Game: The Star Named Eos
Genre: Puzzle, Hidden object
System: Steam (Windows and MacOS)
Developers | Publishers: Silver Lining Studio | PLAYISM
Controller Support: Full
Price: US $14.99 | UK £12.79 | EU €14,99
Release Date: July 23th, 2024
A review code was provided; many thanks to Terminals
The Star Named EOS is a 2024 puzzle game developed by Silver Lining Studio and released by PLAYISM.
The Premise of The Star Named Eos
The Star Named EOS is a story-rich puzzle game in which we play as Dei, a young photographer on a journey following in his mother’s footsteps. The game touches on themes of love, loss, war, peace, and the strength to move on.
Gameplay
The Star Named EOS is a classic point-and-click quest game. In it, we collect items in our inventory to be used almost immediately in puzzles. The story progresses by recreating old photos and, in some rare cases, putting together torn pictures and letters. The way the scene changes when a photo is recreated is not only seamless but also almost cinematic.
Most puzzles involve opening a box by figuring out combination locks with symbols, mazes, sliding puzzles, etc. While there is no hint or skip button, none of the puzzles are complicated. The developers have achieved a perfect balance between challenge and difficulty. For example, I’m not too fond of puzzles with sliding blocks, and consequently, I am terrible at them, so when I happened upon one of those, I thought, this is it; I am going to get stuck. Thankfully, the solution came to me relatively quickly, and I progressed with the story.
The gameplay is deceptively simple and linear. The few dialogue options late in the game may not be narrative. There is no walking around, and all of the interaction – zooming in at points of interest and moving items is done with the left mouse button.
Photography is a central topic for the game. After all, the main character and his mother are both photographers. Also, the story progresses by recreating old photos. That being said, we can take three extraordinary and unlimited freestyle photos at each scene. The camera is available for free use by clicking a button visible on the right-hand side of the screen. All of the photos can be seen in an album from the main menu.
Art Style
One of the strong points of The Star Named EOS is its art style. It is firmly reminiscent of Silver Lining Studio’s previous game – Behind the Frame: The Finest Scenery, with its mix of hand-drawn soft line art and anime esthetics.
All in all, the result is dream-like, including astronomy topics, night skies, and memories of loved ones. The characters are fully voiced, adding a nice melancholy note to the story. The soundtrack is worthy of a separate release. Despite the somewhat sad story, the game ends on a hopeful note, which is, to no small part, thanks to the game’s art.
The Star Named EOS has basic audio and graphics settings. It also has Steam achievements and trading cards.
Conclusion
The Star Named EOS is a short but memorable point-and-click adventure full of emotions and hope. I can’t wait to see what its developers will create next.
Final Verdict: Two Thumbs Up
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