Overview: The Star Named EOS Is Brief and a Little too Candy

The Star Named EOS is the most recent recreation from Silver Lining Studio, and like Behind the Body: The Best Surroundings earlier than it, the sport tells a really private story of artwork and connection in between puzzles set in panoramic scenes. Stated puzzles aren’t supposed to be taxing, and I had a number of points with the marginally saccharine story, however for those who can tune to the sport’s wavelength you’ll discover a very nice story with some beautiful visuals right here.

The sport performs from the attitude of Dei, a younger photographer following within the footsteps of his mom by recreating (very literal) snapshots of her life. Most ranges in The Star Named EOS begin with a letter from Mother in addition to a photograph, which you will want recreate with what you will have accessible within the scene. There’s some first rate selection within the puzzles, although maybe a number of too many leaned on discovering a code within the degree and inputting it elsewhere. Typically you’ll discover what you want after a number of puzzles and easily have to rearrange it, however typically you’ll have to get a little bit ingenious. My favourite was one which concerned holding cutouts in opposition to a poster to recreate a tenting scene in the course of a metropolis. Full the picture and also you’ll transfer to the realm depicted as you piece collectively what occurred to Dei’s mother.

My copy of The Star Named EOS got here on Swap, and whereas it ran completely and appeared good I did discover the point-and-click gameplay a bit clunky with the analog sticks. It was nothing big, however looking for particular clickables with out adjustable sensitivity was positively extra irritating than it may have been with a mouse and keyboard. This solely received worse after I needed to commute between a number of screens to test the sequence I used to be inputting, so for those who plan to play the sport it is best to make issues simpler for your self by bringing a notepad and, if potential, enjoying on PC.

The environments and artwork on the whole have a beautiful, barely painterly fashion and the sport makes use as soon as once more of Silver Lining Studio’s panorama tech. There are additionally a number of cutscenes interspersed, often the place one other character seems, and the designs there have this barely Ghibli-ish high quality to them that was nice. I particularly favored the areas set in a practice or a metropolis cafe, which appeared like they may have had a mid-1900’s aesthetic occurring, although I don’t know if the sport is expressly set then.

There’s a smidgen of replayability, must you wish to return and gather a number of extra bits of writing by images of particular objects in ranges, however in any other case you’ll be performed inside a few hours. It will rely upon how simply you’re taking to the puzzles in fact, however usually the sport has a breezy tempo that doesn’t get slowed down regardless of the sentimentality of all of it. I’d say, nevertheless, that the tempo left the story feeling a little bit too “broad strokes” at instances.

Our protagonist Dei, for instance, can come throughout as a little bit flat as a result of we don’t actually know all that a lot about him. We’re instructed a number of instances that he’s very proficient at pictures and is clearly very near his mother, however I didn’t get a way of an actual character past that. There’s a component the place a personality says she envies how insightful he’s, and it simply felt very bizarre and unearned. Dei appears like a clean slate everyman meant to be projected onto, however the story appears like its meant to be private in a manner that didn’t fairly click on collectively, not less than for me.

[Note: The next section will contain spoilers for The Star Named Eos]

The Mother is analogous, we get that she is clearly very idealistic and dedicated to her job however with such little details about what she’s doing and why she’s doing it the sport form of fails to convey the gravity of it. We don’t actually see what she believed was price risking her life for, and I feel that might have been a extra concrete story beat for Dei be taught that too. Because it stands, it’s not exhausting to return away from The Star Named EOS with the slightly unflattering learn that Dei merely replaces his misplaced mom determine with Nat, a personality who seems in the direction of the tip, slightly than coming to any realization or expressing any progress.

The Star Named EOS has a fairytale vibe to it like the beginning of a Pixar film, however the identical breezy tempo and lightness of element can even make the story really feel flat or overly sentimental. Nonetheless, there’s a pleasing and affecting time for individuals who can decelerate and luxuriate in it.

The Star Named EOS is accessible for the PS5, Xbox Sequence X, Nintendo Swap, and PC.