Planet of the Eyes

About

"Planet of the Eyes is a finalist for 'Best Indie Game' at the Canadian Videogame Awards. Play as a service robot stranded on a mysterious planet, with physics-based puzzles and quick respawns testing your platforming skills. Explore handcrafted levels with a retro sci-fi aesthetic and uncover secrets in this immersive and visually striking game."

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

90%

Audience ScoreBased on 189 reviews

story34 positive mentions

grinding4 negative mentions

The game features stunning visuals and a beautiful art style that creates an immersive atmosphere.
The soundtrack is mesmerizing and complements the gameplay, enhancing the overall experience.
The puzzles are straightforward and enjoyable, making for a relaxing yet engaging gameplay experience.

The game is very short, typically completed in under two hours, which may leave players wanting more.
The puzzles lack challenge and depth, often feeling too simplistic and not providing a satisfying 'aha' moment.
The narrative is minimal and may not engage players looking for a deeper story or character development.

story
114 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
63%
7%
The story of "Planet of the Eyes" is primarily conveyed through audio logs from the robot's creator, offering a personal and emotional layer to the gameplay, though many players find it shallow and stretched out. While some appreciate the touching and atmospheric narrative, others criticize its lack of depth and engagement, describing it as a brief experience that doesn't fully capitalize on its potential. Overall, the storytelling is seen as a mixed bag, with some players enjoying the simplicity and style, while others feel it lacks substance and immersion.
- “The story, told through audio logs from the robot’s creator, has a personal, almost melancholy feel to it, adding a nice emotional layer to your exploration.”
- “The story is sparse but well told and feels complete, and does a good job of tying the character to the world and driving things forward.”
- “Everything - the visual aesthetic, the soundtrack, the story, the gameplay - was so mesmerizing and immersive... hope a sequel comes out sometime in the future.”
- “There is a story, but 90% of it comes from just a voiceover and the rest is the little bit you can get from the environment.”
- “The story is very stretched out throughout the game and very, very, very shallow.”
- “The story doesn't really immerse you or make you care all that much, but it isn't botched or senseless and the ending provides closure, if not much else.”
graphics
75 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
39%
4%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their colorful and atmospheric art style, which combines geometric designs with smooth animations, creating a visually engaging experience. Many reviewers noted the game's aesthetic appeal, comparing it favorably to titles like "Limbo" and "Pixeljunk Eden," while also appreciating the vibrant colors and overall design. However, some critiques mention that the graphics, while beautiful, can feel simplistic or occasionally barren, yet they still contribute significantly to the game's immersive atmosphere.
- “The visuals are bright and colorful, and the music is lively, as well.”
- “This little gem of a game kept me hooked, curious, entertained and amazed by its beautiful aesthetics, vector graphics and soundtrack for a couple of hours.”
- “The art style is sharp and original, and I liked the little robot, especially its swimming and dance animations.”
- “The graphics are very basic, yet they still gave the game a good sense of atmosphere that complemented the story.”
- “The problem is that other than the graphic design, this game doesn't shine.”
- “What this means is, it's like Limbo in every respect, except that the platforming is simpler and less original, puzzles are a lot simpler, length is much shorter and its aesthetic leans more towards colorful than gray.”
gameplay
61 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
66%
5%
The gameplay is generally described as smooth and straightforward, featuring simple 2D puzzle platforming mechanics that are easy to grasp but may lack depth for some players. While the game offers enjoyable and charming visuals, it has been compared unfavorably to titles like "Limbo," with some reviewers noting that the puzzles can feel basic and repetitive. Overall, it provides a short but engaging experience, with a few clever moments and a vibrant aesthetic, though it may not satisfy those seeking more challenging gameplay.
- “Gameplay is smooth and straightforward, with puzzles that won’t leave you stuck but add enough to keep things interesting.”
- “Simple, but enjoyable, with acceptable graphics (for a mobile port) and music, really fun gameplay, and a visual aesthetic that I found delightful.”
- “It is cute, bug-free, highly playable, tells a little story, and the various game mechanics do not overstay their welcome.”
- “So the game is like a very watery soup; there is some substance, but there's so little of either gameplay or story that would satisfy anyone that I can't recommend this game.”
- “The gameplay consists of mundane platforming.”
- “The mood of the game crafted by Cococucumber is solid, but the gameplay just doesn’t measure up to even the most basic platformers out there.”
music
