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''Bendy and the Ink Machine''Commonly abbreviated as ''BatIM''. is an episodic first-person
survival horror Survival horror is a subgenre of survival of the players as the game tries to frighten them with either horror graphics or scary ambience. Although combat can be part of the gameplay, the player is made to feel less in control than in typical ac ...
video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...
developed and published by Kindly Beast under the name of the game's in-universe animation studio Joey Drew Studios Inc. It was initially released to
Game Jolt Game Jolt is a social community platform for video games, gamers and content creators. It is available on iOS, Android, on the web and as a desktop app for Windows and Linux. Primarily for Gen Z, users share interactive content through a varie ...
on February 10, 2017, as the first of five chapters, with a full worldwide release on October 27, 2018. The game was also released for
PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013 in ...
,
Xbox One The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third base console in the Xbox series of video game consoles. It was first released in North America, parts of ...
, and
Nintendo Switch The is a hybrid video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. The console itself is a Tablet computer#Gaming tablet, tablet that can either be docking station, docked for use as a home video ...
on November 20, 2018, being published by Rooster Teeth Games, and for IOS and Android on December 21, 2018. Inspired by the ''BioShock'' game series, the game is set in the fictional Joey Drew Studios. The player controls Henry Stein, a retired animator who receives a letter inviting him back to his old workplace. Stein discovers a series of strange paranormal activities caused by the titular Ink Machine. In the game, players navigate through a first person perspective and need to complete certain tasks to proceed, such as combat, collecting objects or solving puzzles. Players can also find audio logs recorded by the studio's employees in order to understand the game's history. ''Bendy and the Ink Machine'' was well-received upon its initial release. Praise centered on its vintage aesthetic and story, although its puzzles and combat mechanics were less popular. In the months following its release, the game quickly gained a large following from exposure on platforms like
YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
and
Twitch Twitch may refer to: Biology * Muscle contraction ** Convulsion, rapid and repeated muscle contraction and relaxation ** Fasciculation, a small, local, involuntary muscle contraction ** Myoclonic twitch, a jerk usually caused by sudden muscle co ...
, and eventually was approved through Steam Greenlight in mid-2017. Merchandise, as well as a mobile spin-off, was later introduced to further promote the game. Mike Mood, the game's programmer and co-creator, described the game as an "accidental success". ''
Bendy and the Dark Revival ''Bendy'' is an American-Canadian media franchise based on the horror indie video game series developed and published by Kindly Beast as "Joey Drew Studios Inc." Overview Gameplay The Bendy games are set at the fictional studio of Joey Dr ...
'', the next game in the series, was released on November 15, 2022.


