Despite Its Flaws, The Beast Inside’s Era-Hopping Horror Has Its Merits

Follow the blood trail.

Not the sort of objective you want to see when playing a horror game, especially when it involves going down a creaky staircase into a pitch-black basement. It’s things like these you’ll have to face in the era-jumping The Beast Within, made by Polish developers Illusion Ray Studio, a graphics company whose main focus has been making movies for virtual-reality devices and has recently pursued projects in the video-game market.

The Beast Within jumps between two perspectives. In 1979, you take the role of Adam Stevenson, a cryptanalyst for the CIA who, along with his wife, has moved to an old family property secluded in the woods. (Nothing ominous there, right?) You also play as Nicolas Hyde, a resident of the house over a century prior who, in 1864, has just arrived home after spending an extended time away.

Courtesy of Illusion Ray Studio

The 19th-century setting lends itself well to the genre; your primary light source is a kerosene lantern, which means the beam of light jumps around and the lantern rattles as you walk (or run away), adding a layer of distress as you navigate dim hallways and abandoned cellars. Much of the horror comes in the form of cheap jump scares, though a few moments nevertheless got me to curse aloud, and there are some downright creepy scenes. It’s definitely a game you’ll want to play with headphones if you have the option. The graphics of The Beast Inside are quite impressive, given that Illusion Ray Studio took advantage of the Unreal Engine’s photogrammetry feature, allowing for 3D scanning of objects to be rendered in game. In the vein of Amnesia: The Dark Descent, there are lots of notes and newspaper scraps to read, drawers and cabinets to pull open, and objects to pick up and rotate.

Adam’s modern-day sections are honestly quite boring, often revolving around plodding about in the woods on linear paths. There are sometimes puzzles to break things up; learning to use an enigma machine and other ciphers were quite interesting. But I found myself hurrying through these chapters to get back to Nicolas Hyde’s sections—the 19th-century story is the real draw of The Beast Within, where most of the horror and a far more interesting story lie. Overall, some of the plot points are telegraphed a bit heavily, and toward the end the story feels a bit rushed. Adam’s story in particular begins to fall apart, nearly bordering on the absurd.

Courtesy of Illusion Ray Studio

Some of the gameplay also feels dated, with an unseemly number of scripted chase scenes and quick-time events straight out of 2005, plus a little too much “sneak around to objectives while one or more enemies patrol a set path” action. There’s no combat aside from one chapter with a revolver, which is expectedly clunky, only highlighted by an awkward boss fight, one of a few boss fights that also feel like something from the PlayStation 2 era.

Overall, The Beast Inside is enjoyable but, clearly, not without its flaws. For what is it, the two-character system is neat, and it’s interesting to see how the two men’s stories come together, even if it isn’t entirely successful in the end. As you might have noticed if you’ve read my other reviews, I enjoy these ambitious, slightly janky games coming out of Eastern Europe. If you’re keen to give this one a try, there’s a demo available on Steam, plus the game launched at only about half the price of a AAA release. Despite its issues, it’s quite competent as a first attempt, and I’m keen to see what Illusion Ray Studio can do with some experience under its belt.

The Beast Inside is available on PC.