Bendy and the Ink Machine

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This article is about the game. For the franchise based on it, see Bendy (franchise).

Bendy and the Ink Machine
Bendy and the Ink Machine.png
Developer(s)Kindly Beast[a] (Joey Drew Studios Inc.)
Publisher(s)Kindly Beast
Rooster Teeth Games (consoles)
Designer(s)theMeatly
Mike Mood
Matt Goles
Dan Tozer
Artist(s)Pascal Cleroux
Writer(s)theMeatly
Bookpast
EngineUnity
Platform(s)
Release
  • Chapter One: Moving Pictures
  • February 10, 2017
  • Chapter Two: The Old Song
  • April 18, 2017
  • Chapter Three: Rise and Fall
  • September 28, 2017
  • Chapter Four: Colossal Wonders
  • April 30, 2018
  • Chapter Five: The Last Reel
  • October 26, 2018
  • Chapter ?: Archives
  • October 26, 2018
  • Complete Edition (Steam)
  • October 27, 2018
  • Consoles (Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4)
  • November 20, 2018
  • Mobile (iOS and Android)
  • December 21, 2018
Genre(s)Survival horror
Mode(s)Single-player

Bendy and the Ink Machine[b] is an episodic first-person survival horror video game developed and published by Kindly Beast[a] under the name of the game's in-universe animation studio Joey Drew Studios Inc.[1][2] It was initially released to Game Jolt on February 10, 2017, as the first of five chapters, with a full release on October 27, 2018. The game was also released for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch 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 and Twitch, 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".[3] Bendy and the Dark Revival, the next game in the series, is scheduled for released in 2022.

Gameplay[]

Bendy and the Ink Machine is a first person survival horror 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 corrupted the entire studio and brought certain cartoon characters to life. The game mixes combat with puzzle mechanics.[4] Players explore through a first-person view and have limited physical actions such as running and jumping.[5] Different items can be collected, some of which are required to perform various tasks before proceeding.[6] Cans of bacon soup can also be collected for achievements and to restore Henry's health if he is injured.[7]

Combat is primarily focused around a variety of different melee-based weapons, such as an axe, pipe, plunger, wrench, or scythe.[8] Additionally there are long-range weapons such as a tommy gun 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.[9] Failure to do so will result in a death.[8] 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 at one of the numerous statues of Bendy that act as checkpoints.[10][11] The player can save their progress by interacting with time card stations.[11]

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.[12][13] 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.[14]

Plot[]

Chapter 1: Moving Pictures[]

In 1963, retired animator Henry Stein receives a letter from his former friend and employer, Joey Drew, asking him to return to their animation studio and see something important. He finds the studio abandoned, but discovers an "ink machine", installed sometime after Henry's departure 30 years earlier. He finds a tape recording by janitor Wally Franks that suggests Joey engaged in bizarre occult practices while making the machine, as well as a mutilated real-life analogue of Boris the Wolf, one of the studio's cartoon characters. Once Henry fixes and starts the machine, he is attacked by a creature known as "Ink Bendy", or "The Ink Demon" whose appearance is vastly different than the original version of studio mascot Bendy. Bendy appears as a cheerful, mischievous, short, and rather chubby cartoon devil. The Ink Demon is tall, and skinny, almost skeletal. His limbs are out of proportion with one another, and melted ink drips over his visage. The only similarities between Bendy and the Ink Demon are their enormous grins, yellow bow ties, and pointed heads. As the studio begins to fill with ink, Henry flees toward the exit, only for the floor to collapse and drop him into the studio's lower levels. Draining the ink from this area, he finds a chamber whose floor is marked with strange diagrams. He hallucinates seeing the ink machine, a wheelchair, and then the Ink Demon before blacking out. The meaning of these hallucinations is largely ambiguous.