Gameplay

''Bendy and the Ink Machine'' is a first person survival that resembles several cartoons in the late 1930s to 1940s. The player plays as Henry Stein, a retired animator who returns to his old workplace, Joey Drew Studios, and discovers that a machine has destroyed the entire studio and brought certain cartoon characters to life. The game mixes combat with puzzle mechanics. Players explore through a first-person view and have limited physical actions such as running and jumping. Different items can be collected, some of which are required to perform various tasks before proceeding. Cans of bacon soup can also be collected for achievements and to restore Henry's
health Health, according to the World Health Organization, is "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity".World Health Organization. (2006)''Constitution of the World Health Organiza ...
if he is injured. Combat is primarily focused around a variety of different melee-based weapons, such as an
axe An axe ( sometimes ax in American English; see spelling differences) is an implement that has been used for millennia to shape, split and cut wood, to harvest timber, as a weapon, and as a ceremonial or heraldic symbol. The axe has ma ...
,
pipe Pipe(s), PIPE(S) or piping may refer to: Objects * Pipe (fluid conveyance), a hollow cylinder following certain dimension rules ** Piping, the use of pipes in industry * Smoking pipe ** Tobacco pipe * Half-pipe and quarter pipe, semi-circula ...
,
plunger A plunger, force cup, plumber's friend or plumber's helper is a tool used to clear blockages in drains and pipes. It consists of a rubber suction cup attached to a stick (''shaft'') usually made of wood or plastic. A different bellows-like desi ...
,
wrench A wrench or spanner is a tool used to provide grip and mechanical advantage in applying torque to turn objects—usually rotary fasteners, such as nuts and bolts—or keep them from turning. In the UK, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealan ...
, or
scythe A scythe ( ) is an agricultural hand tool for mowing grass or harvesting crops. It is historically used to cut down or reap edible grains, before the process of threshing. The scythe has been largely replaced by horse-drawn and then tractor m ...
. Additionally there are long-range weapons such as a
tommy gun The Thompson submachine gun (also known as the "Tommy Gun", "Chicago Typewriter", "Chicago Piano", “Trench Sweeper” or "Trench Broom") is a blowback-operated, air-cooled, magazine-fed selective-fire submachine gun, invented by United Stat ...
or bacon soup cans. In-game enemies have different strength levels and resilience to damage, forcing players to be tactical about keeping out of reach and striking when necessary. Failure to do so will result in a death. Henry can retreat inside Little Miracle Stations whenever enemies are nearby in order to recover or remain out of sight. If he takes too much damage, he can escape from the ink that consumes him and
respawn In video games, spawning is the live creation of a character, item or NPC. Respawning is the recreation of an entity after its death or destruction, perhaps after losing one of its lives. Despawning is the deletion of an entity from the game ...
at one of the numerous statues of Bendy that act as
checkpoints Checkpoint may refer to: Places * Border checkpoint, a place on the land border between two states where travellers and/or goods are inspected * Security checkpoint, erected and enforced within contiguous areas under military or paramilitary cont ...
. The player can save their progress by interacting with time card stations. In addition, players can find numerous audio logs throughout the studio that give more details about the game's story, particularly concerning the fate of the studio and its employees, similar to the systems used in games such as ''
BioShock ''BioShock'' is a 2007 first-person shooter game developed by 2K Boston (later Irrational Games) and 2K Australia, and published by 2K Games. The first game in the ''BioShock'' series, it was released for Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360 pla ...
''. Some of these logs can be missed and require further exploration to uncover the secret areas they often reside In. At the final chapter, players unlock the Seeing Tool, which is a device used to view secret hidden messages that would be invisible without it. After completing it, players can also use it in the previous four chapters.


Plot


Chapter 1: Moving Pictures

In the year 1963, Henry Stein, co-founder and former animator at Joey Drew Studios, is invited back to the studio by his former friend and business partner, Joey Drew. Henry enters the studio and finds it abandoned and dirtied up with ink splotches everywhere, as well as a mutilated, anthropomorphic figure in the form of Boris the Wolf, one of the studio's characters. Henry discovers that the messy ink was caused by the Ink Machine, a device Joey created after Henry had left which Joey intended to use to create real-life versions of the studio's cartoon characters. Henry fixes and turns on the machine by collecting various objects in a ritualistic fashion: a Bendy doll, a wrench, a record, a book, an ink jar, and a gear. After doing so, Henry goes back to the machine, but is attacked by a demon taking an ink-based form of the studio's mascot, Bendy the Dancing Demon. Henry tries to escape, but when he reaches the door, the floor under him gives way and he falls into the studio's lower levels. Walking on to find an exit, Henry drains out the ink to move forward and finds a room with coffins and a pentagram on the floor, the latter of which he steps on, causing him to hallucinate before passing out. To be continued…


Chapter 2: The Old Song

Henry wakes up and searches for a way out. He eventually comes to the music department and discovers an exit at the bottom of some stairs, but the stairs are flooded and blocking the door. After battling ink creatures known as Searchers, Henry finds music director Sammy Lawrence's office and finds a pump switch inside that could drain the ink at the stairs, but his office is blocked by a massive ink leak. Henry finds two valves that lower the ink pressure, one of which is held by a Searcher with a hat that he must defeat. At one point, he must learn to play Sammy's favorite song to open a door to reach the second valve. After stopping the leak, Henry drains the ink at the stairs. While approaching the stairs, however, he is knocked out by Sammy, who has turned into an ink humanoid with a Bendy mask. After Henry wakes up, Sammy reveals he intends to sacrifice Henry to Bendy, whom he worships as a deity, so that he can be free of the ink. As Sammy begins the ritual, though, he is attacked by Bendy and presumably killed. Henry breaks free and flees from Bendy into a storage room, locking the door behind him. Venturing into the room, he finds a fully intact Boris the Wolf. To be continued…


