Aptly named developer Silver Lining Studio loves making you feel a spectrum of emotions with their games. Behind the Frame, their first endeavor, cast you as a young painter on the cusp of finishing her masterpiece. Their newest game, The Star Named EOS, once again uses the arts to tell an emotional journey of reconnecting with one’s family, with some challenging puzzles along the way.
You’ll play as Dei, a young man who is looking to reconnect with his mother via photographs and letters she left behind. Levels will include a letter from Dei’s mother about a memory she wants to share with Dei and a photograph for Dei’s scrapbook. To progress the level, you’ll have to recreate each photograph, whether it’s the view outside of a cafe the mother visited or their campsite from when Dei and his mother planned to go stargazing. The levels also include optional bonus photographs with colorful and detailed borders, and you can fill Dei’s album with 80 photographs, encouraging you to get snapping.
Each level will have a variety of puzzles to be solved, from a standard sliding puzzle to using an AM/FM radio to receive morse code instructions to unlock a box. There’s even a maze at the end that’s easier to traverse than first glance. As someone who loves just about any puzzle outside of a jigsaw, The Star Named EOS did a good job in providing fun and engaging puzzles.
However, sometimes finding the next puzzle or next step in progressing a level became a bit tricky. It’s not always clear what you need to do next in The Star Named EOS, and connections between different items in a level could be vague. While I could solve most puzzles just fine on my own, finding the next puzzle or instructions for it could be a bit tricky, and I’m not ashamed to say I needed to reference a YouTube walkthrough a time or two.
Dei’s emotional journey is the real draw of The Star Named EOS. In the beginning, it’s not quite clear why his mother isn’t around. By the end, EOS will be making you feel a lump in your throat as you complete the game. It’s a bittersweet story, and will surely make you want to call your mom immediately after just to hear the sound of her voice.
Unfortunately, I find it difficult to recommend The Star Named EOS as a must-buy right now at full price as it’s the type of game I’d usually pick up on sale myself. (I played The Star Named EOS via a review code provided by the game’s publisher.) At give or take two hours of gameplay, depending on how challenging some puzzles are for you, there’s just not a ton of meat on the bone here. That’s not to say what meat the game provides isn’t good – I quite enjoyed my time with EOS – only that you’ll still be left hungry after the credits roll.
The Star Named EOS is an emotional, cozy, and, at times, difficult experience. It’ll instantly grab you by your emotions and not let go as you travel with Dei on his journey to connect with his mother. Check it out when the time – and price – is right.
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