It’s been a good period recently for strong puzzle games, with the recently released Arranger hitting top marks and now The Star Named EOS gracing us with some high-quality, strong puzzles that feed nicely into an emotive narrative. The Taiwanese developers, Silver Lining, have managed to create a game that will resonate with many people, not just from the photography side of the game but also in the tale it tells.
At the beginning, you meet Dei, who is looking for his missing mother, and he is holding on to an agreed-upon meet-up to stargaze together. He takes his Polaroid camera, which was given to him by his mum and uses letters that she sent him to guide him on this journey. A nice touch is that each letter is read out by his mum, which, for some reason, really pulled at my heartstrings in that it showed and embedded the love and the bond that is held for mother and son. The way in which the letters have also been written portrays an encouragement to seek out new experiences, a wonderful message, and one I believe in myself. The opening cutscenes also do a good job of portraying this love and are beautifully realised.
The gameplay itself is very much a first-person point-and-click affair, but here you are rooted to a particular spot, with panning around the area the only movement allowed. With this in mind, the developers have made sure to implement a system that works well. If there’s something that seems out of reach, once clicked on, the screen will zoom in on that area, as if you had moved, to be able to explore it better. Each area houses a particular goal that feeds into the photography side, as a photo is included in each letter Dei receives, and you have to recreate it by finding items that are scattered around you.
Of course, it’s not that easy, as you have to complete different puzzles to gain access to them. These can range from finding a handle to open a draw to figuring out a combination for a box to gain entry to it. Some puzzles will have you hunting the room for clues, which can be found in a multitude of ways. These did get quite cryptic in places, but the answers are there; you just need to be able to find and decipher them and place them in the right puzzle. Some of these did become a bit to cryptic for me, and with no accessibility options to help, I can see some people struggling in places. The puzzles are much fun though, with plenty of variation as you’ll use many different skills to solve them, and when you eventually have all the pieces together to recreate your mums picture, it’s a real highlight and a good feeling. Not only as you’ve managed to succeed but also to learn more about Dei and his mum’s relationship.
Visually, A Star Named EOS is a delight. Each area is created with a level of detail that I really appreciated and has a general, high-quality hand-drawn quality to them. Everything looked lived in, with bedsheets crumpled up, things strewn across the floor in the bedroom, to a very well-dressed train carriage and camping site. Silver Lining has managed to involve emotion when it comes to the game’s graphics; something about them feels homely, warm, and almost comforting, and each scene feels like it’s also telling you a story. There’s also some anime-cut scenes included in the game, stretching out the narrative with some gorgeous drawing and good voice acting.
The talent behind the voice acting is Suzie Yeung, who voiced the mischievous Yuffie Kisaragi in Final Fantasy VII Remake and FFVII Rebirth, as well as numerous other roles. Commenting on the experience, Yeung had this to say:
“The Star Named EOS is a beautiful, immersive game that has charming music and visuals. The atmosphere is very soothing, self-reflecting, and a little mysterious. It’s one of those games that I would enjoy winding down and playing at the end of a long day.” (Taken from the games press release.)
The game’s sound is also of high quality, with suitable music playing throughout that is not distracting or frustrating. I found myself concentrating more on the music when I was contemplating a puzzle, such was the ease of the tunes that were playing. Sound effects are also spot on, especially when taking pictures, as each is accompanied by a satisfying click and whirr effect.
You can take pictures at any time during the game, but only certain ones progress the narrative. Photography wasn’t as involved in the game as much as I thought it would be, imaging a TOEM-style experience, but it still plays an important part in the story and in the more fantastical sections of the tale. There are also special photos to take that will have a unique border around them. They do nothing but fill in a section of a photo album; it’s a nice side task to include.
The narrative itself is the heartbeat of the game; it has something so beautiful and loving to say about the relationship between a mother and her son, It’s easy to get wrapped up in it and it’s not long before you feel connected to Dei and his mum, which is a marvellous feat for any game to do, but in this case, it’s even more impressive how Silver Lining has managed to portray this in a puzzle game. The story also goes to some welcoming, unexpected places, throwing some curveballs that I didn’t see coming, which stops the game from becoming repetitive and refreshes the gameplay just when it needs it. They also implement the stargazing aspect really well, and it’s a strong part of the plot, almost to the point that every time I look up at the stars now, I shall probably think of this game.
A Star Named EOS is a beautiful, warm game that will make you feel a range of emotions as you play it. It’s a high-quality affair, and at around three to four hours, it doesn’t overstay its welcome. From the moment I started to the end, I became wrapped up in Dei’s journey and was surprised and delighted in the way it ended. Overall, the puzzles were fun and engaging to complete, and it was enjoyable to scour the environments for clues without it getting boring. But more importantly, A Star Names Eos made me think about my own family and the love I have for them—how much you can take them for granted and hold on to every moment, no matter how mundane a day can be—and that was what impressed me the most.
Release Date: Out Now
Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X|S
Price: £12.79
Version Tested: PC (Via Steam Deck)
Many thanks to the publisher for the review copy
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