Chapter 3: Rise and Fall

Henry befriends Boris, and after Henry makes him 3 cans of soup, he gives Henry a lever needed to open the exit. The two leave Boris' safehouse to find another way out of the studio. After using a flashlight to make their way through a dark area, they come across the toy department and find a back room full of merchandise for Alice Angel, the studio's lead female. After Boris is briefly separated from Henry, he gives him a Gent pipe to use as a weapon. Henry is then confronted by an ink version of Alice Angel, who briefly knocks him out before summoning him to her lair. Before entering, Henry must choose whether to take the Demon path or the Angel path; the other path will close once Henry makes his choice. Inside, Henry and Boris discover multiple mutilated clones of Boris and other ink monsters collectively called the Butcher Gang, which Alice has been harvesting to improve her appearance. Meeting Alice, who is torturing one of the monsters, Henry is instructed to complete missions from her in exchange for being allowed to escape the studio. Doing so, he recovers things such as gears, power cells, hearts, and globs of ink from Swollen Searchers as well as being instructed to destroy Bendy cutouts and protect Alice's lair from enemies, all the while being hunted by Bendy, Searchers, the Butcher Gang, and the Projectionist, a projector-headed ink corrupted version of Norman Polk, the studio's projectionist. Alice also provides Henry with tools to help him: a wrench, a syringe, an axe, a plunger, and a tommy gun (which can only be obtained if certain actions are taken). Over the course of this, it becomes apparent that Alice is actually Susie Campbell, the original voice actress for the cartoon Alice who became obsessed with Alice to the point of believing she was her character, and grew vindictive after she was replaced by another actress, Allison Pendle; she has since taken Alice's form after being corrupted by the ink. After fulfilling her needs, she sends him to the elevator where he can leave, but forces the elevator to fall after discovering Boris, whom she wants to harvest as he is the most perfect Boris. The elevator crashes, knocking Henry out; as Boris tries to wake Henry up, Alice kidnaps Boris and takes him away. To be continued…


Chapter 4: Colossal Wonders

Waking back up from passing out and Boris’ abduction, Henry leaves the broken lift and explores the cavernous archives of the studio to find and rescue Boris. After Alice taunts Henry over loudspeakers about Boris' capture, Henry comes across a lounge filled with Lost Ones, people infected by the ink who show no hostility. After fleeing through the vents, Henry discovers that Joey planned to open a Bendy-themed amusement park called Bendy Land, with the help of famed amusement park designer Bertrum Piedmont. Henry deduces that the haunted house attraction is the way to go and traverses the storage area to find the switches to power the ride up. He activates the four power switches, while in the process sneaking past the Butcher Gang by throwing empty cans, defeating an ink corrupted Bertrum, who has merged himself with an octopus ride, and escaping from the Projectionist, who is decapitated by Bendy and takes his body away. Once on the haunted house ride, Henry is shocked to discover that Alice has transformed Boris into a brute monster. Unable to turn him back to normal, Henry is forced to kill Boris, who fades away. An enraged Alice tries to attack and kill Henry herself, but is killed from behind by another version of Alice Angel and a robot-handed clone of Boris. To be continued…


