Alchemy Garden
Alchemy Garden
Game
Game2015
In Between
Developer Gentlymad
In Between is set inside the mind of a man hit by a cruel twist of fate. Together you are on a journey through the protagonist's head, a world that doesn’t obey the laws of physics. From the Steam store page
205 reactions from 3 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Mastodon) · newest Nov 3, 2026 · last updated Nov 4, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
80
LovedLoved
148 positive · 36 negative
95% range 74–86%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 148 | 36 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 0 | 1 | 18 |
| Mastodon * | 0 | 0 | 2 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
198 of 238 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
81% recommend · 153 yes, 36 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 189 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Very Positive (412 of 484 positive).
Players praise the game's emotional story and its integration of the five stages of grief. [1][2][3] Many find the puzzles challenging and innovative, with unique gravity mechanics. [4][5][6] Some reviewers criticize the controls as clunky and certain mechanics as frustrating. [7][8][9]
Liked
Representative posts
- [7]
In Between is an introspective puzzle game where the player must complete a set of challenges whilst questioning the existential. The art style is nice and unique with decent voice acting, but the writing is questionable. The mechanics are reminiscent of other games such as 'And Yet It Moves' and 'The Bridge' where the player must manipulate gravity to reach their goal. Upon launch I did discover fairly quickly that …
- [1]
God I love me a good depressing game but I didn’t know it was going to hurt so much. I first played this during quarantine, and man the story was intense. I love how it embedded the 5 stages of grief into each section. Really cathartic for where I was emotionally at the time. I adored this game! I really liked the style and I found the story totally engrossing, and ultimately devastating. I also thought the stages …
- [4]
My playtime: 16.4h (based on steam, 100% achievement) Grindy Achievement(s): No. Optional Achievement(s): Yes (8 achievements). Difficult Achievement(s): Yes (~2 achievements; the game is difficult). Intro In Between is a difficult platformer game with unique mechanics in each chapter. There are 9 mandatory and 3 optional levels in each chapter with 5+1 chapters in total. Pros: - 5+1 chapters - The story matches …
- [2]
Best narrative I've seen in a platformer. Each world adds a mechanics as metaphors for stages of dealing with death. Since the update that increased checkpoints the game feels much more playable and accessible. Unfortunately the controls dont feel as tight as some platformers. A few hours of game play to get through the story and a few more if your looking to complete everything.
- [3]
In Between is essentially a VVVVVV clone, but what sets it apart is its story-driven narrative, art design, improved graphics & presentation, and and clever, more succinct puzzles. In addition to the gravity rotating phsyics and visuals being much more refined, you play as a man dying from cancer, and each of the five sets of levels symbolically deal with the five stages of grief in intriguing ways. They manifest …
Summarised from 28 of the 191 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 10, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
Players who liked In Between talk about beautiful art style and atmospheric music; those who didn't talk about controls feel clunky and imprecise. Which matters more to you?
Reactions
60 of 205 · most liked firstIntroduction In Between is developed by Gentlymad and published by Headup Games. It was quite the train trip, metaphorically speaking. Took me a while to review it since “happiness” isn’t on this game’s shortlist of emotions it expresses. Gameplay It is not a story without hope. I played games that were truly nihilistic, but In Between walks a thin line from which it never derails. I’m not going to talk of the plotline a lot but to give you an impression, once our protagonist discovers that…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Very good game imho, worth it's price! Nice art, good controls, pleasure to play! Sometimes puzzles are hard and need to think a bit to solve them, I like games which requires your brain activity during the gameplay. 10/10.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game is really beautiful but I'm a goat. 8/10 my rating.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →God I love me a good depressing game but I didn’t know it was going to hurt so much. I first played this during quarantine, and man the story was intense. I love how it embedded the 5 stages of grief into each section. Really cathartic for where I was emotionally at the time. I adored this game! I really liked the style and I found the story totally engrossing, and ultimately devastating. I also thought the stages of grief were wonderfully incorporated both into the game-play and into the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →You and your crow companion are ride or die. You sing to the sea in your pain and she answers with the fury of mothers everywhere. You finally find true love, but a god has already claimed their heart. Who will YOU become in Between Earth and Sky: the Roleplaying Game?
neutral · AI labelView post →In Between is an introspective puzzle game where the player must complete a set of challenges whilst questioning the existential. The art style is nice and unique with decent voice acting, but the writing is questionable. The mechanics are reminiscent of other games such as 'And Yet It Moves' and 'The Bridge' where the player must manipulate gravity to reach their goal. Upon launch I did discover fairly quickly that multi-monitor displays can cause issues but they were remedied fairly quickly.…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Not 'difficult' as the tags say. Just some of the very late levels have some things for which you need to build muscle memory, and then require you to start the bloody thing over, frequently waiting for lights and whatnot to be in the right spot, so that you have an unnecessarily long iteration time between attempts of the thing that's actually giving you trouble. That and some of the puzzles give you like ten seconds to work out a part, before some light leaves you or anger blob kills you.…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →In between life and death, a story unfolds that may seem cliché at first glance, but is expressed in a compelling and intense manner. Additionally, it seamlessly integrates mechanics, concepts, art, and music in a beautiful way. If you appreciate puzzles and platformers (and it happens to be on sale), I believe it's definitely worth considering. Well, however, it's about reflecting on life at the crossroads of life and death, but isn't the volume of that reminiscence too short? What a life...…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I was so on board with everything this game started laying out during the tutorial. The artstyle, the music, the intriguing (and depressing) premise accompanied with great voice acting. The tutorial explaining the gravity shifting mechanic was enough to hook me into the promise of all the puzzles this game has to offer. But things quickly fell apart once into the 1st chapter… Firstly the main character model (while visually fantastic) is a bit clunky to control. He takes long strides while…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Gameplay: 4/10 Graphics & Sound: 6/10 Narration: 6/10 ✔️ The game is pretty enough, with a distinct art style, and nice piano soundtrack. ✔️ The narration is pretty intriguing, for what I have seen of it. ❌ The movement fluidity is a bit clunky - it would be manageable on its own but... ❌ WHY DO PEOPLE KEEP PUTTING TIME-INTENSIVE MECHANICS IN THEIR PUZZLE GAMES WITH ROUGH CONTROLS??? Seriously, I was kinda enjoying the game, and then they introduced that creeping darkness mechanic that…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →My playtime: 16.4h (based on steam, 100% achievement) Grindy Achievement(s): No. Optional Achievement(s): Yes (8 achievements). Difficult Achievement(s): Yes (~2 achievements; the game is difficult). Intro In Between is a difficult platformer game with unique mechanics in each chapter. There are 9 mandatory and 3 optional levels in each chapter with 5+1 chapters in total. Pros: - 5+1 chapters - The story matches well with in-game mechanics - Amazing looking cutscenes and animation -…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Characters in Between Earth & Sky: the RPG might be warriors or powerful scions; have powers of blood magic or dreamwalking, or Sing to the sea; they might ride winged serpents or giant crows... For all one's abilities, though, a life in the Meridian is a life never fully your own. 1/2
neutral · AI labelView post →i hate fighting time travelers! what the fuck how do you know my attack pattern. i've literally never done this one what do you MEAN you've spent weeks learning it!! well how about- HOW. HOW ARE YOU HITTING THE GRIDDY IN BETWEEN MY SHOTS. IS THIS A FUCKING GAME TO YOU?