Chapter 2: The Old Song[]

Henry wakes up and begins to search for a way out, eventually reaching the music department. Henry finds a stairwell leading to the exit, but the entrance is flooded with ink. After pulling a power switch at the top of the flooded stairwell, he is attacked by ink creatures known as the Searchers; once they are defeated, a large metal door which previously blocked the next area opens. Henry traverses the area and reaches the office of Sammy Lawrence, the studio's musical director. He notices an Ink Pump inside the office, which should drain the stairwell. After completing several tasks spanning several locations to drain the ink, Henry hurries toward the exit but is attacked by Sammy Lawrence. Sammy's entire body has been transformed into Ink. He wears faded, damaged coveralls similar to Boris the Wolf's and over his absent face hangs a threadbare mask of the titular character Bendy, with a hole over the mouth to breath from. Sammy intends to sacrifice Henry to Ink Bendy in order to flee the studio, but before he can do so, he is dragged away by Ink Bendy and killed. Henry frees himself and flees through the studio, pursued by Ink Bendy. Barricading himself behind a door, he waits until Ink Bendy has left and then meets a living, intact Boris, called Buddy Boris.

Chapter 3: Rise and Fall[]

Henry befriends Buddy Boris, and the two leave the latter's safehouse to continue searching for an exit. In the toy department, they find another ink creature called Twisted Alice who is a distorted version of actress Susie Campbell and the character Alice Angel. Twisted Alice leads them to her lair and reveals that she has been harvesting the ink of other characters in order to make herself beautiful. Alice also reveals some interesting tidbits of information during this meeting, such as the fact that Ink creatures who are killed in the studio often don't stay down for long, being reborn out of the Ink Machine again and again in a process known as "The Cycle." Henry must perform several tasks for Twisted Alice in order for her to let him and Buddy Boris go free, learning from tape recordings that Susie became distressed when Joey suddenly replaced her with another actress, Allison Pendle. Angry and bitter over her dismissal, Susie allowed the ink to transform her into Twisted Alice. As Henry carries out Twisted Alice's tasks, he must hide from both Ink Bendy and the Projectionist, an entity of projector operator Norman Polk. The Projectionist is a lanky ink figure, though not as lanky as the Ink Demon, with a speaker protruding from his chest, and wires from out of his back which lead to his head, a projector. Henry must also avoid and defeat the reanimated versions of the cartoon's minor antagonists, the Butcher Gang. Henry completes the tasks and boards a lift to escape with Buddy Boris, but Twisted Alice double-crosses them and forces it to crash to the bottom of its shaft. Henry wakes up to Buddy Boris desperately shaking him awake, as Twisted Alice approaches from behind him, humming. Henry can only watch as Twisted Alice seizes Buddy Boris, pulling him into the darkness.

Chapter 4: Colossal Wonders[]

Climbing out of the crashed lift, Henry ventures deeper into the cavernous studio in search of Buddy Boris and finds a lounge filled with the Lost Ones, ink creatures who show no hostility. He also discovers that Joey had been planning to open a Bendy-themed amusement park called Bendy Land with the help of famed ride designer Bertrum Piedmont. In order to reach Buddy Boris, Henry must restore power to the haunted house attraction by finding and flipping a series of switches hidden throughout a warehouse filled with rides, games, and props from the planned park. He must overcome a series of challenges in the process, one of which requires him to destroy a ride containing Bertrum's still-living, ink-corrupted head. Another forces him to evade the Projectionist in an encounter that culminates in a fight between the Projectionist and the Ink Demon. The two trade blows until The Ink Demon, tiring of the exchange, grabs the Projectionist and rips his projector off. Entering the haunted house, Henry discovers that Twisted Alice has turned Boris into a deformed, hulking beast called Brute Boris and ordered him to kill Henry. The two fight, with Henry ultimately killing Brute Boris and freeing Buddy Boris' spirit. Twisted Alice tries to kill Henry herself, but is suddenly impaled through the back with a sword by Allison Angel, a physically intact and sane duplicate of Alice who is accompanied by a wolf character named Tom. Allison and Tom are the ink versions of Allison Pendle and Thomas Connor, the studio's resident mechanic, respectively.

