"Beyond Eyes" is a visually striking adventure game that tells the story of a blind girl, Rae, as she explores the world around her. Through her senses, players will help Rae navigate her surroundings, meeting various animals and overcoming obstacles. The game's unique art style and emotional narrative create a memorable and immersive experience.
Beautiful watercolor art style that enhances the emotional experience.
Unique concept of exploring the world through the perspective of a blind girl, using sound and touch.
Touching story that evokes empathy and reflection on the challenges faced by visually impaired individuals.
Extremely slow walking speed that can make gameplay tedious and frustrating.
Limited interactions and lack of clear direction can lead to aimless wandering.
Short playtime (around 2-3 hours) may not justify the full price for some players.
story
1,071 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
65%
6%
The story of "Beyond Eyes" centers on Rae, a blind girl on a heartfelt journey to find her lost cat, Nani. While the narrative is touching and explores themes of loss and courage, many players find the pacing excessively slow and the plot underdeveloped, leading to a frustrating gameplay experience. The game's beautiful art style and emotional resonance are often praised, but the simplistic and predictable storyline leaves some players wanting more depth and engagement.
“Beyond Eyes attempts to tell the story of Rae, a blind girl navigating her surroundings in search of her lost cat.”
“It looks absolutely beautiful, and the story about a blind little girl mustering all of her courage to leave the safety of her home and search for her lost kitty was also really touching.”
“The story is charming, albeit brief, the gameplay uniquely shares the experience of what it may like to experience the world through the eyes of a child with blindness, and the visuals are beautiful.”
“The story is also very disappointing and unsatisfying.”
“The story didn't grab me at all and the gameplay was a slog to get through.”
“The plot for Beyond Eyes is both nonexistent and depressing.”
gameplay
590 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
69%
8%
The gameplay of "Beyond Eyes" has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it excessively slow and tedious, often describing it as a walking simulator with minimal interaction. While the unique mechanics of exploring a world through the perspective of a blind character are praised for their artistic intent, the lack of engaging gameplay elements and repetitive obstacles detract from the overall experience. Despite its beautiful visuals and emotional narrative, the gameplay's sluggish pace and limited mechanics leave some players frustrated and longing for a more dynamic experience.
“The game's unique art style and gameplay mechanics set it apart from other games in the genre.”
“The mechanic of 'seeing' the environment by exploring is unique and refreshing.”
“The story is charming, albeit brief, the gameplay uniquely shares the experience of what it may like to experience the world through the eyes of a child with blindness, and the visuals are beautiful.”
“The gameplay is dull and uninspired, lacking any real challenge or engagement.”
“The story didn't grab me at all and the gameplay was a slog to get through.”
“Unfortunately, the gameplay itself is horrible though.”
graphics
574 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
61%
38%
1%
The graphics of "Beyond Eyes" are widely praised for their beautiful watercolor art style, which effectively complements the game's themes and emotional narrative. Many reviewers highlight the unique visual mechanics that reveal the environment as players progress, creating a charming and immersive experience. However, some players note that while the visuals are stunning, the slow pacing and limited gameplay can detract from the overall enjoyment.
“The graphics are beautiful and unique.”
“The watercolor visuals are just fantastic.”
“The art style is really beautiful and there was a lot of effort put into this game.”
“Visually, the game looks okay, but nothing fancy; it's under the Unity engine, so visuals are very limited.”
“Apart from the visuals, there isn't much offered by this game.”
“The story is empty, and though the graphics are pretty, they hide an overall obsession with the gimmick of a blind girl.”
emotional
326 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game "Beyond Eyes" is widely praised for its heartfelt storytelling and beautiful presentation, often evoking strong feelings among players. Many reviews highlight the touching narrative of a blind girl searching for her cat, which resonates deeply, leading to emotional responses such as tears and reflection on personal experiences. However, some players note that while the game aims for emotional impact, its slow pacing and gameplay mechanics can detract from the overall experience, leaving mixed feelings about its effectiveness in delivering a truly engaging emotional journey.
“It looks absolutely beautiful, and the story about a blind little girl mustering all of her courage to leave the safety of her home and search for her lost kitty was also really touching.”
“The game's story is told through beautiful and poetic narration, which adds to the game's emotional impact.”
“Beyond Eyes is a short, beautiful and touching game that allows you to vicariously have that experience, and in that regard it is immensely successful.”
music
224 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
47%
51%
2%
The music in the game is generally praised for its beauty and ability to enhance the atmosphere, with soothing piano melodies and ambient sounds that complement the visuals effectively. However, some players noted a lack of variety and presence during exploration, leading to moments of silence that detracted from immersion. Overall, while the soundtrack is considered lovely and fitting, its sparse use in certain areas has left some players wanting more.
“Wonderful music and sound effects in combination with really touching watercolour textures, creates a unique game atmosphere.”
“The game's music is relaxing and meditative, perfectly matching the game's art style and gameplay.”
“Beyond Eyes makes wonderful use of sound and music, with a serene interplay of wind instruments and piano weaving through the background as Rae encounters something beautiful; also, the music intensifies as Rae encounters dangers out in the world.”
“The repetitive music does little to enhance the experience, and the sound effects, such as the incessant mocking of seagulls in the docks, become grating over time.”
