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SPOILER ALERT: There aren't any explicit story spoilers ahead, but much like Playdead's previous work, Limbo, this game is best tackled with no prior knowledge. If you really have to know something before you play, read on for a relatively spoiler-free account

I still vividly recall the acute fear of seeing hazmat-masked strangers peering down at the lovable E.T., no doubt pondering which piece to dissect first. 

At its best moments, Playdead's Inside beckons back to the voyeuristic horror of poor E.T.'s test subject perspective.

It starts innocently enough: you're just a young boy traipsing through a nighttime forest. Tension ramps up slowly as you creep from left to right. A menacing spotlight here, a howling dog there. There's something unpleasant deeper into the forest, but that's your only way forward.

As a game, Inside bears a strong mechanical resemblance to Limbo, Playdead's earlier indie hit. You run and jump and push and pull various objects to solve puzzles, always with the goal of venturing ever-forward.

Inside mixes things up with new puzzle concepts, like remotely controlled creatures and underwater exploration. Most of it falls into spoiler territory, but fans of Limbo will appreciate the balance Playdead once again strikes between challenge and accessibility.

The side-scrolling presentation worked in Limbo and it's even better here. Superior art design imbues Inside with a noticeable sense of depth, especially as you venture beyond the forest to discover dilapidated warehouses and a gleaming, fully staffed research facility.

Puzzles are also plot points.

Unfortunately, the game's biggest success is also the most difficult thing to talk about: the story.

Inside feels like the best of Amblin Entertainment's childhood exploration stories of the '80s and '90s -- think E.T., Hook, even Young Sherlock Holmes -- only with a dark sci-fi twist. It's not always easy to read, but that just means there's more to pick apart in repeat playthroughs.

The pace is slow yet relentless. Each new puzzle offers a deeper glimpse into the wretched state of Inside's world. There are armies of mindless human-drones, deadly robot sentries, murderous water nymphs and worse still. They're puzzles, but they're also plot points.

Limbo delivered an exceptionally creepy atmosphere, but Inside's creep factor is deceptive. Emotions range from unease to outright horror as the reality of what's going on becomes clear, but hindsight realizations -- of what you've done and where it brought you -- are the most unsettling. 

Inside is a strong game that coalesces around a third-act "ah-ha" moment. The final sprint is unhinged celebration and death march in equal measures. Even as the inevitability of where and how your journey will end sets in, you exult in the chaos of it all.

But now I've said too much. Inside is an essential game. That's all you really need to know. 

It doesn't have an Important Message to deliver and it's not openly political or overbearing about driving home underlying themes. It's just an expertly crafted story that -- through clever design and eye-catching art -- propels you from one terrible discovery to the next.

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