Chapter 5: The Last Reel

The new Alice and Boris, dubbed Allison Angel (Allison Pendle) and Tom (Thomas Conner, the lead engineer of the Ink Machine), lock Henry in a makeshift prison, as they aren't sure if they can trust him. Henry manages to gain Allison's trust, and she gives Henry a Seeing Tool, which is used to see hidden messages; Henry sees a message that says Allison will leave Henry for dead (which is later proven true). Later, Bendy discovers Allison and Tom's location, and Tom (still distrusting Henry) convinces Allison to leave Henry behind so they can escape, knowing that they can't get him out before Bendy arrives. Henry manages to escape the prison on his own after discovering a secret room with a weapon behind the wall, thanks to the hidden messages. Once he escapes, Henry sees Allison and Tom escaping on a barge through a river of ink. He follows them on a second barge, with a massive Bendy hand chasing behind him. Henry arrives in a shanty town built by the Searchers and the Lost Ones. There, he is confronted by an injured Sammy, who deliriously believes Henry is Bendy and tries to take revenge for almost killing him. Sammy overpowers Henry and tries to kill him, but is killed by Tom, who finally trusts Henry and equips him with an axe. With Sammy out of the way, the Searchers and Lost Ones he was keeping at bay become violent and start attacking. Henry, Allison, and Tom work together and defeat the wave of monsters. Henry leads the way onward, but falls into the administration offices on a lower level. Henry tries to escape through the film vault, but the entrance is flooded. He works to reconnect the pipe system to drain the ink, all while hiding from the Butcher Gang. Once in the film vault, a message reveals that a film reel has been stolen by Bendy. Allison and Tom arrive and join Henry on his quest to find Bendy. They discover that Bendy's lair is a massive version of the Ink Machine. Henry is forced to go in alone, as the entrance is surrounded by ink, which could reabsorb and kill Allison and Tom. Inside, Henry finds a message from Joey, who talks about his downfall and how Henry can fix the darkness by showing Bendy the stolen reel, titled "The End". It's revealed that the Ink Machine was used in a combination of occult magic and technological alchemy to create real-life mascots for Bendy Land, but Bendy was abandoned in the depths of the studio, as unlike the other creations, which are made from the souls of the staff, he was made from scratch and soulless as a result, locked away in a prison-like throne room filled with cartoons in a vain attempt to imprint the desired traits onto him. Bendy arrives and transforms into a massive monster, known as Beast Bendy, knocking Henry into another room and giving chase. Henry escapes Bendy and returns to his throne to play "The End" reel, which broadcasts the words "The End" on several screens, causing Bendy to dissolve as his story comes to a close. Afterwards, Henry is transported to Joey's house, who talks about how the two went on different paths, and how Joey's path burned because of his ambition. He summons Henry to the studio and the events of the beginning of the game play again, revealing that Henry is caught in a
time loop The time loop or temporal loop is a plot device in fiction whereby characters re-experience a span of time which is repeated, sometimes more than once, with some hope of breaking out of the cycle of repetition. The term "time loop" is sometimes us ...
called the Cycle. In a
post-credits scene A post-credits scene (commonly referred to as a stinger or credit cookie) or mid-credits scene is a short clip that appears after all or some of the closing credits have rolled and sometimes after a production logo of a film, TV series, or video g ...
, the camera zooms in on a signed picture from Henry of Bendy, Boris and Alice Angel. Offscreen, a young girl (implied to be Joey's niece) asks her "Uncle Joey" to tell her another story.


