A new side-scrolling adventure, Eyes in the Dark: The Curious Case of One Victoria Bloom, offers players the chance to battle the darkness in an ever-changing mansion. Eyes in the Dark, developed by Under The Stairs and published by Gearbox Publishing, follows the journey of Victoria as she attempts to find her grandfather. The game's roguelite progression and unique setting make it a great pick for fans of Hollow Knight or Hades. However, the early preview demo has revealed balancing issues that impact seamless immersion.
The preview for Eyes in the Dark: The Curious Case of One Victoria Bloom begins as Victoria travels to visit her grandfather living in the family mansion. According to the narrative, Eyes in the Dark takes place in the 1920s and features vintage cars, architecture, and a silent movie aesthetic to help build the setting. Upon arrival at the family mansion, Victoria quickly realizes that something is amiss, and walks in on her grandfather being swallowed up in darkness. Using her grandfather's time-traveling pocket watch for safety, Victoria must delve deep into the complex mansion in an attempt to rescue her grandfather from whatever evils lurk in the darkness.
Unlike many psychological thrillers currently in development, Eyes in the Dark is a unique side-scroller game with visuals done entirely in black and white. Details meant to fade into the background are outlined in thin, white lines, giving every room a unique and complex environment. As players progress from room to room, they use their upgradeable flashlight to carve out the darkness or attack enemies that stay hidden in unseen portions of the room. However, if Victoria passes out, she is transported back to the entrance of the mansion, where she must then begin the journey from the beginning, with each room now arranged in a different order than the previous run.
One of the most notable aspects of the preview for Eyes in the Dark is the movement controls. Unlike the top-down views of Hades, Eyes in the Dark players must run around each room in the mansion, jumping on small platforms and climbing ropes to reach new areas. While the maps are set up to encourage critical thinking and strategy, the jump mechanics are currently difficult to master, causing issues that greatly impact mobility. If a player is climbing up a rope and they try to use the right or left side jump controls, it is very likely they will end up jumping upward instead, causing them to lose grip on the rope. Additionally, there are no directional controls while falling, or auto-grip when close to new ropes, causing players to crash repeatedly to the ground of the room they are in.
Eyes in the Dark also lacks much-needed control explanations for various menus and activation actions. While games like Hollow Knight give detailed explanations on how to use basic functions, Eyes in the Dark requires players to guess which keys to hit, and how long to hold them in order to activate items. A few additional early-game control tutorials would help streamline the learning process and make gameplay much less frustrating. Additionally, it is easy to lose the small, white cursor for the player's mouse in the detailed backgrounds of Eyes in the Dark, causing issues when aiming the flashlight. Adding a bold target for players to use as a cursor guide when using the flashlight or slingshot would greatly help with aiming.
However, unlike many narrative-driven indie games, Eyes in the Dark puts a unique twist on story-telling. Early in the demo, it is revealed that communication in cutscenes has been inspired by silent movie dialogue cards. While players can see Victoria and other characters move their mouths to speak in animated scenes, there is no voice-over provided in these moments. Instead, the camera pans to one of the many dialogue cards. While dialogue during standard gameplay is handled via speech bubbles above the speaking characters' heads, the vintage approach in cutscenes helps provide an interesting feel that is both immersive and cinematic.
Eyes in the Dark also makes good use of the same stackable bonuses and additions players can unlock during new dungeon runs in games like Hades. While the early runs through the mansion can be difficult without any bonuses, players will quickly be able to earn new tools using the "Knowledge" they earn in each playthrough. These stackable bonuses help Victoria get farther and farther into the mansion, but can make for a grindy experience when first getting started.
Eyes in the Dark: The Curious Case of One Victoria Bloom is likely going to be a great choice for fans of unique and evolving narratives, roguelight gameplay, and artistically driven side-scrollers. The game's black and white graphics and light-based combat system make it a different and beautifully innovative experience perfect for those wanting a game that pushes boundaries. While Eyes in the Dark: The Curious Case of One Victoria Bloom will definitely benefit from improvements to the controls and jumping mechanics, it is likely to be a riveting and enlightening journey from beginning to end.
Eyes in the Dark: The Curious Case of One Victoria Bloom will be released soon, July 14, 2022, on PC. Screen Rant was provided a PC demo code for the purpose of this preview.