Before Your Eyes

 PC
User Score
8.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 88 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 73 out of 88
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 88
  3. Negative: 3 out of 88

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  1. SuperkenGaming
    Apr 14, 2021
    8
    Before your eyes
    over in a flash
    Before your eyes is a beautiful game, it will make you cry… at least twice... This is a very brief and unique experience, only about an hr and 40 minutes long.. And you play this game with your eyes… literally... you control the game by blinking... though there is an option to turn the webcam tracking feature off... this is a story heavy game that will    Before your eyes
    over in a flash
    Before your eyes is a beautiful game, it will make you cry… at least twice...
    This is a very brief and unique experience, only about an hr and 40 minutes long.. And you play this game with your eyes… literally... you control the game by blinking... though there is an option to turn the webcam tracking feature off... this is a story heavy game that will really have you self reflecting.. You’re told as your journey begins that blinking will cause you to move forward in your memories, no matter how bad you want to stay in that warm happy memory, you blink, and it’s gone. Much like real life... you play through the life of Ben, you go through his relationships with his parents, the girl next door, his piano, his love for art… all of which you can interact with and slightly change different paths, gving you some reason to go back and play through again…
    And this game like I said earlier will make you cry.. where that’s from immersing yourself into this charcter, or through your own self reflection.. this is a really touching and beautiful game… The second half though I found to drag on for a bit too long for how uninteresting and uneventful it was.. but the payoff was worth it..
    Before your eyes broke my heart and warmed my heart all at the same time
    I give Before Your Eyes
    an 8/10    … Expand
  2. ElkinFencer10
    Apr 19, 2021
    10
    Before your eyes is an indie PC game that I'd never even heard of before I saw a retweet from the developer talking about a Steam review from a guy who played the game, loved the game, and then refunded the game because it was short. A TON of people were like "Wow, screw that guy. I've never heard of this game, but that's a dick move, so I bought it to support the developer." Never oneBefore your eyes is an indie PC game that I'd never even heard of before I saw a retweet from the developer talking about a Steam review from a guy who played the game, loved the game, and then refunded the game because it was short. A TON of people were like "Wow, screw that guy. I've never heard of this game, but that's a dick move, so I bought it to support the developer." Never one to miss a good pro-game dev bandwagon, I decided to go drop $10 on the game, too. For the record, the dick from the Steam review apologized and repurchased the game after the Internet Inquisition got its hooks into him.

    Before Your Eyes is one of the most unique games I think I've ever played. It's controlled primarily with your webcam to track your blinks; the only input from your mouse is to move a cursor, and the keyboard isn't used at all. You have a very limited amount of camera movement with the mouse, and you blink to interact with objects and progress to the next scene (there's not movement in a traditional 3D space). The game follows the life of Benjamin Brynn from early childhood through to the end of his life. The narrative is told as a frame story - think Heart of Darkness if you've ever read that - where Benjamin's soul has been fished up by a boatman who is going to plead his case to the Gatekeeper to allow his soul into her heavenly city.

    That Steam review was right about the length; my playthrough took me less than 90 minutes. This game exemplifies the phrase "quality over quantity," though. When most games look to make their games longer to cram in more "value," GoodbyeWorld sought to make a game that left an impression on the player, not just take up their time, and I can't think of a game that's ever done this quite this well or succinctly. All in the span of 80 minutes, I smiled, laughed, grew angry, felt anxious, and cried real tears of sorrow. I've never played a game that moved me psychologically as much as Before Your Eyes did without being straight up trauma porn like Doki Doki Literature Club. It's not just the aggregate whole that's superb, either; each element of this game oozes with love, care, and talent. The motion capture for the boatman is excellent despite the game's being made by a nine person team. The writing is superb with a script and story that would fit in seamlessly with classic short stories. I don't know how experienced the cast was, but the voice acting doesn't have even the slightest hint of amateur talent; the voice cast was either extremely experienced or poured in the hours of rehearsals needed to nail each and every part this perfectly. The art especially needs to get special mention. You never see the whole world during any given scene; the majority of the world stays obscured by an inky blackness that focuses in on the important elements of the scene, and the 3D art in the game mixes with this blackness in a way that evokes at least in me thoughts of impressionist and surrealist art with certain scenes towards the end reminding me almost of Dada.

