Parents' Guide to InnerSpace

It's always commendable to see a game try to do something other than combat, emphasizing exploration instead, but unfortunately, this one may be too subtle and aimless to keep your attention. InnerSpace has stunning visuals and pretty landscapes for you to traverse -- this can't be overstated, as you're literally poking around the skies and seas of each land you visit -- but it's much less forward on telling you what to do. After a very patient tutorial, you're set loose in the first world and essentially told to find out what you can do, and then do it. But why and how are less clear, and remain this way for the rest of the game. You can crash through certain textures to explore what's inside a structure, use your wings to snag and clip long threads to see what reaction that causes, or just buzz around from place to place. That's what you'll be doing for the entire game.

Eventually, it becomes clear that you're meant to collect scattered orbs that function as a sort of currency to unlock and install relics and various pickups that unlock new airframes for your flights. Doing this will naturally take you through to the end of the game, but your mood will likely shift from soothed by the visuals to frustrated by your lack of progress and wondering if you're even in the right general territory. It's a fun game to play in short bursts, but if you're motivated to see the entire thing through, you'll spend a lot of time flying around aimlessly, hoping you find something you missed previously. That's not enough to say you're better off avoiding this game, but it's not a ringing endorsement, either. But if you're looking for something to just chill and play without expectations, this one will definitely lower your heart rate.