Chapter 5: The Last Reel[]

Allison and Tom keep Henry captured, but he eventually gains Allison's trust. She eventually gives him a "seeing tool" that allows him to see hidden messages on the walls. After Tom inadvertently reveals the location of their hideout to Bendy, he and Allison abandon Henry and flee. Henry escapes on his own and crosses a river of ink on a paddleboat while avoiding a giant Bendy hand, reaching a shantytown built by the Lost Ones. There, Henry is attacked by Sammy, shown to still be alive and blinded by rage, thinking Henry is the Ink Demon. Unmasked by Henry, Sammy tries to kill him but is instead killed by Tom. After Tom gains Henry's trust, Tom and Allison aid him in fighting off the Searchers and Lost Ones, who had been kept at bay by Sammy, and Henry falls into the Administrative Lobby. After repairing a set of pipes and killing the recurring Butcher Gang, he finds Tom and Allison. Henry learns that the Ink Demon has stolen something important from the film vault and enters his lair — a much vaster version of the Ink Machine — to retrieve it. Allison and Tom remain behind, fearing that the ink will absorb and corrupt them. Inside, Henry finds one last tape recording by Joey, expressing his regret for everything that has happened and asking Henry to destroy the Ink Demon. Henry finds the stolen item, a film reel marked "The End." The reel contains the end of all cartoons, and the Ink Demon chases him throughout the machine while transforming into a giant monster, Beast Bendy, the final boss of the game. Henry eventually plays the reel, projecting a "The End" title card on every available screen and causing Beast Bendy to dissolve into ink when he sees it.

The game suddenly changes to a flashback in the inside of Joey's home, with a bulletin board covered with letters from Allison Pendle, now married to Thomas Connor, and Wally Franks, now living in Florida, as well as sketches such as Bendy Land. Entering the kitchen, Henry finds Joey waiting to talk to him about the paths they took in their lives. After Joey tells Henry to visit the studio, Henry opens a door in the house and finds the warehouse directly behind it, repeating his opening lines from Chapter 1. It is presumed that Henry, Joey, and all of the studio's employees may be trapped in a time loop of unknown origin.

In a post-credits scene, the camera focuses on a framed portrait of Bendy, Boris and Alice, which was a gift from Henry to congratulate Joey for his success (alongside a rusty ink machine sitting in one corner of the room). Just then, a little girl's voice asks "Uncle Joey" to tell her another story, suggesting that the entire game may have been a story or metaphor for the fall of Joey Drew Studios that Joey was telling to his niece.

The ending is left ambiguous, and the true nature of the studio is never directly confirmed.

Characters and voice cast[]

The Projectionist cosplay
  • Henry Stein (voiced by theMeatly): The main protagonist. A former animator and co-founder of Joey Drew Studios, who has returned to the studio after 30 years.
  • Joey Drew (voiced by David Eddings): Co-founder and director of Joey Drew Studios, who went bankrupt prior to the events of the game. He was speculated to be the corrupt mastermind behind the events of the game.
  • Wally Franks (voiced by theMeatly): Joey Drew Studios' relaxed janitor. He is the only character (beside Henry) to appear in all 5 chapters of the game. He became a fan-favorite with his catchphrase "I'm outta here!"
  • Thomas Connor (voiced by Mike Mood): A mechanical engineer of Gent Enterprises who was hired by Joey Drew Studios to build the Ink Machine. He speaks with a rough voice.
  • Sammy Lawrence (voiced by Aaron Landon): Joey Drew Studios' former music director who was slowly starting to go insane. During the events of the game, he was corrupted by the Ink Machine and worships Bendy as a deity.
  • Norman Polk (voiced by theMeatly): The studio's elusive and observant projector operator who is transformed into the terrifying Projectionist.
  • Susie Campbell (voiced by Alanna Linayre): The original voice actress of Alice Angel, who became obsessed with her character after she was replaced with Allison Pendle.
  • Alice Angel (voiced by Lauren Synger): One of the characters from the old Bendy cartoons. In the game, she is a twisted version of her original character, who is obsessed with preserving her beauty with living hearts.
  • Jack Fain (voiced by Bookpast): The studio's music lyricist and Sammy Lawrence's second-in-command. He becomes corrupted by the Ink Machine and is turned into a Swollen Searcher with a bowler hat.
  • Shawn Flynn (voiced by Seán "Jacksepticeye" McLoughlin): The studio's Irish merchandise director who is the builder of the toy factory seen in Chapter 3.
  • Grant Cohen (voiced by Will "DAGames" Ryan): Joey Drew's exasperated accountant.
  • Bertrum Piedmont (voiced by Joe J. Thomas): A famed British theme park designer and the creator of Bendy Land, a Bendy-themed amusement park. He rejects his treatment by Joey Drew. By the events of the game, he has merged with an octopus ride in the studio's storage.
  • Lacie Benton (voiced by Lani Minella): An engineer working under Bertrum Piedmont.
  • Allison Pendle (voiced by Lauren Synger): The second voice actress of Alice Angel who replaced Susie Campbell. She was rumored to be corrupted by the Ink Machine and turned into Allison Angel.