58 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
59%
36%
5%
The music in the game is widely praised for its ambient and relaxing qualities, perfectly complementing the vibrant hand-drawn visuals and enhancing the overall immersive experience. Reviewers noted that the soundtrack creates a mesmerizing atmosphere, often evoking a sense of tranquility and adventure, while also being described as both charming and well-executed. Overall, the combination of music and art style stands out as the game's main attractions, contributing significantly to its appeal.
- “You play as a little robot stranded on a beautifully alien planet, where each step reveals hand-drawn landscapes paired with a mesmerizing, ambient soundtrack that feels perfectly in tune with the world.”
- “The art is simple yet elegant in its design, with a wonderful soundtrack that pulls you into the mysterious cosmic world of our little hero.”
- “The different environments you play through are stunning and the atmosphere and music are perfectly balanced.”
- “The art style and music are the game's main attractions, the platforming itself is only so-so but there were several puzzles that were pretty decent.”
- “Despite that, I enjoyed the game mostly because of the colorful graphics and the music along, 'Planet of the Eyes' makes me think of a hybrid from mixing the colors and sounds from 'Pixeljunk Eden' with the simplicity of 'Limbo', but with lesser complication and way more easy to achieve.”
- “Sound, music, style, gameplay, writing... everything here is charming and greatly polished without doing anything too extreme or new.”
atmosphere
32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
81%
9%
9%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its captivating and immersive qualities, often compared to titles like Limbo. Players appreciate the beautiful visuals, artistic direction, and effective use of music, which together create a bright yet desolate ambiance that enhances the storytelling. Overall, the atmosphere is described as calm and engaging, making it a standout feature for fans of the platformer genre.
- “The different environments you play through are stunning and the atmosphere and music are perfectly balanced.”
- “It's simply a fun game with a classic science fiction atmosphere, great voice acting, spot on physics, and clever animations.”
- “Has a really bright yet desolate atmosphere and puzzles are okay.”
- “Recommended for fans of the platformer genre that want to soak up atmosphere, a decent story, easy-ish puzzles and beautiful, beautiful visuals and sound.”
- “The artistic direction is breathtaking, inspiring, and creates a powerful sense of atmosphere and depth.”
emotional
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by a touching narrative conveyed through audio logs from the robot's creator, which adds a personal and melancholic layer to the exploration. Players find the story to be heartwarming and impactful, creating a warm emotional experience despite its brevity. Overall, the storytelling resonates deeply, making it a standout feature for those seeking a more relatable narrative.
- “The story, told through audio logs from the robot’s creator, has a personal, almost melancholy feel to it, adding a nice emotional layer to your exploration.”
- “The story was a short yet touching one.”
- “Another nice bonus is the interesting and heartwarming story told through audio logs, so if you prefer something a bit less abstract, this is it.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Both games are praised for their stability, being described as absolutely bug-free and visually appealing, with smooth performance at high frame rates and no glitches reported. This consistency in stability is highlighted as a key strength for both titles.
- “Absolutely bug-free, properly good looking, and runs smoothly at high FPS with RTS.”
- “Absolutely bug-free, properly good looking, and runs smoothly at high FPS with RTS.”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of "Planet of the Eyes" to be tedious and slow, particularly criticizing the unimaginative platforming and overly simplistic puzzles. However, the game does offer a positive feature where timing-based puzzles reset conveniently, allowing for smoother progression without excessive waiting.
- “However, Planet of the Eyes' platforming is unimaginative at best and slow and tedious at its worst.”
- “Even the most complex puzzles in Planet of the Eyes are just too simple.”
- “The timing-based puzzles usually reset to a point where you can just move straight on to the next step of the puzzle, instead of making you wait for a tedious, exact moment where you can resume.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Character development in the game is considered decent, primarily conveyed through logs; however, players should not anticipate significant intrigue or depth in the character arcs.
- “The way it was done was pretty decent with the logs, but don't expect intrigue, character development, or anything like that.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Users generally find that the game offers very limited replayability, with many expressing that once completed, there is little incentive to play again.
- “The game is very short, offering no replayability.”
- “Once you finish the game, there's little incentive to play it again.”
- “The lack of varied choices means the replay value is almost nonexistent.”