Bendy and the Ink Machine

Bendy and the Ink Machine (often abbreviated to BATIM) is an episodic survival horror video game developed and published by Kindly Beast (formerly theMeatly Games, Ltd.) under the name of the game's fictional animation studio, Joey Drew Studios Inc. It was initially released to Game Jolt on February 10, 2017, as the first of five chapters (including the bonus chapter), with a full release on October 27, 2018. A console port, published by Rooster Teeth Games, was released on November 20, 2018.

Plot
The game follows Henry Stein, a retired animator who returns to his old studio after an invitation from his old employer and discovers a nightmare of cartoon characters seemingly brought to life by the titular Ink Machine.

Why It Has All Eyes On It

 * 1) The story is very interesting with a creative concept involving the creation of an animation studio's coming to life and attacking its creators after they return many years after first abandoning it.
 * 2) Henry Stein is a likable protagonist for the game to follow.
 * 3) The character designs of Bendy, Boris and Alice are creative and faithful to the old school Walt Disney and Max Fleischer styles that they were based off. This is also very fitting given how the entire game in it of itself is based on old cartoons, taking place in an abandoned animation studio where the creations of said studio came to life.
 * 4) Its graphics are reminiscent of the rubber house animation style, in fact most of the props look like 3D sketches.
 * 5) Chapter 4 introduced jumpscares that blend in really well with the story.
 * 6) The game also had an amazing crossover with Cuphead, another game famous for portraying older rubber hose cartoons as well as the darker sides they often tended to have.
 * 7) Many secrets and easter eggs are hidden across all chapters and when discovered, are very rewarding.
 * 8) * The most notable one being a cardboard figure of theMeatly hiding behind a poster in all chapters.
 * 9) * Fan made songs of the game got featured as easter eggs in radios, which is a nice detail.
 * 10) Speaking of the final easter egg, the game spawned a lot of amazing fanmade songs based on it's story and characters. Such as All Eyes on Me (a fan song written by OR30 dedicated to Alice and her desires to regain her spotlight after Bendy stole it from her, as well as how she wishes to be the only thing anyone ever dedicated their attention towards), Can't Be Erased (a song created by JT Music that has the unique trait of being told from the perspectives of multiple characters including Sammy Lawrence, Bendy, Boris and Henry, all singing about their respective mysterious pasts), Blood and Ink (written and performed by Nathan Sharp/NateWantsToBattle about Bendy welcoming people into his station), Welcome Home (SquigglyDigg's some dedicated to Bendy welcoming Henry back to t=his studio after his long disappearance, as well as all the occurances that had taken place in said studio since then), Build Our Machine (a song told from the perspective of Bendy himself as he sings about the unfortunate fate that will inevitably befall the player) and many, many more.
 * 11) The game adds a conclusion to the stories of most of the co-workers from the studio like Sammy Lawrence, Jack Fain, Norman Polk and even Joey Drew himself.
 * 12) The Seeing Tool introduced in Chapter 5 allows the player to see invisible messages hidden throughout the whole game, with the majority being made for comedic purposes and some made with the intention of revealing part of the lore.
 * 13) Pretty creepy atmosphere that effectively increases the already high tension of the game due to how creepy and eerie it looks (which is to be expected given the setting where the game takes place in).
 * 14) The Bertrum Piedmont boss fight is a really fascinating and unnatural concept.
 * 15) Amazing soundtrack. Apart from the aforementioned incredible fan songs dedicated to the game and it's characters (in WIHAEOI# 8), there's also an equally cartoony and creepy musical score, and score itself for the actual game.
 * 16) "I'M OUTTA HERE!"

Bad Qualities

 * 1) Chapter 3 is mostly just a fetch-quest that can become repetitive and boring.
 * 2) * To make matters worse, it is the most buggy chapter.
 * 3) ** There is an infamous bug that prevents you from ending the chapter after completing the final mission.
 * 4) The voice acting sounds really phoned-in at times especially Henry's voice acting.
 * 5) The jumpscare sounds aren't scary at all, which doesn't make the game scary.
 * 6) The ending of Chapter 5 is confusing, to say the least.
 * 7) * Speaking of the ending, the player doesn't really get to know what happens to Henry after he defeats Beast Bendy.
 * 8) There are no collectible stats, so for those who are trying to get 100% of the trophies on PlayStation 4, Steam, or Xbox One will have to hope they got all of the collectibles before each chapter and the game ends.

Reception
Bendy and the Ink Machine was well-received upon its initial release, with praise centering on its vintage aesthetic and story. In the months following its release, it quickly gained a cult following from promotion on platforms like YouTube and Twitch, and eventually was approved through Steam Greenlight in mid-2017.

Trivia

 * Mike Mood, the game's programmer, and co-creator, described the game as an "accidental success".
 * The game, similar to other indie successes like Undertale and Cuphead, has spawned tons of memes, like the parodies to the song "Build Our Machine".