Inside The Gear (2014)

Developer: Mykhail Konokh
Platforms: Windows
Genres: Casual, Indie
Rating: 2.0 of 5, 139 player ratings
Typical playtime: about 1.9 hours
Where to get it: Steam

The 3D catalog: game boxes on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalog in 3D

The same catalog has a room you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real games from it when you tell them what you feel like playing. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this game is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

A calm, methodical puzzle game where you manipulate rusty gears and objects inside a machine, with each level feeling like a self-contained, atmospheric brain teaser.

atmosphericpuzzlephysics-basedchallengingfamily friendlymeditative2.5dsingleplayer

What players say

Players say the physics are unreliable and the controls are imprecise, turning puzzles into a battle with the mechanics rather than with logic. The lack of music coupled with grating sound effects, no menu or resolution options, and glitchy performance make it feel unfinished, like a student project.

Screenshots

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More by Mykhail Konokh

This page is from Underplayed Gems, a catalog of older and overlooked games. Not quite it? You can browse by platform and genre, or take this one into the 3D catalog and ask the Catbot for something closer.