    I'd love to talk about the story and analyze the symbolism of different elements and allusions in the writing, but the story is so damn well written that I refuse to risk spoiling anything for folks who might go on to play it. Suffice it to say that this is an extremely unique experience not quite like anything I've played previously. The love and care put into the development is readily apparent in every aspect from the visuals to the writing to the voice acting to the music. I just absolutely adore everything about this game and cannot praise it enough. It's a shame that the webcam is so central to the experience because I'd love to see this game ported far and wide so more people could experience it. I suppose it could theoretically work on PS5 if you had the camera, but having to sit close enough for it to track your blinks accurately makes this a game that probably needs to remain PC exclusive.

    A lot of people debate whether video games truly count as art or not, but I would challenge anyone to play Before Your Eyes and tell me that this isn't a masterpiece of art after getting to the end. It may be an extremely short game, but with choices to make throughout the game that can affect various elements, it's also not a game you're likely to play through once and be finished with. $10 may feel steep for a 90 minute game to some folks, but I give you my word that it's well worth every penny, and I'd suspect that I'll probably be at five or six hours by the time I've seen all that the game has to offer. Even if I did only ever spend 90 minutes with this game, the quality of the experience I had in those 90 minutes is still well worth $10. This really is a once-in-a-generation game in my opinion and a masterpiece of artistic expression. I've recommended a lot of games over my life, but this one is probably on my All-Time Top Five Must Play list.    … Expand
  3. Michealo
    Apr 17, 2021
    10
    So i'll start off with the fact I've never written a review for any game, but I really couldn't just not do it for this one. I've never had any piece of media hit me harder than Before your eyes. The story touched upon some really difficult subjects which I could relate to more than I would have liked, also I might have cried... more than once. I won't spoil it but the main plot twist wasSo i'll start off with the fact I've never written a review for any game, but I really couldn't just not do it for this one. I've never had any piece of media hit me harder than Before your eyes. The story touched upon some really difficult subjects which I could relate to more than I would have liked, also I might have cried... more than once. I won't spoil it but the main plot twist was frankly amazing, there's just this moment when everything sorta clicks together. I loved the mechanic of blinking to experience the story, it so unique and surprisingly enough the game did a really good job at detecting my blinks. Most people claim the game takes about an hour and a half but for me personally it took a bit over 2 hours. Before Your Eyes both tore me apart and pieced me back together. I don't think any game is perfect but this was one of the best games I've ever had the pleasure of experiencing and as such I give it a 10/10… Expand
  4. UnknownG29
    Apr 28, 2021
    10
    Before Your Eyes is a reminder of how fast life passes us by. An intriguing experience full of memories that many of us can relate to, given some changes here and there, and gives us the experience of looking back on a life we leave behind. Who would have expected that a game with so few controls would have so much to offer by the end of the story. It had an amazing soundtrack withBefore Your Eyes is a reminder of how fast life passes us by. An intriguing experience full of memories that many of us can relate to, given some changes here and there, and gives us the experience of looking back on a life we leave behind. Who would have expected that a game with so few controls would have so much to offer by the end of the story. It had an amazing soundtrack with emotions jam packed behind each scene, and I feel the extremely low detail provided is actually pretty fitting. I think it was perfect. The game was just perfect and I can't stress it enough.… Expand
  5. aeriratez
    Apr 29, 2021
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Ugh damn it this game made me cry so many times! Highly recommend! The storyline and soundtrack are really good :)… Expand
  6. Katari
    Aug 28, 2021
    10
    In simple words the game is beautiful. Before your eyes is the kind of game that makes you remember that games don't need to have ultra-realistic graphics or be made by a renowned developers to be able to connect with the player on an emotional level. The game is controlled by blinking and besides that, the game has simple mechanics, but they are enough to tell you a really good andIn simple words the game is beautiful. Before your eyes is the kind of game that makes you remember that games don't need to have ultra-realistic graphics or be made by a renowned developers to be able to connect with the player on an emotional level. The game is controlled by blinking and besides that, the game has simple mechanics, but they are enough to tell you a really good and touching story that will make you cry at least once. If you have two free hours, you should play this game, and make sure you have your tissues ready.… Expand
  7. xwoliex
    Jan 31, 2022
    6
    if you've watched more than a couple movies, the narrative of 'before your eyes' don't get past the most regurgitated melodramas out there, but the uniqueness in its design and storytelling makes it worth it. i wouldn't go as far as to say it has a memorable story or even likeable characters, and the moments that are lived through are hardly ever of the character's own choice, which makesif you've watched more than a couple movies, the narrative of 'before your eyes' don't get past the most regurgitated melodramas out there, but the uniqueness in its design and storytelling makes it worth it. i wouldn't go as far as to say it has a memorable story or even likeable characters, and the moments that are lived through are hardly ever of the character's own choice, which makes it harder to relate or even care.

