In this review we will discover Eyes in the Dark: the Curious Case of One Victoria Bloom, the roguelite that will make you turn on the light
Roguelites are one of the most popular genres lately. The possibility of experiencing each match with a different approach tends to make these titles very replayable. Diversifying your strategy to get to the end of the game is certainly the aspect that most attracts gamers. Trying to surpass yourself, go beyond that enemy that seems insurmountable and reach the end of the journey gives a sense of satisfaction that only a few titles can give. But will this also be the case? We just have to start there Eyes in the Dark review to find out.
A story of light and shadow
It all begins with a train trip to visit the famous one Bloom’s mansion. In the game we will take on the role of Victoria Bloom, a girl who will do everything to save her grandfather Victor from the clutches of the monsters of the shadows. The main theme is precisely the coexistence of lights and shadows, with their continuous struggle to overwhelm the counterpart. The focal point for this adventure will be ours torchable not only to illuminate the manor, but also to defeat the various monsters that populate it.
Save Grandpa Victor however it won’t be that simple and in doing so we will surely perish many times before we succeed. This will allow us to better understand the mechanics of the game and the story behind the Bloom mansion, a family known for having renowned inventors, researchers and scientists in its ranks. Each of them has made changes to the villa, making the various rooms that we are going to go through as we see them. To switch from one to the other we will have to defeat the relevant area boss and choose the path we like best. However, dying will cause us to respawn every time at the entrance and change the various rooms.
A flashlight, a sling and shoes – Eyes in the Dark review
Although at first it looks like a simple battery-powered flashlight, in the course of our adventure we will be able unlock very useful power-ups that will allow us to enhance it more and more. With these we will be able not only to enhance the range and inflict more damage, but also to change the light beam according to the bulb we have selected. In fact, we will be able to count on various “cones” of light each with not only a particular shape, but also with unique properties.
In addition, we also find a very useful one sling to hit the most distant enemies and of the shoes which will allow us to jump higher, double jumps or slow down our fall. All these three objects will then be upgradeable thanks to appropriate power-ups that we can find during our adventure or buy them at the general store.
However, these won’t be the only ways to get them. Once we have defeated all the various bosses and every time we die trying to do so, we will be given gods knowledge points based on the statistics of our adventure that they will allow us to buy upgrades to repair the Metamachine in the lobby, add new items to chests and the general store, and unlock select bonuses in transition areas. Thanks to these it will be possible live our experience even more smoothlyarriving at our goal without too much effort.
Although progressing will therefore be easier as we play, moving from one room to another will put us in front of difficult choices. The further you go, the more dangerous the enemies become, this is obvious; however changing rooms will allow us to get a bonus, but also an unexpected one. Fortunately we will be able to choose the combination that best suits our game, but certainly don’t expect a very large discrepancy between buff and nerf.
Black and white, for a retro style – Eyes in the Dark review
The choice of a style that recalls the past is immediately visible from the first start of the game. Not just the graphics, but the narrative style also recalls the early years of cinematography, when silent cinema was king. Focusing on black and white therefore not only gives continuity with the style selected by the developers, but it also affects the mechanics of the game and on the contrast between light and shadow.
Although therefore the graphic style cannot be discussed in the least, nevertheless it is precisely this aspect that raises one of the main problems. In the excited phase, in fact, the screen may seem too demanding to decipher. Background, enemies, bullets and any type of screen element could create headaches. There will be some difficulty in distinguishing everything, risking significantly compromising our adventure.
Nothing to complain about the audio sector, with a soundtrack that has been able to entertain us adequately during the adventure. Also the general experience was very positive, despite the presence of some small, completely insignificant bugs, fortunately, for the purpose of our adventure. The test took place on the following configuration:
- Operating system: Windows 11
- Processore: AMD Ryzen 9 3900x
- RAM: 16 GB DDR4
- Video card: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Ti
- DirectX 12
Light up the dark
We have now reached the end of this review relating to Eyes in the Dark: the Curious Case of One Victoria Bloom and it is therefore time to draw some conclusions. Although it does not present itself as a huge game, in the end the manor could not be an infinite castle, the style lends itself a lot to replayability, giving us a few hours of lightheartedness. The opposition of light and shadow governs our entire journey. However, just this juxtaposition of black and white ultimately tends to create some problems in the most excited moments of the battles.
Despite this though the technical sector is well cared for and pleasant for our adventure. Everything is also made possible by one not excessive difficulty, which still knows how to create a good challenge, especially for beginners. We would not have minded, however, a greater difficulty, perhaps to be chosen at the beginning of the game, which would make the experience more punishing. One factor that can affect, at least initially, is also the mechanics of the game itself. Jumping with the right trigger is not intuitive and all platformers will be able to confirm it. However, this is a problem that can be easily solved after a few minutes of play.
We remind you that the title is available for PC via Steam, at the recommended price of 12,49 €, a more than fair price given the experience provided. If, on the other hand, this price does not satisfy you, you can visit the Instant Gaming page to find it at a slight discount. For this Eyes in the Dark: the Curious Case of One review Victoria Bloom is now everything. In order not to miss future news and reviews regarding the videogame universe, keep following the pages of everything!
Points in favor
- Light and shadow theme
- Light storytelling
- Good level of difficulty …
Points against
- Visual difficulties in the agitated phases
- … although you could have dared a little more