The Eyes of Ara Review

You land at the docks of an old castle. With you are a suitcase with a letter explaining your task: to fix a weird signal broadcast from the isle on which the castle is built upon. Said broadcasted signal is causing interferrances within a 100km radius, and failing to find willable technicians to fulfill the contract you are the chosen one. The castle is supposed to be abandoned so where the strange broadcast signal comes from is a mystery of it’s own. Right from the get-go you are met with puzzles in order to progress into the castle. You make your way through these puzzles, ending up in the main foyer with a strange circular diagram on the wall.

From here on out you explore the castle, complete puzzles and read the documents scattered about. At some point you are met by flying drone-eyes. The Eyes of Ara. These mystical creatures, with a background unknown, seems to follow you around the castle, tracking your every move. If you pay attention to the papers and documents around the  castle you learn of the different former inhabitants – Christopher, the uncle and owner of the castle, Astra, Christopher’s niece a mother and lastly Clementine, daughter of Astra and the favorite of Christopher.

The fate bestowed upon them is uncovered through the documents and puzzles. Christopher, during a storm, went down to the docks to tie his boat down and was lost. Astra and the children left the castle, as not being a huge fan of the uncle and Clementine, the favorite, leaves with the mother (although some of her story afterwards is to be found / decyphered still). When the player gets to the end of the game they complete a puzzle within the Observatory that enables a giant beacon in to space, making the Eyes leave Earth.

The Eyes of Ara is a game heavily inspired by Myst. This much is even said by the developer, mentioning Myst as one of his favorite games. Most of the game involves puzzle-solving and enjoying the scenery. A great bunch of the puzzles are inspired by astrology, and some of them can be a tad difficult. That being said, the puzzles are quite refreshing and interesting. You will be travelling through the castle quite a lot, revisiting rooms etc. The castle is semi-big, so there is plenty to visit – and it looks great. The graphics are a treat, and there is plenty to look at in each scene.

The ambience and music is fitting, quite somber and slow-paced. Storywise there is plenty of mystery within The Eyes of Ara. Loads of red herrings throwing you off, making you think twice of what is really happening. Most of the story is told through papers and documents with no voice-over, which is a bit of a shame. But the story is in general interesting, and you not only learn about the mystical broadcasting Eyes, but also the story of the former inhabitants. The puzzles start out easy enough, but get progressively harder. There is bits where you need to find hidden objects which can cause a bit of frustration.

All in all The Eyes of Ara is a nice title. If you enjoy solving puzzles it is right up your alley – and if you are a fan of the old Myst games even more so. It is a good looking game, and if you can get past the sometimes harder puzzles and somewhat annoying hidden objects you will have an enjoyable experience.