With Shining Eyes

I came across this game and was roped in a little by it's colour palette and seemingly strange nature, then decided to play it when I noticed that it was free. This short walking sim type game is surreal, abstract, and just plain ODD, but I also found it intriguing and really enjoyed its aesthetic overall. This is very much something that you might enjoy if you like arty weird types of things, but could very easily be seen as just weird or pretentious otherwise. I would be lying if I really knew what was going on half the time I was just happy to be there and look at all the lovely colours. Beyond that, there honestly isn't too much to say about this, it's short and free so honestly it's worth just experiencing for yourself. It has a bit of that small dev team jankiness to it, but I liked it, and honestly was intrigued by it enough to quickly play through it a second time to take in what was around me a little better. One thing I was curious about with this game was the "puzzle" element it mentions in the tags and in the descriptions. As someone that plays a lot of puzzle games and is particularly fond of the first-person puzzle genre, I personally would not categorise this as a…

A short, surreal first-person walking simulator set in Bellamy Academy, where colorful classrooms can be explored, simple puzzles solved and fragments of its history uncovered through dialogue and a cutscene. Its themes touch on learning, human connection, self-development and human nature, but there is little actual background story or narrative substance. The game essentially consists of solving obvious, text-instructed puzzles to collect pieces and place them in the holes of the central room, with occasional hidden areas. Vibrant psychedelic dioramas, portals, floating spaces and clean geometry create a singular kaleidoscopic aesthetic somewhere between dreamcore's distorted familiarity, fantastical children playground architecture, and the rainbow mysticism of '70s New Age imagery. The world is often beautiful and intriguing, though the saturation can be excessive. The soothing ambient soundtrack complements the gentle, soul-soothing atmosphere, even if its repeated piano track can sound repetitive. There are virtually no sound effects beyond dialogue. The gameplay is barely enough to qualify as a puzzle game. Most puzzles are extremely easy, often made even more obvious by …

that's not it

I would overall recommend this game, but also have a few mixed feelings about it. In general, it felt like a really positive exploration of learning, human connection, and self development, which I could appreciate. I also really adored how the environments looked in this one. They were weird, but only unsettling when it fit the tone, and I enjoyed looking around to see what each classroom had to offer. There was something strangely comforting about it, and this strange sense of comfort is what often makes me gravitate towards weird games. Fitting within its mood and themes, the puzzles often involved using unique problem solving skills in order to help someone else. On the other hand, the ending was kind of lackluster and left me a little disappointed. Still a pretty fun experience that I think is worth checking out, and one I'll likely replay in the future, it just felt like something was missing from the ending.

MY EYES BURN!!!!!! WHY IS THE SATURATION TURNED UP SO MUCH, ARGHHHHHHHHHH!!!! also, a cool short puzzle game! :D

Fun little indie game