The Star Named EOS - Switch Review

Ashley Hill -

You’ve probably heard the phrase ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’, right? Well, that phrase is certainly true for The Star Named EOS, a photography-centred narrative puzzle game from the indie developer Silver Lining Studio. In this story-rich point-and-click puzzler, you play as Dei, a young man who sets out to recreate the photographs his mother has sent him to try and learn the truth about her.

As you recreate your mother’s photos, you begin to understand her more and more. You get transported through fragmented memories of her as a travelling journalist and eventually uncover the truth you have been looking for. However, in order to recreate these pictures, you will have to complete various puzzles scattered around the environment.

The Good

Okay, let’s address the elephant in the room. The hand-drawn art style of The Star Named EOS is positively stunning. The details of the environment, the colours, and the way the scenes seem actually lived-in are all breathtaking. In the first area, you’re dropped into Dei’s bedroom. It’s not pristinely clean and has photos strewn everywhere, which makes it feel actually real and not just a staged picture-perfect scene. 

Not to be outdone by the visuals, the audio for this game is equally as beautiful. Though it can be simple at times, the music definitely supports the narrative perfectly. As you are leisurely completing puzzles, the music is a calm and soothing score. When you uncover different parts of the story that are particularly emotional, the music mirrors them. Even the simple audio cues for completing a puzzle or finding a clue add to the nostalgia and overall experience of the game. 

The Star Named EOS is a uniquely nostalgic, relaxing, and atmospheric game. Many games nowadays have the ability to take pictures in-game. However, the unique storytelling in this game comes from being centred around taking photos. Which is a super fresh and interesting idea for me. The game even rewards you with extra information if you take specific pictures of the different items in the environment. 

I also loved that the story didn’t feel overly cheesy at any point. It was earnest and emotional, but never in a way that was too much. I’ll even admit I was misty-eyed by the time the end credits rolled. It actually reminds me of the game Unpacking in the way that the story isn’t solely told through dialogue, spelling things out for you. Most of the story is told environmentally, which is something I wish more games would do.

When you get dropped into the first area, you are told to turn on the lamp in your bedroom. That is the full extent of the tutorial in this game. However, I think it’s perfect that you are just sort of dropped into this environment, with the freedom to explore at your own pace. It would be a bit jarring if the game forced you into a tutorial, railroading your progress. Now, without a tutorial, figuring out what to do can be a bit challenging at times, but solving each puzzle is always rewarding once you get there.

TL;DR

  • Breathtaking hand-drawn art
  • Dynamic music
  • Emotional storytelling
  • Relaxing and nostalgic atmosphere
  • Various rewarding puzzles

The Bad

If I’m being honest, I was grasping at straws, trying to think of something bad to say about The Star Named EOS. I truly had an amazing time with this game, and I would recommend it to anyone who likes puzzle or narrative-driven games. However, it is an extremely short game. If you take your time and get stuck on puzzles, it will take around four or five hours to complete. I have a knack for this kind of thing, so I completed it in roughly half that time. It’s not that I wish that it were longer because it’s missing something. No, it’s more that I wish it were longer because I was having so much fun playing it.  

The only other thing I can think of that could be seen as a downside is that there is no option for receiving hints if you do end up getting stuck. I once sat here for an embarrassingly long amount of time, not knowing what else to do or where to look for clues, until I finally noticed there were clues written on boxes inside the room. But even when I got stuck, it was still rewarding when I eventually figured it out.

TL;DR

  • Very short
  • No hints available

Final Score: 9/10

Even though the game was over with the flash of a camera, the story stayed with me like a Polaroid photo. This atmospheric and emotional puzzle adventure is one that should be talked about more and given more attention. Make sure to get your hands on The Star Named EOS and prepare to have your heartstrings pulled.

Thank you for checking out our The Star Named EOS Switch review, thank you to Playism (via Evolve PR) for providing the review code and thank you to our Patreon Backers for their ongoing support: