Review: Bendy and the Dark Revival

Are you curious to return and see what happened to your abandoned creative ideas? Bendy and the Dark Revival (released in November 2022) is a sequel to the first game, Bendy and the Ink Machine, developed by Joey Drew Studios. The game was originally meant to be a standalone game, but now the sequel introduces a new set of characters and stories. In this dark, familiar adventure, going deeper into the inky puddles and exploring secrets no studio would want to find... can your creativity really come to life? What if they evolved into something even more terrifying, like wanting a family to call their own?

I think it was a great choice to make a continuation of the first game, which featured Henry Stein exploring the first layer of the studio. This time, the player returns as Audrey, an animator with somewhat interesting abilities. Just like its predecessor, the deeper the inky abyss is, the more horror-stoked action there is to explore to keep you, the player, on edge throughout your dark adventure.

The Gameplay

Previously, with Bendy and the Ink Machine, the player experiences the gameplay with a first-person view as Henry Stein. The sequel is the same, but now you play as Audrey, an animator who works for Archgate Pictures (previously known as Joey Drews Studios), who is just ike any other animator who works late to complete their redrawing of Bendy animation projects.

There is a lot to do – puzzles, environment exploration, and combat, maybe even more than the first game. There are notes, items, and plenty to collect that can help with your inky journey, all while trying not to die at the hands of the ink demon.

It's still straightforward; the player progresses through each section of the map, encounters new enemies, and unfolds stories about Audrey's life with every memory item you pick up. There are audio logs with excellent voice acting (drawing you into the story more), notes that sparkle around in every corner (make sure to collect them all, who knows what you might miss), and scenes that you may be familiar with referencing the first game, like finding the items to "build your machine."

However, the combat style in this sequel is limited to one weapon, but there are hidden abilities to obtain to help you get through the game. And like the first game, the player is equipped with a gent pipe weapon that's not just like any gent pipe. You can upgrade this weapon during the playthrough as you unlock doors and zap your enemies.

Regarding the hidden abilities, Audrey is able to do a lot of exciting things, like purifying enemies to gain health back and teleporting across large holes. There are symbols dotted around the studio to help let you know when to use them.

For Bendy and the Dark Revival, there needs to be a strategy set, especially when encountering enemies. There are many ways you are able to defeat the smaller enemies, like sneaking up on them to test out your powers or whacking them endlessly until they perish. It's best to be careful because failure may result in damage or worse, your demise.

Areas of the map may have small broken barrels, vents, and miracle stations for you to hide in. You are going to need them! These will keep you out of sight when the ink demon is roaming around, as well as smaller enemies.

Playing Through the Plot of Bendy and the Dark Revival

Like Bendy and The Ink Machine, the Bendy and The Dark Revival game is divided into five chapters, each with completely new areas to explore and diving deeper into Audrey's story.  (Contains some spoilers!)

Bendy and the Dark Revival doesn't dive straight into chapters. It is shown through the game that each chapter starts and the other finishes. The game eases you in, making sure you know the controls and that you're comfortable with the initial settings. The start of the game offers a way to give you a short tutorial on how to play without reading anything, which I preferred.

When the story starts, you meet Audrey, the main character of the game that you will play as. She's been working late and now needs a coffee to get through. You meet Wilson, a janitor (or so he says), as you enter the elevator.

Suddenly, the elevator stops. Audrey panics and mentions how she doesn't want to be stuck, so Wilson reassures her that it can be fixed. He leads Audrey to a new room that she hasn't seen before – a museum of Joey Drew. There are familiar items that are displayed here, and there are also some items missing from the plinths, just like Chapter 1 in Bendy and the Ink Machine.

Like the first game, when Henry must put back all the missing items to start up the machine, the items were also placed, and ink suddenly came rushing out of the machine, entering a whole new cycle. I especially enjoyed this callback to the first game with starting the ink machine up again.

Chapter 1, titled "Drawn to Darkness," is where you meet Alice. Wilson claims to have destroyed the ink demon and just made things even more, which has now caused them to end up at a new form of the inky studio. Audrey navigates through the inky puddles, not getting too close as they might swallow you whole, and discovers the Animation Alley. Here, Alice gives instructions to find a weapon to protect yourself from the darkness within and to get you through doors that may appear locked.

Going through each section, you later find yourself in the Atrium Supply where the gent pipe is stuck in a lost one's body. Delightful, isn't it? But now you can protect yourself from enemies, and abilities will also start to appear. Continuing the journey, you meet what we think is the "perfect Bendy," a friendly character. However, because of Audrey's abilities, she ends up hurting Bendy, resulting in him running away and hiding. Even after quickly following him, he is nowhere to be seen.