“It is dull, boring, lacking in dialogue, soundtrack, and story.”
“Soundtrack-wise, I thought it was rather forgettable and overall not very good, but I did, however, enjoy some of the more somber tracks in the game.”
grinding
92 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The reviews overwhelmingly describe the grinding aspect of the game as tedious and frustrating, with players noting the extremely slow movement speed and repetitive backtracking as major drawbacks. While the game's artistic visuals and concept are appreciated, the execution leads to a monotonous experience that quickly becomes boring and unenjoyable. Many players express a desire to love the game but ultimately find it too tedious to continue playing.
“After a few hours of gameplay, it became a really tedious experience, walking slowly across each map, avoiding crows and seagulls that act as temporary walls.”
“I really wanted to like the game but it's just so tedious and after an hour you just don't want to do this anymore.”
“Unfortunately any real enjoyment of the concept and art within this game is completely suppressed by the overwhelmingly tedious movement speed.”
atmosphere
82 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
68%
28%
4%
The game's atmosphere is a prominent feature, characterized by beautiful visuals, soothing music, and a unique watercolor art style that creates a relaxing yet emotionally engaging experience. While some players appreciate the immersive and artistic journey, others find the pacing tedious and the narrative lacking, leading to mixed feelings about the overall impact of the atmosphere. Despite its artistic intentions, the game struggles to maintain player investment due to its slow gameplay and occasional narrative shortcomings.
“Wonderful music and sound effects in combination with really touching watercolour textures create a unique game atmosphere.”
“The game is very atmospheric, with nice music and beautiful graphics.”
“Beyond Eyes brings the heart and imagination within a unique atmospheric journey of the senses and the challenges of those who have no sight.”
“But the effect doesn't stand up to scrutiny as a metaphor for actual blindness, and the writing, music, and atmosphere are all pretty mawkish, so there's not a lot to feel invested in.”
“The game works hard to set up the proper mood and atmosphere, but ultimately it is all wasted: the game just ends when the girl <rot13d for spoilers>qvfpbiref ure xvggl vf qrnq.”
“There were times I was distracted from the atmosphere thinking of the work it must have taken to create some of the effects.”
replayability
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
11%
75%
14%
The game has minimal replayability, primarily due to its short, linear gameplay that lasts around 2-3 hours. While some players may find value in re-experiencing its calm atmosphere or pursuing achievements, the overall consensus is that once the story is completed, there is little incentive to return. Many reviewers suggest waiting for a sale, as the lack of replay value makes the full price hard to justify.
“Though I do think it is replayable if enough time has passed, it doesn't have high replay value, I'll admit.”
“At $15 retail in the US, and about 2 hours of standard gameplay (though replayable for a small number of achievements), the game isn't for everyone; in particular, if 'walking simulator' doesn't get the juices flowing, this one won't either.”
“If you can stand the very slow pace of the game, Beyond Eyes is a great experience, but I'd highly recommend getting it on sale or in a bundle as it is rather short and doesn't offer much replay value.”
“At the price of £9.99, I wouldn't say it's worth it because once the 2/3 hour story is completed, it doesn't have any replayability whatsoever.”
“Replay value is almost completely non-existent; two or three hours is all you need to really see everything.”
“While not particularly long and lacking replayability, I enjoyed the game.”
humor
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is described as a mix of awkwardness and charm, with some comparisons to "The Stanley Parable," though it lacks its sharp wit. While some players find the humor to be hit-or-miss, others appreciate the lighthearted moments that provide levity amidst the game's deeper themes. Overall, the humor is seen as a quirky element that adds to the game's unique experience, even if it doesn't always land effectively.
“Isn’t it kinda funny, that a game about blindness is so gorgeous?”
“Don't go extracting hidden meaning and touching moments from games and characters that aren't there - buy this instead - a fun, meaningful, touching, funny, sad little beauty.”
“I mean, walking simulators are always a little boring, but at least Date Night was funny and Gone Home had something to figure out.”
stability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
The game's stability is a mixed bag; while some users report no major glitches, others experience significant bugs that can lead to having to redo entire chapters. Additionally, issues with fullscreen on Mac and a lack of options contribute to a frustrating experience, despite good performance on 21x9 displays.
“The game runs smoothly on a 21:9 aspect ratio, providing a great experience.”
“It's also super buggy, so you might have to redo an entire chapter, which takes so long anyway.”
“I could write a lot about the lacking art assets, lack of options, buggy Mac fullscreen, and the high price point.”
optimization
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
Overall, the game's optimization receives mixed reviews; while some users report smooth performance, others experience significant graphical glitches and subpar performance.
“It is neat, yes, it runs smoothly, or rather walks, haha, yes.”
“Performance is great.”
“The graphics are glitchy, and the performance is not good.”
“The graphics are glitchy, and the performance is not good.”
character development
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
50%
25%
Character development is praised for its emotional impact by the end of the story, leaving players feeling fulfilled. However, some users express a desire for deeper character growth beyond the conclusion of the narrative.
“The ability to explore and uncover the world and experience new things makes my heart melt, as does the character development by the end of the story.”
“I kind of yearn for a bit more character development afterwards.”