Additionally, there are multiple characters in the game with no featured dialogue:

  • Ink Bendy: A vicious and deformed incarnation of Bendy, the titular and most popular character of the Joey Drew Studios cartoons.
  • Boris the Wolf/Buddy Boris: A secondary character from the Bendy cartoons, who appears in-game as Henry's companion in Chapter 3.
  • The Butcher Gang: "Piper" (Charley), the "Fisher" (Barley) and the "Striker" (Edgar), who are demonic forms of minor characters from the Bendy cartoons.
  • The Searchers: A group of humanoid ink creatures who attack Henry throughout the game.
  • The Lost Ones: Similar in appearance to the Searchers, they are not always hostile and appear to be sentient. A specific Lost One is voiced by Joe J. Thomas.
  • The Swollen Searchers: Enlarged and passive forms of the Searchers, they are not hostile unless provoked. They are notable for being a source of ink throughout the game.

Development[]

Bendy and the Ink Machine release timeline
2017Chapter 1: Moving Pictures
Chapter 2: The Old Song
Chapter 3: Rise and Fall
2018Chapter 4: Colossal Wonders
Chapter 5: The Last Reel
PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch release
IOS/Android release

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. theMeatly was not a programmer and thus Mike Mood joined the production as he saw potential in the game.[15] Bendy and the Ink Machine was inspired by the BioShock series.[16]

The first chapter, Moving Pictures, took five days to be finished.[17] 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.[18] 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 months to be finished.[15][17] It was released on April 18, 2017,[19] and also added a remastered version of the previous chapter, an updated menu, subtitles, achievements, etc.[20] The game was approved by Steam Greenlight on February 28, 2017,[21][22] and was then released on Steam on April 27, 2017.[23] Chapter 1 was made available for free, while Chapter 2 was released as a DLC for $6 dollars.[20]

The third chapter, Rise and Fall, was announced on production in May 2017. It was developed by six people in at least four months,[17][24] and the reason for its long development, according to Mike Mood, was because he needed to create a framework "to make the process smoother".[24] 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.[25] However, Mike Mood stated it was used only for the trailer's chase sequence and for test purposes.[26][c] It was released on September 28, 2017,[27] while the previous two chapters also received remastered versions.[17]

The fourth chapter, Colossal Wonders, was firstly confirmed in production on November 17, 2017.[28] It also included remastered versions of the first three chapters, which included enhanced soundtracks and textures.[29][30][31] 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.[32] The fifth and final chapter, The Last Reel, was firstly confirmed in production on June 4, 2018.[33] 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.[34] A special edition titled Bendy and the Ink Machine: Jacksepticeye Edition, was given to YouTuber Jacksepticeye before the fifth chapter released to the public, which included all five chapters.[35] It was released on October 26, 2018.[36] 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.[37] The PlayStation 4 and Xbox One ports were developed and published by Rooster Teeth Games, originally intended to be released on October 26, 2018, while the Nintendo Switch port was scheduled to release on November 20, 2018, but both PlayStation 4 and Xbox One's release dates were pushed to the same date for Nintendo Switch's release.[38] On December 15, 2018, a mobile port was announced by theMeatly and Joey Drew Studios Inc., and it was released on December 21, 2018.[39]