    for what's worth, i did enjoy the twist and the ending was as wholesome as it could be. don't go into it expecting a great story but instead an enjoyable experience.    … Expand
  8. BOUNCYOPPAI
    Aug 20, 2022
    8
    I haven't played video games in a very long time, and playing this game was an eye opener for what games are capable of doing. I honestly enjoyed playing it, which is something I rarely say about anything. The way this game connected me to my feelings and the way I handled things was marvelous. I thank the creators for this astounding game, the one that made me cry throughout it.
  9. SpagettiGamer
    May 31, 2021
    10
    If you did not cry at the end of this video game then you are either not alive or a supervillain.
  10. thepokeman
    Apr 22, 2021
    5
    A very flawed but enjoyable experience, it's hard to recommend but it's definitely not a bad game by any means
  11. ContemptEnjoyer
    Sep 21, 2022
    10
    It is a crime that this game is not rated higher. Few games are able to actually connect to the player and make them feel emotion like this game can.
  12. 3ls0ul
    Mar 6, 2023
    9
    Este juego aún no lo eh jugado o completado, así que pondré una reseña y nota diferentes cuando lo haga.
  13. curzon_dax
    Apr 4, 2023
    9
    It's a cute little story that deserves the investment. It's more or less a mildly interactive movie. The gimmick of the eye blinking with the camera is not the greatest; that's mainly because humans blink involuntarily all the time and it can disrupt gameplay with no way to reverse; I'd suggest to most to disable the camera feature after you see it for a few minutes.
  14. Wweald
    Aug 23, 2021
    8
    Very emotional game, I cried multiple times. It was pretty enjoyable to play as well even though it's very simple. The blinking mechanic is cool, I wish I had to webcam to experience but I just played with my mouse, sometimes clicking when I actually blinked, sometimes letting it go on a bit further to hear more.
  15. PrdPak
    Apr 19, 2021
    10
    Great game. I didn't play it with a webcam, because I could not get it to work at all, but the experience was still like no other game. The art-style is great, the story is so good that it almost made me emotional. 10/10, everyone should definitely try this game out for once.

    However, the game is short, takes only 1.5 hours to complete.
  16. grihajedy
    Mar 23, 2022
    8
    8/10
    Философская история о скоротечности жизни и важности текущего момента, не единственное произведение с таким смыслом, но, возможно, самое лучшее. Режиссура очень хорошая.
    + Уникальный геймплей. Тут вам надо играть морганием! (Вам понадобится вебкамера) И это просто напросто прикольно, скучно не будет, что-то новое всегда интересно. Да, иногда вебка сбивается, и считывает моргание    8/10
    Философская история о скоротечности жизни и важности текущего момента, не единственное произведение с таким смыслом, но, возможно, самое лучшее. Режиссура очень хорошая.
    + Уникальный геймплей. Тут вам надо играть морганием! (Вам понадобится вебкамера) И это просто напросто прикольно, скучно не будет, что-то новое всегда интересно. Да, иногда вебка сбивается, и считывает моргание даже когда вы не двигаетесь, и это может выбесить пару раз, так что старайтесь пройти игру в один заход, особо не двигаясь с места)
    Небольшой минус только в том, что история не во всём понятная, и музыка достаточно средняя. Как и визуал, кстати, он хороший, но ничего особенного.

    Подписывайтесь на Кураторство в Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/37365104/    … Expand
  17. TheBearOwner
    May 16, 2021
    10
    All I gotta say is that this game is the second game to make me cry... It was beutiful!
  18. Oshiri_Maeda
    Apr 22, 2023
    6
    Cool idea with camera controls and a good story, just not really to my liking.
  19. lessacebola
    May 29, 2022
    9
    Sensacional! O jogo passa uma mensagem bem bonita e é muito emocionante, além de ter uma belíssima arte.
  20. Shott1e
    Feb 13, 2022
    9
    Before Your Eyes is a game that tells the story of a young boy's life. Finding childhood inspiration, making friends, finding his first love, meeting adversity, and ultimately, confronting fate. Using the bodily function of blinking to tell the story truly makes the player realize the consequences of their actions. You only have so much time here, be it in the game or real life. In 90Before Your Eyes is a game that tells the story of a young boy's life. Finding childhood inspiration, making friends, finding his first love, meeting adversity, and ultimately, confronting fate. Using the bodily function of blinking to tell the story truly makes the player realize the consequences of their actions. You only have so much time here, be it in the game or real life. In 90 minutes Before Your Eyes pulls you in and has your eyes straining for just another second before briskly dashing you off seconds, minutes, sometimes years into the future. Not unlike real life, there is no way to go back. The life of Benny Brynn is happy, sad, hopeful, and despondent, leaving me with a wet tissue in the bin next to me as the credits rolled.