Characters and voice cast

* Henry Stein (voiced by theMeatly) is a co-founder and animator of Joey Drew Studios, who created the characters in the Bendy cartoons. He is the main protagonist of the game, who has returned to Joey Drew Studios after 30 years. * Joey Drew (voiced by David Eddings) is a co-founder and CEO of Joey Drew Studios. Prior to the games events, Joey went bankrupt. He is the presumed overarching antagonist of the game. * Wally Franks (voiced by theMeatly) is Joey Drew Studios' relaxed janitor. Besides Henry, he is the only character to appear in all 5 chapters. He is most known for his phrase "I'm outta here!" * Thomas Connor (voiced by Mike Mood) is a mechanical engineer from Gent Enterprises who was hired by Joey Drew Studios to build the Ink Machine. In the game, he has been corrupted by the ink and turned into a Boris clone, who goes by Tom. * Sammy Lawrence (voiced by Aaron Landon) is the former music director of Joey Drew Studios, who started to go insane. By the events of the game, he has been corrupted by the ink and worships Bendy as a deity. * Norman Polk (voiced by theMeatly) is the elusive and observant projectionist of Joey Drew Studios. By the events of the game, he has been turned into the Projectionist monster. * Susie Campbell (voiced by Alanna Linayre) is the original voice actress for Alice Angel, who became obsessed with the character, and went crazy when she was replaced by Allison Pendle. By the events of the game, she has been corrupted by the ink and turned into a twisted version of Alice. * Alice Angel (voiced by Lauren Synger) is the lead female in the Bendy cartoons. In the game, she is a twisted form of the original character, taken form through Susie Campbell. * Jack Fain (voiced by Bookpast) is the main lyricist at Joey Drew Studios and Sammy's second-in-command. In the game, he has been corrupted by the ink and transformed into a Swollen Searcher. * Shawn Flynn (voiced by Seán "Jacksepticeye" McLoughlin) is the merchandise director at Joey Drew Studios. * Grant Cohen (voiced by Will Alex "DAGames" Ryan) is Joey Drew's exasperated accountant. * Bertrum Piedmont (voiced by Joe J. Thomas) is a famed theme park designer, who built the Bendy-themed amusement park, Bendy Land and rejects his treatment by Joey Drew. In the game, he has merged with an octopus ride. * Lacie Benton (voiced by
Lani Minella Lani Jean Minella (born July 28, 1950) is an American voice actress, voice director, and producer mostly working in the games industry. She is also the founder and owner of the voice-acting agency, AudioGodz. Career After college, Minella starte ...
) is an engineer working under Bertrum Piedmont. * Allison Pendle (voiced by Lauren Synger) is the second voice actress for Alice Angel, replacing Susie Campbell. In the game, she has been corrupted by the ink and transformed into Allison Angel. Additionally, there are multiple characters in the game with no featured dialogue: * Ink Bendy is a vicious and deformed version of Bendy, the main character of the Bendy cartoons. He is known by the ink residents as the Ink Demon. * Boris the Wolf / Buddy Boris is a secondary character in the Bendy cartoons. In the game, a friendly version of him appears as Henry's companion, before he is transformed into Brute Boris by Alice. Additionally, multiple clones of Boris appear throughout the game as mutilated corpses. * The Butcher Gang are a trio from the Bendy cartoons, who are always at odds with Bendy. In the game, they appear as the Piper (Charley), the Fisher (Barley) and the Striker (Edgar). * The Searchers are a group of humanoid ink creatures who attack Henry throughout the game. * The Lost Ones are employees of Joey Drew Studios, who have been corrupted by the ink, and aren't hostile. A specific Lost One is voiced by Joe J. Thomas. * The Swollen Searchers are enlarged and passive forms of the Searchers. They are notable for being a source of ink throughout the game.


Development

The idea for ''Bendy and the Ink Machine'' came from theMeatly pondering the idea of a world that resembled a cartoon sketch. As he started developing the idea, he realized that it felt "creepy" and needed a monster that inhabited it. Bendy was created to be that monster, but did not have a name. When the character finally received a 3D model, the name was chosen from a typo while saving it in a 3D modeling program,
Blender A blender (sometimes called a mixer or liquidiser in British English) is a kitchen appliance, kitchen and laboratory appliance used to mix, crush, purée or emulsion, emulsify food and other substances. A stationary blender consists of a blender ...
. theMeatly was not a programmer and thus Mike Mood joined the production as he saw potential in the game. ''Bendy and the Ink Machine'' was inspired by the ''BioShock'' series. The first chapter, ''Moving Pictures'', took five days to be finished. The game was then released for free on Game Jolt on February 10, 2017, being one of the first games that were released on the platform. Originally, the project was "for fun", according to Mood, but it later became viral and incentivated then to develop a second chapter, ''The Old Song'', which was officially announced in March 2017 and took six weeks to be finished. It was released on April 18, 2017, and also added a remastered version of the previous chapter, an updated menu, subtitles, achievements, etc. The game was approved by Steam Greenlight on February 28, 2017, and was then released on Steam on April 27, 2017. ''Chapter 1'' was made available for free, while ''Chapter 2'' was released as a DLC for $6 dollars. The third chapter, ''Rise and Fall'', was announced on production in May 2017. It was developed by six people in at least four months, and the reason for its long development, according to Mike Mood, was because he needed to create a framework "to make the process smoother". Its trailer was released in August 2017, which showed an animated short intitled "Tombstone Picnic" and showed Henry running from Ink Bendy in a room. However, Mike Mood stated it was used only for the trailer's chase sequence and for test purposes.Although that, the room was later added with ''Chapter 3'''s final remaster, which was released along with ''Chapter 4''. It was released on September 28, 2017, while the previous two chapters also received remastered versions. The fourth chapter, ''Colossal Wonders'', was firstly confirmed in production on November 17, 2017. It also included remastered versions of the first three chapters, which included enhanced soundtracks and textures. It was released on April 30, 2018. Originally scheduled for April 28, 2018, it was delayed due to technical problems on Steam that disallows to make releases during weekends. The fifth and final chapter, ''The Last Reel'', was firstly confirmed in production on June 4, 2018. Later, they confirmed that it would be released in October. The emprise also confirmed that the chapter would be received for free for only players who have bought the previous chapters. A special edition titled ''Bendy and the Ink Machine: Jacksepticeye Edition'', was given to YouTuber
Jacksepticeye Seán William McLoughlin (born 7 February 1990), better known as Jacksepticeye, is an Irish YouTuber, best known for his vlogs and comedic Let's Play series. , his channel has over 15.7 billion views and 28.9 million subscribers, and is the mo ...
before the fifth chapter released to the public, which included all five chapters. It was released on October 26, 2018. The game received a final bundle on the next day, intitled ''Bendy and the Ink Machine: Complete Edition''. Chapters 2-4, which were previously available as downloadable content, became free, while the game became paid. On January 29, 2018, theMeatly officially announced that ''Bendy and the Ink Machine'' would be released to consoles. The
PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013 in ...
and
Xbox One The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third base console in the Xbox series of video game consoles. It was first released in North America, parts of ...
ports were developed and published by
Rooster Teeth Games Rooster Teeth Games is an American video game developer, publisher and distributor based in Austin, Texas, serving as Rooster Teeth's video game division. It is focused on "bridging the gap between independent game developers and the worldwide c ...
, originally intended to be released on October 26, 2018, while the
Nintendo Switch The is a hybrid video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. The console itself is a Tablet computer#Gaming tablet, tablet that can either be docking station, docked for use as a home video ...
port was scheduled to release on November 20, 2018, but both
PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013 in ...
and
Xbox One The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third base console in the Xbox series of video game consoles. It was first released in North America, parts of ...
's release dates were pushed to the same date for Nintendo Switch's release. On December 15, 2018, a mobile port was announced by theMeatly and Joey Drew Studios Inc., and it was released on December 21, 2018.


