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.

Bendy and the Ink Machine Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

age 10+

Based on 23 parent reviews

age 10+
good

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
Easy to play/use
2 people found this helpful.
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.

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.

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.

Game Details

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