    The technical issues are not to be ignored, however. I'm someone with a very good webcam, good lighting, and I stayed still for the entire game. Wiping my eyes counted as a blink. adjusting my glasses counted as a blink. More than once the game just assumed I blinked and other times I would blink and the game wouldn't register it. For these reasons, and the lack of replayability, the score is reduced.

    Before Your Eyes is my game of 2021.    … Expand
  21. KevLooney
    Jan 21, 2022
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The game is a 9/10. It made me feel emotional throughout the story. It was saddening. It made me feel despair. It made me feel nostalgia. It gave me chills. It felt like a slice of life, and I loved it.… Expand
  22. axyz
    Jul 31, 2021
    9
    Before Your Eyes is a beautiful small interactive story. It brilliantly utilizes blinking mechanic to increase the quality of storytelling. And the story itself is good. And sad. I cried at this game like i never cried before in my entire life.
  23. slat3r
    May 29, 2021
    10
    Before your eyes is an indie game that puts a whole new perspective on life for me. It has such an interesting and creative way of storytelling in which that when you blink your eyes, it will do something in the game, whether it is making a decision, or even just changing scenes. This game left me literally crying at the end, not because it was depressing, but because I just felt so movedBefore your eyes is an indie game that puts a whole new perspective on life for me. It has such an interesting and creative way of storytelling in which that when you blink your eyes, it will do something in the game, whether it is making a decision, or even just changing scenes. This game left me literally crying at the end, not because it was depressing, but because I just felt so moved and didn't know what to do with myself. This is definitely in my top five games, no, top five pieces of entertainment. Do I recommend it? Hell YES!!… Expand
  24. psychobear
    May 18, 2021
    10
    A unique gaming experience entirely! I really felt moved by this one. Got it on sale as well for steam which is a plus
  25. Thecaseyoz
    May 26, 2021
    8
    I went into this game thinking it would be another try to force tears type game, I am so glad I gave it a try anyway.
    The Game Mechanics were tough to start, trying to debug the webcam's Blinks were tough, I did miss story because of that, however they do have an option to play through by clicking so you can re-watch all of those valuable moments you missed
    The story (without spoilers)    I went into this game thinking it would be another try to force tears type game, I am so glad I gave it a try anyway.
    The Game Mechanics were tough to start, trying to debug the webcam's Blinks were tough, I did miss story because of that, however they do have an option to play through by clicking so you can re-watch all of those valuable moments you missed

    The story (without spoilers) was touching, It felt real and relatable the entire time. The twists and turns you were brought on were heart wrenching and the finale left you in awe.

    Would suggest playing this game alone, that way other people can't influence your decisions and outcome of the game.

    Happy playing and good luck. I cried. twice.    … Expand
  26. starssun
    May 28, 2021
    10
    Made me cry .