Reception[]

According to the aggregating review website Metacritic, Bendy and the Ink Machine received "mixed or average reviews" on its console ports.[40][41][42] The website Rock, Paper, Shotgun considered the first chapter one of the best free games from the week.[45]

The game's stoyline and setting were mostly praised. Most reviewers noted that the game's art style resembles the "Steamboat Willie" era of Disney's cartoons,[46] with PlayStation LifeStyle considering Bendy as an "obvious parallel" between other cartoon characters such as Mickey Mouse or Betty Boop.[47] Liam Martin of Express considered that the game's theme to be that "classic cartoons are more sinister than we remember".[48] 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".[46] 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".[49]

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.[4] 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".[8] The puzzles, according to The Digital Fix, were considered repetitive, saying that "It's something we've done a million times before".[50]

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".[8] 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.[13] 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".[51]

The game has been frequently compared with BioShock, due to, according to PlayStation LifeStyle, the game having an "antique style".[52] 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, and Outlast, considering it a "fusion".[44] The game was also compared with Cuphead and Epic Mickey, for their homages to "rubber hose" animation and the style of 20th-century cartoons.[9][44][50]

Sales[]

By 2017, the game achieved 750 thousand downloads on Steam, according to Player.One.[53]

Awards[]

The game has received the "Best Horror Game" award by IGN and is listed as #1 in "18 Best Horror Games of 2017".[54] The mobile port received the "Game of the Day" award on February 23, 2019.[55] TouchArcade nominated the mobile port as the "Game of the Week" on December 21, 2018.[56]

Legacy[]

See also: Bendy (franchise)

YouTube was a big contributor for the popularity of Bendy and the Ink Machine. Many gamers where seen making "Let's Play" videos, being one of them Markiplier[57] and Jacksepticeye, and reached millions of views.[53][58] 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.[53] Some of the most popular fanmade songs were later included in an album intitled "Bendy's Inky Megamix", which was made to help raise donations for United Ways COVID-19 relief charity at Tiltify.[59][60]

This caused the game to have a giant fanbase, which Mood described as different from the most fanbases, calling other games' fanbases sometimes "toxic."[61] The game also attracted children audience, which attention was mostly gaven to the character Bendy, although the game is T-rated.[53][62] According to Mike Mood, what the made the game so popular was because of its characters.[53]

It also surged merchandise from the game, such as toys, shirts, etc., which can be bought on the game's official store.[63][64] Books and comic books were also released.[65][66]

Spin-offs[]

A mobile spin-off called Bendy in Nightmare Run was announced on January 26, 2018.[67] It was released on the App Store on August 15, 2018[68][69] and on the Google Play Store on September 27, 2018. The game is an endless runner 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.[70] The game is a prequel, 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.[71] The game also received several updates after its release. The latest one, Symphony of Shadows, was released on June 30, 2020.[72]

Joke Games[]

On October 23, 2018, Joey Drew Studios posted on Twitter an image announcing a joke game, intitled Black Ink Possession, parodying Red Dead Redemption 2.[73][d] 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.[74]

Crossovers[]

A Halloween crossover mod, Hello Bendy, was released for the game on October 27, 2017, for a limited time, featuring the Hello Neighbor antagonist, who takes the role as Bendy in all previous three chapters and Sammy Lawrence for Chapter 2.[75][76] 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, which also was popular at around the same time and also uses rubber hose animation.[77]

Bendy and the Dark Revival[]

Another game, Bendy and the Dark Revival, was announced on April 14, 2019.[78] However, Mike Mood stated on February 13, 2019 that it would not serve as Bendy and the Ink Machine 2.[79] A gameplay trailer was released on June 24, 2019, announcing the game's release for Fall 2019.[80] However, in December 2019, a new trailer was released to say that the game was being delayed and will release sometime in 2020.[81] 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.[82][83] However, on November 30, 2020, the developers announced that the game would be releasing in 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 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.[84][85] The game was, however, delayed once again to 2022 without being announced.