negative · AI labelView post →Really great visuals and fantastic music/atmosphere. Which is why it pains me to leave a thumb down... Game starts off quite well, but the moment it introduces the shadow that closes in on you, the experience kinda falls apart for me. It makes the game far less about the puzzle aspect and puts the emphasis on traversal execution. While some ppl may like that, this just isn't for me unfortunately.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I expected to face interesting challenges. Pressing buttons quickly in a certain order to control the character in an obvious but tedious way is maybe a good exercise for fine motor skill, but not for me. Deinstalled.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →it starts of fun, but then they introduced a "wall of darkness" which chases you and will kill you quick. I mean some people probably think its a cool mechanic, but I like puzzlers without any mechanics to try speed you up and make you get it wrong. It's just an artificial way of inflating "hours played" stats, by making you have to go so fast through puzzles that you lose again and again and again, to make the game seem longer/better than it is. 2/10 interesting start, but WOD mechanic ruined…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →In Between is a 2D puzzle platformer with focus on precision platforming. You play as a man with terminal cancer who relives his memories through a series of puzzle levels. Most of these puzzles are solved by your ability to manipulate gravity. Visuals The hand-drawn visuals are rather muddy and can look little unprofessional. Audio Sound effects, voice acting and music are all decent if rather forgettable. Gameplay The game is structured as a rather typical puzzle platformer. You progress…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Feels more like a precision platformer than the story-driven puzzle platformer I expected. If that's your cup of tea, you'll probably enjoy it more than I did.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Q: Can you go a little more in-depth about how Prophecies are going to work as a game mechanic in Between Earth & Sky? How do they differ from Cypher character arcs? A: Ooh, yes! I can (although we are still in development, so take all of this with a grain of salt)... 1/6
neutral · AI labelView post →Q: Can you go a little more in-depth about how Prophecies are going to work as a game mechanic in Between Earth & Sky? How do they differ from Cypher character arcs? A: Ooh, yes! I can (although we are still in development, so take all of this with a grain of salt)... 1/6
neutral · AI labelView post →Regardless of your own cultural background, we think you'll LOVE the vivid, compelling characters and campaigns you'll experience in Between Earth & Sky: the Roleplaying Game. Call to the sea ˖°🌊🐚🫧 Summon shadow ˚🕯️🖤‧₊˚ Command your destiny 🔮ִ ࣪𖤐💠 1/2
neutral · AI labelView post →At first, I wasn't drawn to play this game. My persona is happy and I enjoy life and I consider myself optimistic, so with the plot and the storyline being sad and a bit murky, I felt like the game is not gonna deliver. On the contrary, it's amazing. It's that level of amazing, when you get frustrated over a puzzle, but still have the mindset of 'I'm gonna pass this level no matter what'. Great graphic design of the game, kudos for that. It could use some light in some areas, but as the game…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Beautiful game, I like one too. 10/10.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Puzzle platformer with gloomy atmosphere and some background story. Not bad but somehow boring sometimes.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Good premise and well done but needs annoyingly exact timing - makes this puzzle platformer more annoying than fun.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I really really want to like this game, but can't. The story is captivating, but the narator is monotonous and boring, not enough to keep my interest. The concept and gameplay are really fun and interesting. The controls might seem a little awkward but after 10 minutes you get used to them. The soundtrack felt meh, a little on the edgy side but suits the story so I'll give it a pass. Now however, there are some glaring issues: 1) Hitboxes: - The hitbox of your character is janky, and changes…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The mechanics, concepts, art, and music are all well done. The puzzles themselves are challenging but, in the end, too unforgiving for me. You have to be PERFECT and if you aren't - you go back way too far for my peace of mind. It becomes infuriating over time. If you like a challenge that requires you to be perfect, this might be for you. My younger self might have enjoyed this. For where I am now, life is too short to get so angry at a game.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I was actually enjoying the game a lot until the death fog that moves in on you unless you look at it levels came up which ruined it for me because instead of a puzzle platformer it turned into a precision time based platformer
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I was having a dark period of my life, when i played this game. I want to say, that this game is a gem. Through the hard levels, you always hear some great thougts of a dying man. I am still broken and after this game, i feel more depressed. This game will change your life. 9/10