Reception

According to the aggregating review website
Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
, ''Bendy and the Ink Machine'' received "mixed or average reviews" on its console ports. The website ''
Rock, Paper, Shotgun ''Rock Paper Shotgun'' (also rendered ''Rock, Paper, Shotgun''; short ''RPS'') is a UK-based website for reporting on video games, primarily for PC. Originally launched on 13 July 2007 as an independent site, ''Rock Paper Shotgun'' was acquir ...
'' considered the first chapter one of the best free games from the week. The game's storyline and setting were mostly praised. Most reviewers noted that the game's art style resembles the "
Steamboat Willie ''Steamboat Willie'' is a 1928 American animated short film directed by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. It was produced in black and white by Walt Disney Animation Studios, Walt Disney Studios and was released by Pat Powers, under the name of Celeb ...
" era of Disney's cartoons, with ''PlayStation LifeStyle'' considering Bendy as an "obvious parallel" between other cartoon characters such as Mickey Mouse or Betty Boop. Liam Martin of ''Express'' considered that the game's theme to be that "classic cartoons are more sinister than we remember". Sean Warhurst of ''ImpulseGamer'' also considered the game's visuals as the game's "biggest strength" and that its graphics engine "complements the artistic direction". This was also considered by Barry Stevens of Entertainment Focus, considering that "the game has a really unique art style and really pulls off the old animation studio feel with everything being drawn in a 30s style". Most websites considered the game's gameplay mechanics repetitive. ''TheXboxHub'' considered the game's combat mechanics "frustrating", as most of its enemies die in only one hit. ''VGCultureHQ'' considered that if would have some range weapons in the second chapter, such as a gun or a slingshot, "would help make lengthy combat sequences feel more fair and less of a risk". However, it also stated that the boss battles in the game feel "intense". The puzzles, according to ''The Digital Fix'', were considered repetitive, saying that "It's something we've done a million times before". ''VGCultureHQ'' considered the game's chapter lengths "too short" and without a "fair balance", considering that it could be completed in four hours, considering that the first and final chapters could be "finished in just under a half-hour", while the other three chapters "may take longer". According to ''Hely on Horror'', the first chapter serves as a "tutorial", as guides the player to "interact with the environment and solve simple puzzles", the second chapter is where combat is introduced, but it considered that the third chapter is where players are thrown into the action. Steven Asarch of ''Player.One'' considered the third chapter's task list as a "lazy attempt for developers to pad the game without adding any additional content", and that if future chapters could focus more on the characters development, "they could've truly be masterpieces". The game has been frequently compared with ''
BioShock ''BioShock'' is a 2007 first-person shooter game developed by 2K Boston (later Irrational Games) and 2K Australia, and published by 2K Games. The first game in the ''BioShock'' series, it was released for Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360 pla ...
'', due to, according to ''PlayStation LifeStyle'', the game having an "antique style". ''Nintendo Life'' also considered the motives of having a ''BioShock'' vibe in the game due to "the revelations that are made of Henry's past to the retro aesthetic that clings to every corner of the game's dilapidated setting". However, it also compared it to ''
Resident Evil ''Resident Evil'', known in Japan as is a Japanese horror game series and media franchise created by Capcom. It consists of survival horror, third-person shooter and first-person shooter games, with players typically surviving in environments ...
'', and ''
Outlast ''Outlast'' is a 2013 first-person survival horror video game developed and published by Red Barrels. The game revolves around a freelance investigative journalist, Miles Upshur, who decides to investigate a remote psychiatric hospital named M ...
'', considering it a "fusion". The game was also compared with ''
Cuphead ''Cuphead'' is a run-and-gun video game developed and published by Studio MDHR. The game follows the titular Cuphead who, in a deal with the Devil after losing a game at the Devil's casino, is sent on a quest to repossess the souls of runaway ...
'' and ''
Epic Mickey ''Epic Mickey'' is a 2010 platform game for the Wii developed by Junction Point Studios and published by Disney Interactive Studios, except in Japan, where it was published by Nintendo. The game focuses on Mickey Mouse, who accidentally damag ...
'', for their homages to "rubber hose" animation and the style of 20th-century cartoons.