    Fun game ............. . The story is brief but it is moving
  27. DesignXPR
    May 30, 2021
    10
    An experience crafted with love. An experience pushing the boundaries of what a game can be and do. A work of art, a masterpiece, perfection.
  28. 6feetpete
    May 30, 2021
    10
    The concept of the game of blinking and jumping forward in time is beautifully done. I figured that I would cry and the story would hit me hard, but I had no clue. I completed the game nearly 24 hours ago and will begin to tear up if I think about it for too long. Without a doubt worth the $10
  29. Avenred
    Jun 13, 2021
    10
    This is definitely a game that will stick with me for a while. It is probably one of the most emotional and best stories ever in a video game. The blink detection part didn't work too well for me, but it was good enough to get through the game crying at the end.
  30. ferrascal
    Jun 27, 2021
    10
    What a great game… inventive and concise but ever so powerful. This game is worth a play for anyone! Highly recommend!
  31. VladEstragon
    Jun 29, 2021
    10
    This game is a strong and lovely experience, I just loved every moment of it.
  32. melihabuaf
    May 19, 2023
    6
    gud , short, good and impersive story 7.5 game deservs it mone its not to mucj 123123 abc
  33. cociv28082
    Sep 29, 2021
    5
    Overwrought and underwritten, Before Your Eyes presents one gameplay hook and proceeds to make little-to-no use of it while presenting little-to-nothing else of interest. If you've ever played a Sad Dramatic Indie About Life, here is yet another game in the same tired vein. The writing is pretty ham-fisted and the voice work is not up to the task of breathing life into Baby's First Script.Overwrought and underwritten, Before Your Eyes presents one gameplay hook and proceeds to make little-to-no use of it while presenting little-to-nothing else of interest. If you've ever played a Sad Dramatic Indie About Life, here is yet another game in the same tired vein. The writing is pretty ham-fisted and the voice work is not up to the task of breathing life into Baby's First Script. The game really, really wants to get at your emotions but every single development feels unearned and cheap. Like the 'LAUGH' sign that flashes for the live audience at a late-night show, Before Your Eyes seems to have a 'FEEL RAW EMOTION' sign that flashes at all times, even as it fails to present anything sincere enough to be worth feeling sincere feelings.… Expand
  34. Jbolota
    Dec 4, 2021
    10
    Beautiful,beautiful game,just buy it and play it, but makes sure you got a webcam,i dont think it would have made the same impact had i not used it
  35. nayru_inc
    Feb 8, 2022
    10
    Ngl, I created this account solely to review this game bc I think it’s Metacritic score is frustratingly low for what it is. Before Your Eyes is undoubtedly one of the best games of 2021 if not of all time, and makes brilliant use of mechanics to drive its narrative about self acceptance and making the best use of the time you have. It is not a game for everyone, as it is very wholesomeNgl, I created this account solely to review this game bc I think it’s Metacritic score is frustratingly low for what it is. Before Your Eyes is undoubtedly one of the best games of 2021 if not of all time, and makes brilliant use of mechanics to drive its narrative about self acceptance and making the best use of the time you have. It is not a game for everyone, as it is very wholesome and melancholic, and is a sob story indie style. It’s narrative isn’t the most complicated thing ever, but it is well written and emphasized by its mechanics. Yes, the eye detection does not work too well if you do not have a good webcam or wear glasses like I do. If so you may have to recalibrate the blink controls every 10 min or so, but they make that simple, and at most it took me 45 seconds to fix. The combination of its controls and plot result in a brilliant experience that you will remember as one of the most unique and heartfelt games of all time.… Expand
  36. Echozone
    Feb 25, 2022
    10
    Before Your Eyes was the first game that I felt this engaged in the story. A very interesting concept that I 've never seen before, and the story itself, how plot points are revealed, all were amazing. If you play using the eye reader (which I recommend you do) after playing the game it took me the entire night to come back to my senses, an amazing game.
  37. johc
    May 4, 2022
    9
    Amazing storytelling through the use of incredible unique yet simple mechanics.
  38. GentlemanHunter
    Jul 16, 2023
    9
    Things I Liked:
    -Amazing Story
    -Charming Visuals
    -Some Replayability
    Things I Disliked:
    -Blinking Mechanic can be buggy at times
    Conclusion: Probably one of the best games released this year. there's a reason why most people didn't refund this game, even though they could
  39. ElSchmiddi
    Jul 25, 2023
    10
    This game hit me harder than I ever anticipated. The less you know before playing the better, just know that the User Score doesn't lie. Created the account just to give this game the 10/10 it deserves.

Awards & Rankings

60
#60 Most Discussed PC Game of 2021

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 25 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17 out of 25
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 25
  3. Negative: 0 out of 25
  1. CD-Action
    Dec 7, 2021
    85
    The game was designed to be controlled with eye movements and blinking, but as this system doesn’t work perfectly (sometimes I had to open my eyes very wide and blink very dramatically for the game to notice), I appreciated the fact that the mouse works too. The immersion might have suffered, but it was a price I was willing to pay to be able to enjoy the story without any issues and frustration. And the story is what makes Before Your Eyes great – it only lasts two hours, but still managed to surprise me and pluck just the right emotional string.
  2. Checkpoint Gaming
    May 29, 2021
    80
    GoodbyeWorld Games have created something incredibly special with Before Your Eyes. It’s a truly great game that explores real human stories through mechanics I’ve never really seen before. It’s a wonderfully crafted indie game that demands to be up there in your must-play list for 2021.
    Read full review
  3. Hey Poor Player
    May 27, 2021
    90
    I refuse to spoil Before Your Eyes for you by telling you anything more about the story. All you really need to know is that it’s got an underutilized mechanic integrated perfectly into a heartbreakingly beautiful tale of a life well lived, no matter how short it was.
    Read full review
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