Photographs capture a moment in time with complete objectivity. They can challenge our version of events and address ‘that’s not how it happened’ arguments. In these cases, you maybe It is said that getting a picture into one’s memory becomes a… puzzle.
For the purposes of this review, think about that metaphor, since it is the premise of The star named EOS. Silver Lining Studio and PLAYISM have delivered a puzzle game built around an emotional story. And, like a photo, this game is just a snapshot, but it can still tell a profound story.
In The Star Named EOS, you control Dei and view the world from a first-person perspective. The game is organized into chapters, each taking place in a different location – from Dei’s childhood bedroom, to a train, to a coffee shop – as he travels through his memories. Each chapter begins with a voice reading a letter from his mother. She always includes a sweet sentiment tinged with sadness, like ‘[stars] Don’t disappear just because you close your eyes’.
Silver Lining skillfully weaves nostalgia into every scene – no easy task when you’ve never been there. Dei’s childhood bedroom is filled with peeling posters and beloved picture books. The coffee shop is a place of sipping coffee and reclining chairs. These scenes have stories to tell. And the story shines, depicting Dei’s relationship with her mother along with themes of memory, trauma, and attachment. It’s all wrapped up in an astrologically themed narrative that changes as you play. Now, if that description sounds vague, that’s because we’re trying to provide a snapshot while cutting out spoilers. But we will say this: the love between mother and son warmed our hearts, and, at the climax of the plot, we were left in tears and starry-eyed.
You’ve probably encountered photography in games countless times before, but in The Star Named EOS, it’s the main function. Dei’s relationship with his mother is marked by a shared love of photography, and she even passed on her old Polaroid camera to him. As Dei, your main task is to recreate your mother’s photos. For the first photo, you’ll need a rose and curtains. Aside from a quick camera tutorial, you don’t get many hints and are given a lot of creative freedom, but not in a way that makes you feel alienated. It likes to decorate the space with clues. As you fumble around the room, you find a torn page tucked inside a scrapbook. The page fits inside an old children’s book, which when put together, can unlock a box, etc. This is the kind of visual storytelling and revealing breadcrumbs that will delight fans. Botanical Manor And Dismantling.
The story is layered with clever, visually-driven puzzles that stimulate your brain. These include mazes, jigsaw puzzles, and sliding puzzles that interact with the environment, and mechanics that play with gravity and motion, making good use of your in-game camera. Each puzzle gives you just enough information to capture the events of each shot without overexposing anything, and there’s a satisfying feeling when the pieces line up.
You will use math, logic, memory and deductive skills throughout the game, so we always carry a pen and paper to write down the many symbols and clues scattered around, and we always figure out the answer before we get frustrated. We also don’t remember how we solved most of the puzzles and even completed one puzzle by accident. Then, after completing the game, we want to play it again to do it in reverse and understand how we did it.
There’s a lovely connection when using items or clues you pick up throughout the game; for example, an early clue you find in the bedroom might be used later in the cafe. You’re also rewarded for your curiosity when you capture interesting objects that might otherwise be outside the main story, with special borders you can apply to the photos that provide a bit of narrative to go with them. It ensures that even though the locations may be disparate, the world remains cohesive and everything is connected.
The Star Named EOS’s seven-hour runtime is short, but the game’s slow, leisurely nature means that finding clues provides a bit of excitement. It’s never boring, and we found it satisfying to rotate our scope around different scenes, paying attention to the aesthetics, chapter by chapter.
That’s because The Star Named EOS’s visuals are absolutely stunning. The hand-drawn art style, soft textures, and warm lighting create a cozy atmosphere to look at. Seriously, check out these screenshots! We’d love to include more gorgeous scenes, but they’re spoiler-free, so you’ll have to play to see them for yourself.
The soothing, rustic, slow-paced music fits perfectly with the game’s calming atmosphere. You’re prompted to put on headphones at the start, and we agree that it feels a bit like receiving a letter. However, the audio experience is still great with speakers – either from the TV or the Switch itself when handheld.
Like real-life photography, the mechanics can be a little fiddly on the Switch. It feels like the game was made with the PC in mind, and it requires a mouse. The amount of clicking and dragging is a little awkward, as you have to hold ‘A’ and shake the joystick. Items will automatically snap to certain positions but not always accurately, and while the touchscreen helps a bit, it’s less responsive than we’d like. And it doesn’t use the Switch’s gyroscope, which is a shame for all the perspective exploration.
Conclusion
Like a photograph, The Star Named EOS is a fleeting moment in time. In its short playtime, it gave us so much to love: between the art, the story, and the puzzles, we couldn’t pick just one highlight. And by the time the credits rolled, we were itching to keep playing. Puzzle games don’t have the best replay value, but thanks to the cryptic intros and the engaging story of a mother and son, we’d be happy to come back to this one. There’s not much more to say here—a picture is worth a thousand words.