Sales

By 2017, the game achieved 750,000 downloads on Steam, according to ''Player.One''.


Awards

The game has received the "Best Horror Game" award by
IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
and is listed as #1 in "18 Best Horror Games of 2017". The mobile port received the "Game of the Day" award on February 23, 2019. T''ouchArcade'' nominated the mobile port as the "Game of the Week" on December 21, 2018.


Legacy

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
was a big contributor for the popularity of ''Bendy and the Ink Machine''. Many gamers such as Markiplier and Jacksepticeye were seen making "Let's Play" videos of ''Bendy and the Ink Machine'', which reached millions of views. Many YouTube musicians also made fan songs for ''Bendy and the Ink Machine,'' the most popular being DAGames' ''"Build Our Machine"'', which has been viewed more than 100 million times. Some of the most popular fanmade songs were later included in an album entitled ''"Bendy's Inky Megamix"'', which was made to help raise donations for United Ways COVID-19 relief charity at Tiltify. Some of these fan-made songs were included in the game, including DAGames' ''"Build Our Machine",'' Kyle Allen's ''"Bendy and the Ink Machine Song",'' Random Encounters' ''"Bendy and the Ink Musical"'', and JT Music's ''"Can't Be Erased".'' This caused the game to have a giant fanbase, which Mood described as different from the most fanbases, calling other games' fanbases sometimes "toxic." The game also attracted an audience of children, whose attention was mostly given to the character Bendy, although the game is T-rated. According to Mike Mood, what the made the game so popular was because of its characters. It also surged merchandise from the game, such as toys, shirts, etc., which can be bought on the game's official store. Books and comic books were also released.


Spin-offs

A mobile spin-off called ''Bendy in Nightmare Run'' was announced on January 26, 2018. It was released on the App Store on August 15, 2018 and on the Google Play Store on September 27, 2018. The game is an
endless runner Endless runner or infinite runner is a subgenre of platform game in which the player character runs for an infinite amount of time while avoiding obstacles. The player's objective is to reach a high score by surviving for as long as possible. The ...
style game involving the player characters of either Bendy, Boris, or Alice collecting Bacon Soup while running away from large bosses chasing the player character. A spin-off called ''Boris and the Dark Survival'' was released on February 10, 2020, on ''Bendy and the Ink Machine''s 3-year anniversary. The game is a
prequel A prequel is a literary, dramatic or cinematic work whose story precedes that of a previous work, by focusing on events that occur before the original narrative. A prequel is a work that forms part of a backstory to the preceding work. The term " ...
, taking place before the first chapter of the original game. It revolves around Boris the Wolf searching through the different levels of Joey Drew Studios looking for supplies for his safehouse while escaping Ink Bendy, Twisted Alice, the Projectionist, the Butcher Gang, or Borkis, a yellow-eyed version of Boris. The game also received several updates after its release. The latest one, ''Symphony of Shadows'', was released on June 30, 2020.


