Parents' Guide to

Bendy and the Ink Machine

By Paul Semel, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 12+

Freaky first-person adventure full of animated jump scares.

Game Nintendo Switch , Xbox One , PlayStation 4 , Windows , Mac 2018
Bendy and the Ink Machine Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this game.

  • Bendy and the Ink Machine: screenshot #1
  • Bendy and the Ink Machine: screenshot #2
  • Bendy and the Ink Machine: screenshot #3

Community Reviews

See all
age 10+

Based on 23 parent reviews

Nameqwer
Nameqwer Adult
May 29, 2022
age 10+
good

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
Easy to play/use
2 people found this helpful.
DailyReviewGuy101
DailyReviewGuy101 Parent of 9 and 11-year-old
November 20, 2021
age 7+

Why is this bad?

Bendy and the ink machine may have only 1 satanic ritual in the game itself but you can move your child away from those cutscenes if needed. My son finds this game interesting and tells me it isn't bad at all. There is no bloodshed or inappropriate scenes in the game except for the ritual which has been given a solution. To all parents who may feel worried or stressed about their child on certain games check my other reviews on other games!

This title has:

Great role models
Easy to play/use
2 people found this helpful.
See all 23 parent reviews

Privacy Rating Warning

  • Unclear whether personal information is sold or rented to third parties.
  • Unclear whether personal information are shared for third-party marketing.
  • Personalised advertising is displayed.
  • Data are collected by third-parties for their own purposes.
  • User's information is used to track and target advertisements on other third-party websites or services.
  • Unclear whether this product creates and uses data profiles for personalised advertisements.
Learn more about our privacy ratings

What’s It About?

In BENDY AND THE INK MACHINE, you take on the role of Henry Stein, a retired animator. Joey Drew, an old friend of yours, wants you to come to the animation studio where you used to work together thirty years ago. But when you arrive at the studio, Joey's nowhere to be found, the building is in disrepair, and the whole place feels...off. You soon realize that something's very wrong here, especially with the halls being infested with odd ink monsters. It's up to you to figure out how to stop these creatures, find out what happened to Joey, and survive to tell the tale.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (23 ):
Kids say (112 ):

Though it's initially cute, this adventure game quickly becomes a freaky test of your reflexes, your problem solving abilities, and your heart's ability to keep beating. In Bendy and the Ink Machine, you return to the animation studio where you used to work, only to find there's something really creepy going on. Played from the first-person perspective, you have to solve situational puzzles while also fighting off ink monsters, all in an attempt to figure out what's going on. Everything happens in locations where moody lighting and eerie atmospheric sounds put you on edge, and things jump out at you at disturbing moments. It's not just the scary monsters and super creeps, either; the cardboard stand-ups of Bendy are downright frightening when they pop out at you unexpectedly. Originally released as separate episodes on PC and Mac, this collected edition presents the entire game, and brings it to game consoles as well.

But while this game does a great job of creating and maintaining a creepy vibe, and challenging your ability to think straight while being scared silly, the gameplay does have some issues. For starters, your character doesn't move very fast, even when he's being chased and you try to get him to run. He also forgot his flashlight, and doesn't seem to get why he should pick up a candle, even though the place is dark and some illumination might help him get around. But these are not so much mistakes as they are creative choices to keep you scared and engaged in the gameplay. That's why fans of escape rooms, haunted houses, and those who think old cartoons are creepy will have a frightening good time with Bendy and the Ink Machine.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about violence in video games. Is the impact of the violence in Bendy and the Ink Machine affected by the fact that you're killing ink monsters? Would it be intensified if you were killing humans instead?

  • Is it a problem that Bendy and the Ink Machine has cute imagery for characters, but scary game situations? Can adults like cute things that are framed with more mature content? Can you see how a parent might mistakenly buy this game for their younger kid?

Game Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

See all recommended game lists

Related Topics

Want suggestions based on your streaming services? Get personalized recommendations

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate