level. A massive cassette tape looms in the background, reacting to the player's actions, and spinning its supply wheel, retelling the story of each patient in Desmond's own words.
Although every world has the expected level of grime typical in the horror genre, each tape provides stunning open environments filled with visually striking enemies, puzzle-like obstacles, and puddles of imible gas that glow in an otherworldly way. The level designs never feel too linear, while still providing a somewhat obvious path for players to follow. The enemies throughout In Sound Mind vary from sentinel-like shadow creatures who patrol the area to ghostly apparitions that hunt down the player at every turn.
Overcoming The Mystery of In Sound Mind
While each tape of In Sound Mind stands alone in its level design, the overall narrative keeps pushing the player forward by introducing new items and weapons that can be utilized to get further. In an almost Metroidvania style of gameplay, players can use newly acquired items in each level to progress further in the hub-world, as well as past levels. This will require Desmond to do some backtracking. With its 8-10 hour campaign, backtracking may just seem like a way to extend playtime, but it really only adds to the immersive feeling of solving the overall mystery that In Sound Mind offers.
The true success of In Sound Mind comes from the atmosphere that We Create Stuff has crafted. The puzzles are smart and well-thought-out, the jump scares that the game utilizes don't feel forced or cheesy, and the drastically different style of each tape shines through to create a spooky, complete-feeling game. With creepy sound design, and original music by The Living Tombstone, In Sound Mind is a fantastic single-player horror game.
In Sound Mind is available now on Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC. A Nintendo Switch version is expected to release later this year as well. Screen Rant was provided with an Xbox Series X code for the purposes of this review.
In Sound Mind
- Released
- September 28, 2021
