Beyond Eyes

Beyond Eyes is a game about the 10 year-old girl Rae who lost her eyesight in a fireworks accident when she was a small child. She is traumatized from the experience and hardly ever leaves the house, preferring to sit in the garden. On a summer day a stray cat called Nani visits her and they quickly become friends. When Nani disappears one day, she decides to venture outside to find the cat.

Rae is controlled from a third-person perspective and most of the environment is white. As she walks around, parts of the surroundings are revealed gradually and partially in a watercolour style, similar to a picture book, as she senses them through sound, smell, touch or taste. Certain objects in the environment also change as she goes closer. She sometimes misinterprets her senses and the environment changes when she notices her mistake. For instance, what initially looks like a clothesline with pieces of clothing moving in the wind, turns out to be a scarecrow, or a tree becomes a house. Her senses are visualized as pink strokes that seem to search the environment. Dangerous objects and animals have dark strokes surrounding them. When she is scared, her posture changes, the colours become dark and threatening music starts to play.

The game focuses on exploration and does not contain any puzzles or fail states. Players mainly need to guide Rae in the correct direction, opening gates or finding a path to progress, watching objects. Sometimes a dark wall of clouds appears and Rae has to find a way through or around. Events are often triggered automatically when she encounters something new.