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Shadowy espionage, cutthroat politics, and dangerous magic come to life in Between Earth and Sky: the Roleplaying Game. Back it today on BackerKit Crowdfunding! mymcg.info/beas #fantasy #fantasybooks #booksky #rebeccaroanhorse #betweenearthandsky 2/2
neutral · AI labelView post →“Power is not given, it is taken from the hands of those too weak to hold it.” —Lord Balam Monsters in Between Earth and Sky: the RPG aren’t only stalking about in the dark—they sit on thrones. How will you navigate lethal political waters when one moment can cost you everything? 1/2
neutral · AI labelView post →“The sea is an engine of ancient, raw power, and when you know how to sing to it…you can bend it to your will. But there is always a cost.” —Xiala Magic in Between Earth & Sky: the Roleplaying Game isn’t a parlor trick—it channels power from the natural world, and it demands a price. 1/2
neutral · AI labelView post →🐦⬛ You and your crow companion are ride or die (as literally as can be). 🌊 You sing to the sea in your pain, and she answers with the fury of a mother. ✨ You find true love, but a god has already claimed their heart. Who will YOU become in Between Earth and Sky: the RPG? mymcg.info/beas
neutral · AI labelView post →🐦⬛ You and your crow companion are ride or die (as literally as can be). 🌊 You sing to the sea in your pain, and she answers with the fury of a mother. ✨ You find true love, but a god has already claimed their heart. Who will YOU become in Between Earth and Sky: the RPG? mymcg.info/beas
neutral · AI labelView post →Unfortunately, the item lies in the heart of a mysterious storm, swirling out to sea under a strange new constellation. Would you play Hedía in Between Earth & Sky: the Roleplaying Game? 🪸🌊🔮 mymcg.info/beas 2/2
neutral · AI labelView post →Story? Touching. Soundtrack? Great. Artwork? Beautiful. Voice acting? Very good. Gameplay? Innovative. If you are a fan of platformer games and puzzles games, this game is a must-play. In Between is good on all aspects, and the developer team managed to put a lot of work in making this great of a game. One downside of the game in my opinion is the controlling that may be a bit overwhelming and you can die to spikes with the slightest movement or without clear vision. Other than that,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →First off: if you are not feeling mentally well, have depression, or are experiencing suicidal or self harm tendencies, I do not recommend playing this game. The game is quite sad and is fundamentally about accepting death as an ok thing. If you are in a place for that, this game is quite a good exploration of it and has some really interesting mechanics that make the game worth your while..
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It is interesting to find new mechanics in videogames. Still, this ones are way too strange. Instead of engaging, they are annoying. Game needs a very high precision, which makes it not only a puzzle game, but a platform game. Focusing on puzzles would have been better. Time limit (darkness) is a bad move. Mechanics are strange enough for removing the possibility to see all the level. A little bug: a couple of times, game was saved in the midst of a level and, when spawning, it would do so…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Very emotional story and gripping gameplay, unfortunately I found the puzzles far too frustrating to continue playing.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I felt sad and thought I would cheer myself up with a game, and I chose this one. Bad decision. Now I feel even sadder. 10/10. Good game, though, you should play it!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Best narrative I've seen in a platformer. Each world adds a mechanics as metaphors for stages of dealing with death. Since the update that increased checkpoints the game feels much more playable and accessible. Unfortunately the controls dont feel as tight as some platformers. A few hours of game play to get through the story and a few more if your looking to complete everything.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If you want a game that explores individuality, purpose and the essence of one's existence, bundled with the complexity of puzzles and gravity-defying truths, then you should play this game. This game is one of the few examples as to how video games are an art in itself, an experience that must be felt. It invokes presence of mind, tip-top mental health, and puts into place philosophical queries that should become a mirror in our own, real lives. The game also has the tendency to infuriate…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →But her heart sunders, as she must choose one love to save and one to let go. Would you play Kahini in Between Earth & Sky: the Roleplaying Game? 🪸🌊🔮 mymcg.info/beas 2/2
neutral · AI labelView post →A disguised Rage Game with puzzle aspects hidden behind a great story and atmosphere Really great visuals and fantastic music, story and atmosphere It pains me to leave a thumb down... Game starts off quite well, but the moment it introduces the shadow that closes in on you, the experience kinda falls apart for me. It makes the game far less about the puzzle aspect and puts the emphasis on traversal execution. There are too few checkpoints and it was a frustrating experience that took me…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Clever and depressing (cancer themed) little puzzle game, but the level designer(s) clearly missed the mark on making the game fun...
