Recent reviews by Ishlan

killing bugs and taking names

I knew nothing about D&D when I bought this game and now after playing it I only have night terrors about all the critical failures that I've rolled.

10/10 GOTY

It really FEELS like I'm playing a Spider-Man game while I play this Spider-Man game.

This is not a game I've been following for years and had time to build great hype. This is a game I stumbled upon by chance, perhaps a week before its release. In the short snippets I watched on TikTok and the trailer on the store page, I found the premise of gameplay revolving around blinking to be incredibly creative, but I figured it would be a gimmick that might get old quickly like other games that focus on a sole concept but eventually become a one-trick pony. Yet, I bought it on day one anyway.

The blinking mechanic in this game is my favorite aspect of any video game, ever. It isn't some feature tacked on for an E3 demo to make the crowd, "oooh" and "aahh"; it is at all the same time basic, complex, compelling, and unique. I believe there is a way to play the game without blinking and substituting with the standard M1 click. DO NO DO THIS! Imagine you go to play Guitar Hero or Rock Band and instead of the instruments, you have to use an Xbox controller to hit the notes. Yes, you will still be able to hit the notes and play the game, but you will miss all the atmosphere and immersion that stems from playing behind the eyes of your character. My direct progress in a game has never been more apparent. Your eyes are the controller. I held my eyes open to make scenes persist, with the characters and stories that I wanted to learn more about.

As you blink, time passes and the game continues

The developers have managed to make blinking, a task I will complete millions maybe billions, or trillions of times throughout my life, engaging. As I mentioned, I was focused on keeping my eyes open during chapters where I wanted just a little bit more, but I would give in and blink. The next scene began, and it started all over again. Or, at certain points in the game, I could close my eyes and instead of staring at a screen, time would cease to skip forward. I could listen to the ambient noise or a character finish a sentence they didn't think I would hear. I could release the control of my eyes and let my ears experience the story as well. This mechanic is so finely tuned and well crafted. There aren't shortcuts to cheat the system of time pressing on, just as there are no shortcuts in reality. The time we have, the time we're granted, the time we will lose is all up to us in how we choose to use it and hold on to it. At both times I am jealous and horrified by this power. There are many moments I wish I could relive, but I don't know if I could say goodbye to those memories for a second time.

The story is also sublime. I really don't want to say anything about it because I went in mostly blind to the plot, and I would suggest that you do too to be closer to the beginning and the main character. The trailers and snippets I saw were all out of context and my curiosity was drawn to the gameplay. It is a fantastic narrative amplified by the environment in which you play. Unless you really can't help it, I highly recommend going into the game with any substantial prior knowledge.

When I tell friends and family that video games are art, this is the example that I will show them. The experience of this game is akin to the greatest films I've watched and books I've read. This story cannot be done justice in other forms, just as other mediums cannot have their stories grafted into video games. For the countless brain-numbing shooters and micro-transaction messes I've played, there are infrequent games like these that keep me playing and wondering how this art form can be pushed further.

Do yourself a favor. Take two hours and play this game. Before Your Eyes deserves your attention.

Blink.

Enjoy.

Blink again.

And hold desperately onto moments in your own life like you will with this game.

there's milk but there's also the friends I made along the way