Close Your Eyes

[AestheticGamer]

CAUTION: This game contains violent, disturbing, cruel, & graphic content that may not be suitable for all audiences. There isn't a whole lot of gore, there isn't any nudity, but there is disturbing depictions and abstract demonstration.


Download 1: http://store.steampowered.com/app/377330/


Download 2: http://rpgmaker.net/games/7578/


Game Genre: Adventure with Horror tones


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Welcome, Ladies & Gentlemen!



A-ha, how y'all doing? Now, the name of the game is to answer truest to yourself. There's no right and wrong, everyone's a winner! Ooorrr a loser, depending how you think about it. Life is all about perception, you see. Onto the first question! 


You're a murderer, we all know it. But do you think you are? 

Through a stroke of sheer luck, you've managed to escape death row. Taking to an underground subway, you must try to find your salvation. Can you break free of the past that binds you? And please, can you close your eyes? Just close them. 

• Originally started as a 2014 Ludum Dare created RPG Maker Horror Game, reworked twice to become a brand new terrifying experience.
  
• Enter a horrific & twisted surreal world full of diabolical traps, puzzles, & questionnaires.
  
• Featuring original voice-work, artwork, & music to help create an unsettling atmosphere.
  
• Multiple endings and a variety of secrets encourage multiple playthroughs, as things are not always what they seem.
  

Trailer 1: 












Trailer 2: 














Reviews:

“Close Your Eyes should be limited by its visuals, but the indistinct shapes and weird images slowly dial up the terror. Looking at screenshots for Close Your Eyes had me thinking it would be silly and ineffective, but through perfect use of unnerving sound and some twisted, surprising visuals, it easily left me frightened, unsure whether I should be playing it at night.” 

IndieGames.com

“More than startle, the game bothers me. The simple graphics and minimalist design (...) create a very oppressive atmosphere. The sound of the game is also quite bizarre, contributing to the immersion in the oddities of the universe proposed on the screen.” 

Update or Die (Spanish)

"If “Blank Dream” is a dream, “Close Your Eyes” is a surrealist nightmare. A twisted trip into the mind of a tormented and uncertain killer, lost in a hell that may or may not be of their own making. “Close Your Eyes” was also made using the RPGmaker engine, but with original cut scene artwork, voice acting, and music. There are countless secrets to be discovered, infinite theories on the meaning of the plot and the nature of the main characters. I really don’t want to say any more. It’s impossible to describe in any effective way; it has to be experienced for itself."

NerdsRaging, declaring it their 2nd best freeware game of 2015 (3rd place was Blank Dream).


The Top-Rated Most Helpful Steam Reviews: 

Closed my eyes for about an hour. Not sure when i'm suppose to open them.


But really, I'm not sure what to say about this game. It doesn't seem to have many jumpscares, and the ones in it might not even technically be jump scares. This game just seems to be really solid overall. It's hard to articulate into finer details but this game is scary, has great puzzles, and is definitely worth your time.

Dear [Insert horror game developer],


THIS is how I like my horror.


I received a good deal of flak for my (I admit) petty review of the Amnesia series of games, and while I understand that they were useless reviews, Close Your Eyes showed me exactly what I wanted to say about them but never knew I was looking for.


I wanted to love the amnesia series so much; I think a lot of horror games have some beautiful narratives hidden inside them, but they are all unplayable. You can call me a chicken or whatever you like, but jump scares are NOT fun. They are NOT horror. All they are is an involuntary reflex forced upon us by extreme stimuli. True horror makes you uncomfortable, afraid, uneasy and anxious. Sure you may jump sometimes but it’s because you did it to yourself. The game didn’t flash a light in your eyes and accompany it with a blood curdling snarl, no, the atmosphere puts you into a very unsafe place mentally and you begin to see and anticipate things on your own. This is what Close Your Eyes nails; I want so much more of this on the market that I don’t even know how to express myself. From the very beginning I was uneasy, the world was dark and simplistic, my mind filled in details that may or may not have even been there. The sound design and voice acting was chilling and spot on, causing countless chills and rushing adrenaline. Everything done in this game felt deliberate and calculated, not once did the developer cash in and sacrifice atmosphere and narrative for a PewDieBait jump scare. Nor did it need to. Much like the outstanding Point and Click game “The Cat Lady”, Close Your Eyes masterfully brings you into a very dark place and lets your mind take care of the rest - cruelly prodding it along with snippets of story and hints of progression.


Close Your Eyes is one of the best horror experiences I’ve had in recent memory. And as if I can’t praise it enough, it’s FREE. There is no reason (outside of mature content concerns) that anyone should pass up on a chance to experience this game. Bravo, Developers, bravo.

Screenshots:

 

 

 

 

 

Credits: 

Spoiler

-Victor's Lighting & Fog Script


-Josh Woodward for the second vocal song in the first game's trailer (used with permission)