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →In Between is essentially a VVVVVV clone, but what sets it apart is its story-driven narrative, art design, improved graphics & presentation, and and clever, more succinct puzzles. In addition to the gravity rotating phsyics and visuals being much more refined, you play as a man dying from cancer, and each of the five sets of levels symbolically deal with the five stages of grief in intriguing ways. They manifest themselves as environmental elements you must avoid or work with to advance; for…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →unconventional game idea. Challenging puzzles. Would recommend to every puzzle platfomer enthusiast!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Would you play Xihuitl in Between Earth & Sky: the Roleplaying Game? 🐦⬛☄️🔮 mymcg.info/beas 2/2
neutral · AI labelView post →I am about 5 hours into this game and a little over halfway through it. I have really been enjoying my time with it. The graphics are very appealing and add to the experience. But game play is what sets this title apart from other platform puzzlers. The interesting physics concepts being explored are fantastic. Moving with one stick while controlling the gravitational flow with the other stick translates into a game play that is challenging but fun. If you don't like dying in games this title…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →5/10 its like VVVVVVVV + decent story - i would not call this a puzzle platformer - not much content for the 12$ price tag
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Whilst the subject matter and storyline are great, the graphics pretty, the game is fatally flawed by a frustrating and ultimately pointless control system. Rather than being a potential "great" the likes of Limbo, etc, instead this falls flat and becomes a bit of a mess. The storyline is lost under overly pointless and frustrating control systems. Shame really. 4/10
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's the VVVVVV of Depression! Yeah!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Another morose puzzle platformer , except you can't jump you have to shift gravity by the cardinal directions to traverse areas. The hitboxes were iffy but overall it's rather quick and it’s quite a challenge.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →An emotionally and moving story based puzzle game, where you control and manipulate gravity, with unique rotation and gravity mechanics. A story that will stay with you for quite some time. I didn't really know what to expect, I just started to play and didn't stop playing until it was finished. And it was quite the journey. Artistically beautiful, with good atmospheric sounds, great narration and a captivating story. The story was intriguing and despite the puzzles sometimes being insanely…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Haven't finished this one yet, but have loved it so far. I think the best game to compare this to is braid, although they're still pretty different. This game has a much better, much more haunting story, but the ingame puzzle mechanics are nowhere near as interesting. Still, very insightful, very real story. I definately recommend this one.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm giving this a recommendation in spite of being frustrated with recent puzzle platformers that deal in gravity/perception instability. It's not so much that I don't like them, but developers that work in the genre these days ramp the difficulty levels up particularly early in the game. It's still very well designed (think a little bit of Braid and a lot of And Yet It Moves or The Bridge) and of course, the heartbreaker story. Worth your time if you're a serious business puzzle platformer fan.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →In the end, I hope the good outweighs the bad. Fair warning for spoilers and general bizarreness on my part. "I’ll need a bit of time before I could write anything about it" was my first thought when I saw the credits roll. I didn’t know what to say, there were too many things I wanted to type out but too few I could actually tell in a succinct and organised manner. Now it’s been long enough, and for once I’m at peace with the fact that I don’t feel like a game review should to be succinct…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →High quality game, but it's questionable if it's worth full price. Yes. The sounds and music are good. The visual part - maybe it's not the kind of things I like, but it's simple and complex at the same time, and variety of things we see is astonishing. However, game seems to be a little bit too hard for me. (I got stuck 4th" anger level", I think) Story itself... can't really tell, because I didn't finish game, but seems to be okay. And some levels are very frustrating to complete. :)
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →First impression: great art, atmosphere, narrative - really want to know more of this story. Not a fan of the gameplay at all. Requires precise, twitch movements of an analogue stick (if using a gamepad). Death doesn't feel fair or deserved. I don't feel like I learn anything with each death. When I pass a section I feel lucky and relieved, not that I have understood or mastered something. If I find myself enjoying the gameplay more later on I'll come back and ammend.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game has incredible plot and aaaaawsome music. You`ve done hell of a good job guys :) congratulations!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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