Bendy and the Ink Machine is a game about an animation studio that tried to bring their classic cartoon characters to life… with horrifying consequences.

You play a man named Henry who was invited back to the old animation studio he used to work at, by Joey Drew, the head of Joey Drew Studios (which is also this game’s developer).

When you arrive, you find the place empty(?), but you also find a giant ink machine that you’ve never seen before. Through cassette recordings, you learn how to power it up and… before you know it, there’s an ink demon running amok through the halls!

You try to run for the exit, but find yourself falling deep into the bowels of the studio. From there, you’re solving puzzles and fighting off ink monsters, while also hiding from Bendy himself as he awkwardly staggers around the floors randomly.

You also run into Sammy Lawrence, the former studio’s music director, who accidentally ingested some of the ink and partially turned into an ink monster himself. He offers you up as a sacrifice for Bendy, hoping to be rewarded with his humanity.

At one point, you get a choice to head toward either The Demon or The Angel. I chose the angel and found myself at the mercy of a disfigured and insane Alice Angel from the Bendy cartoon series. I’m not sure what’s on the demon side; perhaps I should replay it and try that route.

Eventually, you receive a sort of handmade black light that lets you see hidden messages on the walls that guide you. Once you beat the game, it will let you start the game with the black light. I’m excited to play this game over and see what messages I can find in the various rooms and hallways.

I first played this game when it was releasing in 5 separate chapters and I was hooked! Unfortunately, I never beat it. The instructions weren’t clear back in the early versions of the game and I found myself wandering aimlessly around several floors, not sure what I needed to do. I don’t think I ever finished chapter 3.

Then I picked it up again last night and ended up beating the whole thing in a single sitting. It was much clearer with the full version of the game, and I powered through the whole thing in about 5 hours.

There is a spin-off called Boris and the Dark Survival, which is a top-down survival game where you play as Boris the Wolf. You collect supplies while trying to avoid Bendy as he roams around. According to its Steam page, the game will soon be renamed to Bendy: Lone Wolf, add a bunch of improvements and add-ons to the game, and increase its price. It’s only $3 right now, so might as well snatch it up before it gets more expensive!

Then there was a sequel to the main game called Bendy and the Dark Revival. You play as Audrey, an animator who found herself trapped in the dark studio at the mercy of Bendy and his ink monsters.

There is also a free Steam game that came out this year called Bendy: Secrets of the Machine, which doesn’t really give a description and its trailer is just a tease without explaining anything. I need to play that and see what it’s all about.

Finally, there’s a upcoming game called Bendy: The Cage, which takes place during Bendy and the Dark Revival. It sounds like it will follow our original protagonist, Henry, during that game.