Explore the World from a Different Point of View in Beyond Eyes - Article
by VGChartz Staff , posted on 13 March 2015 / 4,783 Views
With EGX Rezzed in full swing, I managed to pop by the Team17 booth and checked out what was on display. I'm thankful I did, as Beyond Eyes is easily one of the most fascinating games I played whilst at Rezzed this year.
In Beyond Eyes, you play as Rae, a girl who lost her ability to see due to a fireworks accident she was involved in when she was even younger. This leads her to experience the world in new and strange ways, and causes her to fear loud noises. One day, Nani, her pet cat, goes missing, and this prompts Rae to venture outside in order to find her cat.
Whilst the story may sound simplistic, the unique art style and novel way in which you explore the world really sets Beyond Eyes apart from anything else I saw at EGX Rezzed. The entire world of Beyond Eyes is initially white, as you experience it from Rae’s point of view, and scenes are slowly filled in as a result of Rae's other senses (i.e. what she can hear, feel, and smell). It’s through this “sphere” of senses that you’ll slowly start to uncover Rae’s garden, with grass and beautiful trees appearing before your own eyes as you traverse the unknown landscape.
Within a few seconds of playing the demo I was introduced to Beyond Eye’s first trick of empathy, walking into a fence that could not be heard, but was finally “seen” once it was bumped into. This sudden realisation changes the experience of Beyond Eyes from one of wonder and exploration, to one of worry and reservation. You must carefully push Rae on, despite her fear of the unknown (her arms are tightly folded to convey this), and come to a gap in the fence by which you can progress to the next section of the level.
It’s in the next part of the demo that you find another trick the developers pull in order to make you empathise with Rae even more - that of imagination vs reality. Whilst traversing you may hear something in the distance, like a water fountain for example, which will then appear on the screen. But as you approach this water fountain, Rae will begin to realise it’s not a water fountain at all, and before your eyes the lovely fountain will transform into a sewer drain.
Speaking with Sherida Halatoe, the creator of Beyond Eyes, it was explained that these instances of trickery are used to show how ordinary objects in the real world can be seen in different ways depending on the imagination of the blind person. Rae, for example, has wonderful ideas of what these sounds could be, but the real thing is often far darker than her initial expectations.
I questioned the reasoning behind making the world white instead of, say, black, especially given that when you close your eyes it’s typically dark. Sherida’s response was that blind people don’t see darkness - they literally see nothing, which doesn’t necessarily mean black. Adding to this, she also said that white invites a player to explore, whereas black is more menacing and doesn't invite the player to progress; if anything, it prompts you to be reserved when it comes to exploring.
Whilst no release date has been announced for Beyond Eyes, it is expected to release in 2015 and will be published by Team17 (most well-known for the Worms franchise) for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
