Insidia

I mentioned the other day that I really like exploration games, and so shortly after I finished with Endeavor I wanted something else with a heavy exploratory slant. And, after a quick Google search, I found it: Insidia. Not quite as good as Endeavor, but not half bad either.

Concept

Insidia opens upon a tiny space explorer, zipping through the universe in a tiny space pod, just doing his thing. Disaster predictably strikes in the form of a meteor, and said tiny space explorer is sent careening down onto an unfamiliar planet. He must now gather parts to repair his ship and escape the planet before it does him in. (And it will. Repeatedly.)


As mentioned, Insidia is an exploratory game. You need to run around the darkened corridors of a dismal planet in search of parts, dodging obstacles - enemies and traps, mainly - along the way... and keeping an eye open for secret areas that might just change the game's ending. Solid enough premise.

Controls

More than the average browser game, Insidia is utterly dependent on its controls. You will die, over and over and over, if you can't master the controls. And guess what? Doing so is a piece of cake, 'cause all you typically do is run and jump. Sure, you eventually learn how to double jump and skid against walls, but there's a lot of practice space between the beginning and gaining these abilities. Most players won't struggle with problem controls.

Graphics

Though your little guy is orange, most of Insidia is cast in blacks and other muted colours. The result is a bleak landscape, which suits the idea that your explorer should try and flee this planet as quickly as possible. I particularly liked the fabric texture applied to the backgrounds.

If there's a problem with this setup, it's that Insidia lacks variety. Given the sheer amount of ground you have to cover in this game, you'd think that the areas might change a little. And while you do run across the occasional nifty beast to spruce up the scenery...

... most of the time you're facing endless dark hallways. A teensy bit more flair, particularly in the sparse selection of enemies, would've been nice.

Sound

The music is Insidia's one great failing, at least in my opinion. There are only a few different songs, and they all sound close to the same - and they're all very space techno. Not a fan. As with the graphics, more variety in different areas would've added extra depth to Insidia.

Challenge Rating

Insidia's of middling difficulty. The puzzles and traps are tough, but not unreasonably so, and the challenge scales according to your experience and abilities. And, unlike other exploratory Flash games I've played, THIS one gives you a MAP!

(And, no, I'm not showing you the whole thing. Uncover it on your own.)

This map, coupled with handy save points that typically appear before especially tough puzzles, makes Insidia a much less frustrating experience than it could have been without them. It'll still take a solid hour to beat, but you should enjoy your time on the planet.

Conclusion?

Aesthetics aside, Insidia is pretty fun. It's smooth and well-designed, and offers a reasonably satisfying conclusion if you manage to collect everything in the game (not as tough as it sounds). Once you're done playing Endeavor, give this game a go.


PLAY INSIDIA