There's a lot to uncover in Chapter 1, especially with all the information. It may be overwhelming, but it will help you fight through. At the end of chapter one, after collecting photos for a lost one named the Mad Artist, a deep voice appears from the shadows. This belongs to the Ink Demon himself! A chase scene quickly follows, and when it almost catches you, the door shuts on the Ink Demon.

All in all, Chapter 1 is full of introductions, like meeting new characters and encountering the main antagonist. This has really been a step up from the first game. I like how you get chucked in the deep end and find your own ways out with subtle guides to help you if you are stuck.

Chapter 2, titled"Demons Domain", continues from meeting Bendy and into a new location. This chapter has more opportunities to interact with characters in the journey. Compared to the first game, you can quickly know who your friends are and who you may want to avoid. For example, you meet a ghost character named Carley (well, more of the corpse), who was meant to be the fourth member of the Butcher Gang, but fell through due to wanting to keep the trio.

After meeting Carley, she will appear out of nowhere and where you least expect it, adding to that fear factor even more. I liked how Carley's character acts like a ghost, coming out of nowhere, scaring you, and making you jump. The uncertainty of not knowing when she will pop up definitely added the horror aspect to the game.

You then come across a Lost One named Porter, who teaches you how to teleport. If you collected the items needed, there is also an upgrade opportunity on your Gent Pipe for an electrical boost. The story continues as you descend the elevator.

Chapter 3, titled "The Eternal Machine," begins with a deeper dive into the abyss, and is similar to the end of Chapter 3 in Bendy and the Ink Machine with Alice Angel. Instead of the angel, though, you get caught in a battle with King Widow, a spider-like creature with a large mouth in the centre of its body. But worry not, if your health becomes too low, coffee will save the day! After defeating it, you'll be able to navigate through the sewers with more puzzles to explore.

This chapter is an interesting turn of events, especially at the end – new boss battles, twists, and turns of the story got me hooked! I like how this game has so much information, story, and exploration. Unlike the first game, though, there are still gaps for me to make theories of what may have happened. I keep wanting to learn more about Audrey and her past.

Chapter 4, titled "Factory of Horrors," is arguably the longest. You reunite with Bendy at the Lost City, and it makes you wonder how this small studio got so big. This chapter explores the new areas towards the Gent building, Audrey's past, how she was created, and who her father is.

There's a cutscene that reveals all these secrets, and after you obtain all the cards you need, you find the Gent building with Bendy and his transformation. There are many attempts to kill you, like the poisonous gas from the Keepers who work under Wilson. There are new character introductions – Heidi looks like a kid at heart, and she just wants to play hide and seek – but at this point, you can't judge a book by its cover!

This is where the game diverts slightly into small side quests. It could have been shorter in some places; however, I loved being able to trek back to the start, as there were more secrets to find, and it kept me on my toes. I thought the scene before collecting the card in the Lost City, flashing back to sequences on Bendy and The Ink Machine, was a great touch to link both the games together, and had much of a bigger impact on the character development than I originally thought.

There is a side quest to find a friendly lost one to open the door to The Pit to progress into the story. The Pit is where you'll find previous characters from the first game, like Henry Stein (also known as the Cyclebreaker) and Sammy Laurence, the musician for Joey Drew Studios, and other side characters who, well, let's say you didn't see much of in the first game. Chapter 3 ends when Henry tells you how to use "The End" and what it's for. Just when you think you're finally going back up, Audrey gets captured by a Keeper and is taken to Wilson.

The Last chapter, 'The Dark Revival," is jam-packed with plot twists and action. It starts with Wilson telling you how to kill the Ink Demon after believing he already did. He guides you to his hideout, and Betty, his assistant, gives you a sleeping drug. Aliec Angel, also known as Twisted Alice, bombards you before you finish the last sip of the medicine.

Audrey wakes up at the end of a table (like Alice and Wonderland with the Mad Hatter), and is now in a life-or-death situation. You must solve a puzzle game, but be careful because any wrong move might be electrifying! The overall main objective is to open the door that is behind Alice. Sounds easy enough, right? Yeah, no... because Alice tries to shoot you with her Tommy gun. When failing to banish her, Alison appears with her friend Tom to save the day.

Now back with Wilson at the underground lab, Audrey hears his plan to banish the Ink Demon and discovers an image of a colored Sailor who will take over the Ink Demon's place to control the ink world. Audrey's purpose is also revealed – her soul will be extracted and into this new ruler of the ink. Wilson grabs Audrey by force to kill her, but fails. Instead, he is the one who gets incinerated.

