Boris and the Dark Survival

About Boris and the Dark Survival

So this game is basically a side story set in the Bendy and the Ink Machine universe, which I only knew about because a friend wouldn’t stop talking about it. I picked it up for my iPhone 15 Pro a little over a year ago because I needed something to play during my lunch breaks at the warehouse, and man, it delivers on atmosphere. You play as Boris the Wolf, which is already a weird setup because you’re usually the bad guy in Bendy, but here you’re just trying to survive. The whole thing takes place in this old, creepy animation studio that’s all dark hallways and flickering lights. I remember one Tuesday afternoon I was playing in the break room and one of my coworkers, Dave, asked if I was watching a horror movie because the sound was so spooky. It’s not jump-scare horror either — it’s more that slow dread feeling, like something’s always behind you. The story unfolds through little notes and audio logs you find, so you’re piecing together what happened as you go. I didn’t expect to care about Boris, but honestly, I got invested.

Core Features

The big thing here is stealth. You can’t fight the Ink Demon — you just have to hide in lockers or under tables when he comes stomping through. That sounds simple, but the levels are procedurally generated, meaning they change every time you play. One run you might find supplies in the first room, the next you’re wandering forever with low ink. And ink is your health, basically. If you run out, you start taking damage just from being in the dark. You have to collect bacon soup and other stuff to refill, but the items are scattered randomly. There’s also a map mechanic where you can unlock shortcuts, which saved my skin more than a few times. The controls are touch-based — joystick on the left to move, buttons on the right to interact or hide. It took me maybe ten minutes to get used to, and after that it felt pretty natural on my iPhone. No fancy gyroscope stuff or tilt controls, just straightforward tapping and swiping. The visuals are this old-timey cartoon style mixed with really dark shadows, which looks great on the OLED screen. Sound design is the real star though — footsteps echo, doors creak, and the Ink Demon hums this creepy tune when he’s near.

Real-World Use

I mostly play this on my commute home on the subway, which is perfect because a single run takes about 10-15 minutes. I’ll put my AirPods in and just get lost in the studio while the train rattles along. It’s not the kind of game you play for hours straight because it’s so tense — my heart actually starts racing when I hear the Demon’s footsteps getting closer. I’ve had to pause a few times because my stop was coming up and I didn’t want to die. The hardest part for me is managing the supplies. You only have so much room in your inventory, so you have to decide what to carry. Do I grab extra bacon soup or a flashlight battery? Every choice matters. There was one Saturday night I was stuck on a level for almost an hour because I kept getting cornered in the music room. I finally beat it by hiding behind a desk for like two whole minutes while the Demon just stood there. Felt amazing. But sometimes the random generation screws you — I’ve spawned in a room with no items and the Demon already right next to me. That’s just bad luck, but it happens.

Pricing & Value

It’s a paid app, which I actually prefer over free ones with tons of ads. I think I paid like $3.99 or something when I got it. No subscription, no battle pass nonsense. There are some in-app purchases for cosmetics like different outfits for Boris, but you don’t need any of that to finish the game or enjoy it. I’ve never bought one. For a couple bucks, you get a solid horror game that you can replay over and over because the levels change. I’ve probably put in about 30 hours total across the year, which is great value compared to buying a coffee. The only thing I’d warn is that it’s not for kids — it’s legitimately scary, and my nephew got too freaked out when he tried it. But for horror fans, it’s an easy buy. No hidden fees or surprise charges, which I appreciate because I hate feeling tricked by app developers.

Updates & Support

I’ve never contacted support, mostly because the game just works. No crashes, no weird glitches. The developer, Joey Drew Studios, has put out a few updates over the year. I remember one added a new area called the safe room, which gave me a little break between runs. Another update fixed the brightness on the map, which was nice because I was squinting before. They also added a few more secrets to find. The app size is reasonable too — like 300 MB, so it doesn’t hog my phone storage. I haven’t seen any updates recently, but I’m not complaining because the game feels complete as is. I did read some App Store reviews where people mentioned bugs on older phones, but on my iPhone 15 Pro everything’s been smooth. The developer seems to listen to feedback based on patch notes. No forced updates either, which is rare these days. I just open it and play.

Data & Privacy

Look, I’m not the type to read privacy policies, but this app doesn’t ask for anything weird. No location access, no contacts, no camera permission. It doesn’t even need internet to run, which is huge for me because I play underground on the subway with no signal. No ads, so there’s no creepy tracking. I think it might collect some basic crash data, but that’s pretty standard. The privacy section in my iPhone settings just says “data used to track you” and it shows nothing collected. That’s how it should be. I don’t want some random app selling my info. Since it’s a paid app from a known developer, I trust it more than some free game from a no-name studio. No login required, no account creation. You just download and play. Simple and private.