Bendy and the Dark Revival

***"On the plus side, I got a new character I think people are going to love."***
- Henry Stein
This article may contain unmarked details of **spoilers**. If you wish not to read without spoiling yourself, play the game, watch the cartoon, or read the book first, depending on the article's topic.

*See Bendy (disambiguation) or Dark (disambiguation) for other related uses.*

## Information

### Release date(s)

November 15th, 2022 (Steam)
March 1st, 2023  (Xbox and PlayStation)

### Platform(s)

PC
Xbox
PlayStation

### Genre

Action horror
First-person

### Download(s)

Steam

**"***Bendy and the Dark Revival® is a first-person survival horror game set in the creepiest cartoon studio to ever exist. Discover the truth. Escape the studio. Above all, fear the Ink Demon…and survive.***"**
— **Steam's summary.**

***Bendy and the Dark Revival*** (abbreviated as ***BatDR***) is the second installment of the primary series from the *Bendy* franchise developed by Joey Drew Studios Inc.. Originally a standalone game, it was repurposed as an indirect sequel to *Bendy and the Ink Machine*. The game was released on November 15, 2022 on Steam for PC, and its console release for Xbox and PlayStation came out on March 1, 2023. On October 2023, The game was rated for Nintendo Switch on ESRB, but the release date for the Switch is unknown.

## Summary

Return to the cartoon studio from *Bendy and the Ink Machine*™. See the ink-soaked kingdom of *Bendy*™ like never before through the eyes of Audrey, an animator with mysterious abilities. Deeper, darker, and with more horror-stoked action, the Dark Revival will keep you on the edge.

## Plot

On June 18th, 1973, Audrey is an animator who works at Archgate Pictures and spends her night working overtime on animations. She gets up after a grueling shift of redrawing old frames from Joey Drew's Bendy cartoons to get coffee, and encounters Wilson, the janitor. Wilson and Audrey enter the cycle, where Wilson beings to solidify his position as the new ruler of the cycle. Wilson claims to have vanquished the Ink Demon 211 days before, and Audrey finds herself in an inky form in the world of the ink machine. Now Audrey must navigate the studio and ally with iconic cartoon characters such as a hardened Alice, a tough Boris and even a 'perfect' Bendy, surviving the horrors of the studio and avoiding the nightmarish creatures such as the dreaded Butcher Gang, the tormented Lost Ones and the vile Searchers, in her journey to escape the realm she is trapped in.

## Gameplay

New details for the game include:

* First-person survival horror and the much anticipated sequel to Bendy and the Ink Machine™.
* Wander the vintage cartoon studio using agility, stealth and strategy to combat ink-tainted enemies.
* Earn powerful new abilities to help you in your escape.
* Solve environmental puzzles, ally with beloved cartoon characters, and elude the horror of the Ink Demon.
* Discover the terrifying secrets of the creepy ‘rubber hose’ cartoon world of Joey Drew Studios.
* New weapon abilities revamp combat.
* Enhanced graphics add to the experience of the studio.

## Chapters

The 5 chapters were all released on November 15th, 2022, with The Archives being added on April 11th, 2023.

## Development

*For a more detailed version of the game's development timeline, go here.*
The game's development has officially begun on February 10, 2019, as announced by the "From the desk of Joey Drew - February 10th, 1931" video for the series' second anniversary, shortly after the release of the *Tasty Trio Troubles* cartoon short and the first *Showdown Bandit* teaser video. In this video, it features an audio log with a new design, and plays the voice of Joey from February 10, 1931, who was talking about hiring new employees and "bringing dreams to life". At the end, it displays this message - "**Bendy will return**", confirming another *Bendy* game.

Mike Mood confirmed that the game will not be a sequel or a prequel to *Bendy and the Ink Machine*, nor it would be called "*Bendy and the Ink Machine 2*". However, it does take place in a whole new different setting. The game will also be released on PC, mobile ports, and all home consoles. The Joey Drew Studios development team released a new teaser, to announce that the game is already under early stages of development.

On March 8, 2019, when visiting the Kindly Beast site's "About Us" page, two unreleased games' titles were revealed from the company's list of developed games, although they were redacted. One of the unreleased games is the new *Bendy* game, and its title was censored as "\_ \_ \_ \_ \_ \_ \_ \_ \_ \_ \_ \_ \_ \_ \_ \_ \_ \_ \_ \_ \_ \_".

## Reception

On December 23, 2022, BATDR became a nominee for *Most Outstanding Visual Style* in Steam Awards 2022.

## Trivia

* The game was alternatively titled *Bendy and the Children of the Machine* at one point during production.

## References

1. ↑ "*We’re not making a sequel, we’re not making a prequel, we’re not making Bendy and the Ink Machine 2, but bendy will return. A new #Bendy game is in the works.*" - Mike Mood. February 13, 2019. Twitter. (Dead link)
2. ↑ "*Goal is to release on all platforms. :)*" - Mike Mood. February 13, 2019. Twitter. (Dead link)
3. ↑ "*Bendy will return. #Bendy #BATIM #BendyandtheInkMachine*" - Joey Drew Studios. February 22, 2019. Twitter.
4. ↑ https://twitter.com/themeatly/status/1616261602029830145