Just when I thought this was over, we come across the Ink Machine one last time... or is it? Wilson's soul becomes a new monster, and a battle ensues. He tears off Audrey's leg, incapacitating her and making her helpless. The Ink Demon appears and consumes her, merging them into one Beast.

This must be the end, right? Nope. Joey Drew appears with a familiar object, the End Reel used in Bendy and the Ink Machine! After Joey's demise, the whole domain fights back with one objective: Destroy Audrey. Allison and Tom also help Audrey until the end. When she gets there, Audrey points the projector at herself, hoping to restart the cycle once again, but in a better light. The game finishes with Audrey in the original chair she was in at the beginning, signaling that a new cycle was created with her companion, Bendy, beside her.

This ending was insane! I just loved how you never knew what was coming; it just kept escalating and getting better and better. I thought that this was by far the best chapter out of the five. I especially loved the animation at the end of the game. It was nice to see the recurring and new characters, and it was great to see all of them band together at the end to help Audrey. The items that held Audrey's memories were also a nice discovery, as well as the ones with Betty.

My Honest Experience in the Journey Through the Inky Abyss

The concept of this game is a huge level-up from Bendy and The Ink Machine. I liked the way the game progressed smoothly, proving me wrong in terms of a story becoming boring if it was too detailed or intense right off the bat. In fact, the story of the game started intensely, and yet still so much room for imagination and gaps for theories. The game kept me on edge, and it exceeded my expectations in every section that I played. I also loved how the game gave the illusion of a possible bad ending, but twisted it into something brilliant.

Aesthetically, the game has an incredible attention to detail, from the characters to the buildings and areas. Similar to Bendy and The Ink Machine, there is a mixture of traditional pencil animations, cardboard cutouts, and 3D graphics – all creating an eerie feel to the game. The colours that were used to signify the past and the ageing create a nostalgic vibe.

The characters have pretty much the same design as the first game, except that there is so much detail added to each character now. The progress in every chapter is pretty similar in structure, and it runs quite smoothly. For example, the cutscenes have improved, there are more animations, including opening doors, picking up items, and they get better the further you go.

Gameplay-wise, Bendy adds some extra abilities to learn in the mechanics. The controls are easy to learn since there are instructions. There were also moments in the game where you listened to recordings and didn't have a visual of the script on screen, and instead, had an option to revisit the recording on the menu page. Although I experienced some parts that were not as smooth and responsive, that's probably due to my own Nintendo Switch being old.

There was a part in the sidequests of Chapter 3 where I felt a bit frustrated. There were moments when the smaller enemies would see me even when I was hidden, and the hit range for the enemies compared to the player was not the same, so that was very challenging.

I also wished that Bendy's scene had more drama, like lurking around or a chase scene, as opposed to a sudden jump scare emerging out of nowhere if I didn't get to the hiding spot in time. Additionally, I thought the screen was too dark during his appearance, so I wasn't really able to see where I was going. As much as I loved the idea of being able to upgrade our weapon, I also thought that the opportunities to upgrade the Gent Pipe were lacking, and that there should be more of it throughout the game.

Bendy and the Dark Revival has a variety of accessibility options, like the sensitivity (which I struggled to use due to my device) and the custom volume controls. There were also parts, such as on the train, where other languages were spoken – I thought it was a nice touch to the game.

Bendy and The Dark Revival Review Wrap-Up

Like Bendy and The Ink Machine, I feel like this franchise is a great way to get into the horror genre since it has a range of exciting puzzles, exploration, and mysteries. In addition, the creative mixture of 2D and 3D aspects is a brilliant concept, especially the fact that it has a great story to go with it. The visuals are immersive, and the emotions of the characters (the flashbacks of Audrey and even Joey Drew) are well-delivered through their facial expressions and actions.

Overall, Bendy and the Dark Revival massively stepped up its game, from the mechanics, storyline, details, areas to explore, and so much more. It proved me wrong when I thought that it would be boring after a strong start, but instead, it captivated me. The chapters ran so smoothly that I didn't even realise I was so far into the game, which I enjoyed very much.

So what happens when our creations are abandoned? In Bendy and the Dark Revival, dive deep into the inky abyss and learn what really happens to those who are lost.

There are still upcoming additions to the franchise, such as the newly released The Lone Wolf, where we can learn about the perspectives of all the main characters. These amazing games are available on PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, and Xbox. Bendy and the Dark Revival is priced at £22.99 (about $31) on Steam and other platforms.

For more updates on upcoming games, make sure you follow TheMeatly's social media on Instagram, X, and the TheMeatly and JoeyDrewStudios official websites.

© 2017-2025 Joey Drew Studios Inc.