Television adaptation[]

In 2020, Derek Kolstad, creator of the John Wick franchise, stated that he has interest in making a television adaptation based on the game.[86][87]

Notes[]

  1. ^ a b Originally known as theMeatly Games.
  2. ^ Commonly abbreviated as BatIM.
  3. ^ Although that, the room was later added with Chapter 3's final remaster, which was released along with Chapter 4.
  4. ^ A curious fact is that both Red Dead Redemption 2 and Bendy and the Ink Machine: Chapter 5 were released on the same date - October 26, 2018.

References[]

  1. ^ theMeatly (September 15, 2018). "What's happening to TheMeatly Games?! BIG NEWS... AGAIN! :D" – via YouTube.
  2. ^ "Bendy and the Ink Machine". Bendy and the Ink Machine.
  3. ^ McAuley Valier, Tyler (July 11, 2017). "The Co-Creator of Bendy and the Ink Machine Talks Accidental Success". Gamasutra.
  4. ^ a b Tyler (December 3, 2018). "Bendy and the Ink Machine Review". TheXboxHub. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
  5. ^ "Bendy and the Ink Machine Review (Nintendo Switch)". GWW. December 6, 2018. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  6. ^ Sax, Eugene (December 18, 2018). "Bendy And The Ink Machine Review". GameCritics. Archived from the original on March 6, 2019. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
  7. ^ "Bendy and the Ink Machine Trophies for PlayStation 4". GameFAQs. Archived from the original on February 3, 2019. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
  8. ^ a b c d Lopez, Paul (December 1, 2018). "Bendy and the Ink Machine Review (Nintendo Switch)". VGCultureHQ. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
  9. ^ a b Bishop, Sam (November 30, 2018). "Bendy and the Ink Machine". Gamereactor. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
  10. ^ McCurdy, Aaron (December 10, 2018). "Bendy and the Ink Machine Review: The Best Kind of Nightmare". XBLA Fans. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
  11. ^ a b Spence, Codi (November 24, 2018). "From nostalgic to corrupted — Bendy and the Ink Machine review". GamingTrend. Archived from the original on November 27, 2018. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
  12. ^ Soto, Fran. "PS4 Review - 'Bendy and the Ink Machine'". Worthplaying. Archived from the original on December 21, 2018. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  13. ^ a b Hatmaker, Alyssa (October 7, 2017). "Review: Bendy And The Ink Machine Chapters 1-3". Hely on Horror. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
  14. ^ Wise, Haley (October 27, 2020). "10 Story-Driven Games That Are Better The Second Time You Play Them". The Gamer. Retrieved February 23, 2021. However, the thing that makes this game better on the second playthrough is that players get the Seeing Tool upon the first completion. The Seeing Tool reveals multiple messages across all the chapters placed throughout the environment. These messages answer some questions but create so many more, adding to the experience of a second playthrough.
  15. ^ a b Villasenor-Baca, Antonio (February 10, 2018). "Ink Demons & the Indie Canadian Game Scene: An Interview with 'Bendy and the Ink Machine' Programmer, Mike Mood". Con Safos Magazine. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
  16. ^ Bishop, Sam (December 8, 2018). "Creating a Monster: Bendy and the Ink Machine". Gamereactor.
  17. ^ a b c d Asarch, Steven (April 10, 2017). "How Bendy And The Ink Machine Lived Up To The Hype". Player.One. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  18. ^ "Atari and Game Jolt Partner to Bring New and Exciting Independent Video Game Titles to the Atari VCS". Gamasutra. July 20, 2020. Retrieved March 10, 2021. Atari® — one of the world's most iconic consumer brands and interactive entertainment producers — today announced a partnership with Game Jolt, the largest community for indie games and the people who make and play them, that will bring some of the best and most creative indie games to the Atari VCS PC-based hybrid platform. Under the partnership agreement, a curated list of games incubated on the Game Jolt platform will be brought to market on the all-new Atari VCS™ PC/console hybrid. Notable games that first emerged on the Game Jolt platform include: Bendy and the Ink Machine and FNaF World.
  19. ^ "BENDY: CHAPTER TWO LAUNCHED!". Joey Drew Studios. April 18, 2017. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
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