Before Your Eyes

Release Date: April 8, 2021

Adventure, FPP, crowdfunding, indie games, experimental/artistic, PlayStation VR, VR, games for impact, PS Plus Premium, singleplayer

8.5

Gamepressure

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An adventure game in which we watch flashbacks of the protagonist's life as he crosses into the afterlife. Before Your Eyes uses a webcam to watch our eyes; by blinking, we move to subsequent memories and make decisions that shape the plot.

Plot
Mechanics
Technical aspects

Before Your Eyes is an original narrative adventure game in which we control the game primarily with our eyes. The game was developed by independent studio GoodbyeWorld Games, and its release was handled by Skybound Games. The project was created thanks to a successful crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter, and earlier its prototype, entitled Close Your, won the Game Developers Choice award at the Indiecade festival and the Student Award at the Independent Game Awards.

Plot

The story told in Before Your Eyes is non-linear, so its course is shaped by the decisions we make. The main character of the game is Benjamin Brynn. After death, he found himself on the boat of the mysterious Ferryman, who, like the mythical Charon, escorts souls to the afterlife. To fulfil his duty, however, the Ferryman must hear the protagonist's life story and learn all his secrets. Benjamin cannot lie to him, because if he is caught cheating he will be turned into a bird and stuck for eternity between life and death.

Mechanics

In Before Your Eyes the action is presented from a first person perspective (FPP). During the game we watch Benjamin's memories - from infancy and moments spent with his family, through his first love, to his artistic career. As time goes on, however, the positive flashbacks are drowned out by much darker, repressed echoes of his past, which Ferryman demands, wanting to know the whole truth about his life.

What makes Before Your Eyes stand out from other games of its kind is the controls. The game uses a webcam and watches our eyes through it. Blinking, we move to the next memories, take part in various mini-games, and even make decisions affecting the further course of the hero's story. From time to time, these mechanics are also used in even more inventive ways, such as the scene where our eyes have to remain closed in order for Benjamin to follow the voice of someone dear to him. At many points, a metronome appears on screen to signal that another blink will end the scene. In this case, in order to get the most out of a given memory, we have to fight our instinct, so to speak, trying to keep our eyes open as long as possible.

Technical aspects

Graphics of Before Your Eyes was kept in a cartoon style. All dialogue has been voiced and the game's cast includes actors such as Stephen Friedrich (Vice), Sarah Burns (Enlightened) and Eric Edelstein (Twin Peaks).

Review

April 12, 2021

Before Your Eyes Review - Keep Blinking and Try Not to Cry

I can't remember the last time a game was so close to making me cry. Perhaps it was What Remains of Edith Finch? Yes, these two games have a lot in common, including creative gameplay. To fully experience Before Your Eyes you should have a webcam…