Pay attention to the fourth door of our Advent Calendar. But try not to blink. Or flashing, if you like, maybe.
You guessed it: our fourth game is a flash adventure Before your eyes!
Ed: Writing about Before Your Eyes is hard. Personally, I find it easier to just cry a little bit about it. That way you don’t spoil the story for anyone and it alerts those around you to the dire mental impact it can have on a person. But I will try my best, because this game is magic. Like seriously, you blink in real life and the game reacts. Rub!
Before Your Eyes is the first person’s journey through the afterlife. You start on a rowboat of the emaciated werewolf, who turns out to be the mythical Ferryman of this mysterious underworld. Connect the game to your webcam (clicks work too, if you don’t want to) and it’ll give you the power to push time forward with your real-life winks. In a matter of seconds, the boat will disappear and you are completely transported to another world.
You cannot raise the time at any point in the game, remember. It’s only at specific points that flashing will switch everything. However, the game picks and chooses them wisely. Sometimes you’ll even have to make a few decisions along the way…
And I cannot reveal too much information. I would be cruel to spoil the story, because even the smallest piece of code can unravel the whole experience for you. This is a game you want to approach the unseen, rather ironic, isn’t it?
Just know that this game won’t waste your time. In fact, there are many moments where you desperately fight the next blink because you want to freeze time in its rightful place and cling to the present. You…just…hold…hold…the longer you can gather more information or simply soak in the moment. Sometimes you just can’t help but blink and poof!, you continue, whether you like it or not. It’s as much an exercise in self-control as it is a well-done story, but I wouldn’t say it let you down. If anything, I love the way it uses such faithful auto-remembering body responses.
Before Your Eyes isn’t just one of the best games of 2021 as it combines a tearful story with a cool webcam gimmick. It’s also special because it fills you with the urge to tell people about it. Even those who don’t care about video games or see them as lazy objects to violence. As a fan, you’ll take pride when you can recommend a game wholeheartedly to someone a little on the fence and watch them change their mind as the messages get excited. fill your lock screen.
This is what Before Your Eyes is all about me. An emotional roller coaster built for reality for anyone, whether they’re in the game or not. And it’s only about an hour and a half long, so it’s doable in one sitting. This makes it a great filler and the perfect advertisement for post-pudding video games. Jailbreak the laptop, then watch your family’s bewilderment turn from joy to tears and declare, “That’s the power of video games!” like a carnival Goeff Keighley. What better way to have a Merry Christmas?
