Eyes in the Dark: The Curious Case of a Victoria Bloom, review

It is very important to have a coherent idea behind your project. So is the influence of the personal cultural backgrounds of those embodying these ideas. However, don’t let your intuition overwhelm you. There is a boundary, a boundary, a dividing line between this and other elements within one’s work that marks the maximum point of peaceful coexistence. When this limit is exceeded, the tower collapses. This trend closer to the ultimate limit is a constant that distinguishes any writer-crafter who struggles to create a work of genius. Many approach it in moderation; others cross this line, being crushed by their own creatures. Still others dwell on exactly this and trigger a combination of unique, invasive, invasive emotions and feelings that are forever embedded in the minds of those who witness such consequences. Second, it is man’s creations that will stand the test of time. This preface is used to start a discussion about a small indie game developed by an equally small Croatian studio. under the stairsBased in Zagreb.

Let’s see if this team managed to get as close to this line as possible by getting caught up in this enthusiasm. Eyes in the Dark: The Curious Case of a Victoria Bloom review.

A shiny roguelite

To market with a stock that does not have at least the minimum amount roguelite mechanics seems impossible for new independent studios eager to establish themselves. Eyes in the Dark is no exception. In fact, the game is no different, as it presents itself with a narrative structure in episodes and an audio-visual style that makes you think of a more linear adventure. We know the nature of the genre: our goal is to get to the “final boss” without dying, otherwise we have to start over, even with some help that will allow us to progress more easily in the hostile world. . your game.

Eyes in the Dark takes these dynamics and adapts them to a very “constrained” map, as the adventure takes place entirely in the mansion of Bloom, a family of inventors, researchers, and scientists. As little Victoria Bloom, your mission is to explore nine regions of the dreary abode (three-by-three unlocked over the course of many narrative chapters) to find our grandfather, who was kidnapped by mysterious dark creatures moving in the shadows.

Here, in a sense, the “hero” of the game comes into play, namely light. In fact, a flashlight will be the weapon with which it will be possible to protect from the deadly arthropods invading the villa. If it was originally just a battery-powered flashlight, it can quickly evolve into a real firearm thanks to upgrades that allow you to replace it and the other two components of the equipment: the sling and shoes. Each upgrade provides statistical improvements and base effects (as well as differences in approach to matches) but at the cost of a few slots that can be filled (expandable up to a maximum of five). Extreme improvements are still useful because they are rewarded with a handful of Sparks, the in-game currency with which it is possible to buy items from Edgar the crow, the in-game currency, i.e. the merchant is found in every region of the world with the travel shop. Villa.

Each area has different rooms and three doors: that of the shop, the door of the “upgrade” (where you have to face a challenge and then be rewarded with an item of your choice among the three), and the door of the boss. Only after defeating the second will it be possible to move to one of the adjacent areas to the area where the player is. But before crossing the threshold, you will be asked to choose a pair of bonuses and possibilities that will remain active until the end of the game.

As you progress, the enemies will become more and more hard and since you’ve encountered it earlier in the game, easily overcome areas can become your new obstacle (but it’s worth saying that the game isn’t hard at all; in fact, it wouldn’t spoil a slightly higher level given by an effective overall complexity ascribed to individual opponents rather than the presence of multiple enemies on the screen. challenge).

After killing all the Division’s Guardians or facing defeat, the game restarts, but the mansion’s plan has changed and with some points to be spent in the “Library”. Here you can choose whether to invest in random items that you will choose just before entering the villa, or to buy upgrades or bonuses that will appear during the game.

Generational differences

Eyes in the Dark a audiovisual sector It’s really perfect and clean, which should set an example to anyone who wants to convey a gaming universe through image and sound. It is a pity that these two elements follow two different trajectories. From the very first seconds, the visual effect of silent cinema on the one hand and the gothic “Tim Burton style” on the other is evident. The cutscenes contain their essence perfectly, throwing the viewer into a world with a well-defined atmosphere…at least until the real hand-capturing musical interpretation from 80’s video games kicks in.

The two universes, while functioning on their own, never truly manage to merge harmoniously. The result is a feeling of disconnection from the proposed, so much so that it does not seem risky to think that there will be those who anxiously await the game episodes, and on the other hand, those who do not want to wait. Even predicting unanimous regret in finding a certain amount, like returning to the atmosphere of cutscenes, does not seem risky. minor bugs and glitcheswhich doesn’t really affect the flow of the game, but definitely devalues ​​the overall experience.