Joke games

On October 23, 2018, Joey Drew Studios posted on Twitter an image announcing a joke game, entitled ''Black Ink Possession'', parodying ''
Red Dead Redemption 2 ''Red Dead Redemption 2'' is a 2018 action-adventure game developed and published by Rockstar Games. The game is the third entry in the ''Red Dead'' series and a prequel to the 2010 game ''Red Dead Redemption''. The story is set in 1899 and f ...
''.A curious fact is that both ''
Red Dead Redemption 2 ''Red Dead Redemption 2'' is a 2018 action-adventure game developed and published by Rockstar Games. The game is the third entry in the ''Red Dead'' series and a prequel to the 2010 game ''Red Dead Redemption''. The story is set in 1899 and f ...
'' and ''Bendy and the Ink Machine: Chapter 5'' were released on the same date - October 26, 2018.
During April Fools in 2020, the emprise poster a trailer of another joke game, ''Bendy Royale''. It parodies '' Fortnite: Battle Royale'', where it was meant to be a battle royale with Bendy and the Ink Machine characters being playable.


Crossovers

A Halloween crossover mod, ''Hello Bendy'', was released for the game on October 27, 2017, for a limited time, featuring the ''
Hello Neighbor ''Hello Neighbor'' is a survival horror stealth game developed by Russian studio Dynamic Pixels and published by tinyBuild. Initially released as public alphas from 2016 to 2017, it received a full release for Windows and Xbox One on December ...
'' antagonist, who takes the role as Bendy in all previous three chapters and Sammy Lawrence for ''Chapter 2''. The mod's menu features the advertisement of pre-ordering the game ''Hello Neighbor''. The mod expired by the end of October that year. Co-creator Mike Mood has talked about wanting to do a crossover with ''
Cuphead ''Cuphead'' is a run-and-gun video game developed and published by Studio MDHR. The game follows the titular Cuphead who, in a deal with the Devil after losing a game at the Devil's casino, is sent on a quest to repossess the souls of runaway ...
'', which also was popular at around the same time and also uses
rubber hose animation Rubber hose animation was the first animation style that became standardized in the American animation field. The defining feature is the curving motion most things possess, resembling that of a rubber hose. While the style fell out of fashion ...
.


''Bendy and the Dark Revival''

Another game, ''Bendy and the Dark Revival'', was announced on April 14, 2019. However, Mike Mood stated on February 13, 2019 that it would not serve as ''Bendy and the Ink Machine 2''. A gameplay trailer was released on June 24, 2019, announcing the game's release for Fall 2019. However, in December 2019, a new trailer was released to say that the game was being delayed and will release sometime in 2020. Another trailer was released on June 1, 2020, revealing that the game would be released in its entirety with all five chapters included, unlike the first game which was released episodically. The trailer also suggested the game would come out in the latter half of 2020. However, on November 30, 2020, the developers announced that the game would be releasing in 2021, due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
. The developers also cited that the game will be ten times bigger than the original game and that they didn't want to rush the game. The game was, however, delayed once again to 2022 without being announced. On October 31, 2022, the official Bendy social media accounts announced that a trailer for Bendy and the Dark Revival would be uploaded the following day. The game was officially released on November 15, 2022.


Television adaptation

In 2020,
Derek Kolstad Derek Kolstad (born April 4, 1974) is an American screenwriter and film producer. He is the creator of the ''John Wick'' franchise, which began in 2014. He continued to write for the first two sequels of the franchise and is mainly known as a s ...
, creator of the ''John Wick'' franchise, stated that he has interest in making a television adaptation based on the game.


Notes


References


External links

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