Like its predecessor Limbo, Playdead’s Inside celebrates all things eerie through a darkly themed, 2D puzzle platformer lens. The main difference in Inside is its ‘striking visual aesthetic’, which uses minimal colour to great effect. A recent post on Gamasutra briefly takes us through the steps Playdead used to achieve Inside’s high visual fidelity, which are showcased fully in the video below.
Despite the presentation taking place in June, it appears to have been made publicly available for the first time today. In it, Graphics Programmer Mikkel Gjoel and Technical Artist Mikkel Svendsen explain the effects used to create an atmospheric aesthetic, including a layered water-rendering system and local shadowed volumetrics.
Additionally, the video looks at how a unique art style is created from a technical perspective, the exploration of custom lighting, and the importance of screen space reflections in helping establish a sense of depth.
Inside is out now on Steam, Xbox One and PS4. Interested players can try out a free demo on PC.
