The Eyes of Ara

A quality graphic adventure with fun puzzles and a lovely setting.

The Eyes of Ara is a fascinating journey through a haunting castle, that hides many secrets within its walls. The meat of this experience is to explore the various rooms and interact with every object or journal entry to decipher clues for solutions to the puzzles.

While there are some aspects that I enjoyed, such as the core mechanics of puzzle solving and explorations and the game’s visuals, I do wish there was more emphasis on a coherent story or goal and more noticeable music. And I truly wish I didn’t have to deal with the obnoxious touch controls. I’m going to give this game a shot on my PC or phone, but for now, I’m going to judge my experience on the Nintendo Switch port. If you like games like Myst or The Witness, you might want to give Eyes of Ara a shot, but I suggest playing on a different platform or waiting for the touch pen accessory.

It works as a solid point-and-click adventure along with the 3D environments to add some extra depth and uniqueness. The graphics really make it feel more like games such as The Witness or The Talos Principle, rather than just another point-and-click game, though there is nothing bad about those.

Up until then, progress is smooth with excellently designed and balanced puzzles throughout. The docked controls are functional but handheld play is where Eyes of Ara really shines. If you're part of the ever more niche crowd who still enjoys clicking their way through a complex environment, reading journals, and solving deep puzzles, Eyes of Ara ought to satisfy.

While a great game at heart, The Eyes of Ara has too many third-act issues for me to give a broad recommendation. Nonetheless, this is still a good release, skillfully crafted with attention to detail. For genre enthusiasts, I might even say The Eyes of Ara is a great release. Just be prepared for a daunting challenge as you near the end, likely with a walkthrough on hand.

With tablets and smartphones having opened the door to more casual gamers the puzzle genre has been in a terrific renaissance as a whole...

If you want to explore a mysterious, puzzle-filled world, you could do much worse than The Eyes of Ara, but its transition from PC to Switch leaves plenty to be desired. It is perfectly functional as a solid adventure to keep you busy on a long road trip, but this version is a tough sell for anyone with an adequate computer at home.

A throwback to classic 90s PC puzzle adventure games through and through.

One man's labour of love that pays homage to the greats of the past with only a few teething errors.