The Star Named EOS blends photography, puzzles, and an emotional narrative to create one of the cosiest indie games I’ve played this year.
This first-person adventure game by Silver Lining Studio is a quick play, seamlessly divided into short chapters and centered around a core puzzle.
A Beautiful Narrative
You play as Dei, a young photographer who has inherited his mother’s talent for capturing beautiful moments. As a child, he received letters from his mother during her travels, each containing pictures of the stunning places she visited.
One day, a mysterious message leads Dei to worry about his mother’s fate. Prompted by an inner voice, he sets out to recreate her photos and follow in her footsteps to uncover the truth.
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Dei’s journey takes him to new locations, offering him a chance to change his life. However, he must overcome the strong sense of loss his memories bring to find joy in the future.
The Star Named EOS was captivating from start to finish and featured a strong twist in the back end that left me in awe.
A Puzzling Journey
Using mechanics akin to a Google Street View experience, players can explore 360-degree images of locations by clicking and dragging the screen. I would’ve loved to get a closer look at some scenes but there are limitations. Interactive objects are easily identifiable as the mouse icon changes to an eye when hovered over them.
The puzzles are well thought out but not overly difficult. I particularly enjoyed a puzzle that involved decoding a Morse code message to unlock a box. Fine-tuning a radio, matching it with a codebook, and hearing that final “click” sound as the chest unlocked was incredibly satisfying; there are a good half dozen “of course!” moments like this within the game.
Some items used for solving puzzles carry over between levels and are seamlessly integrated into the story. One particular item provides a much larger story, which is better to experience than to read.
Photography plays a major role in both the game’s story and its puzzles. In the first level, you need to recreate a picture your mother sent you of the view from a train window. It involved finding similar objects to the photo, shuffling things around and improvising to get the perfect shot.
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There is a moment later in the game featuring dialogue choices, though they didn’t seem to impact the story at all. It feels like a random inclusion, perhaps intended to enhance immersion, but I would have preferred to simply listen to the dialogue.
Should I buy The Star Named EOS?
The Star Named EOS is a beautifully personal tale that’s easy to connect with and enjoy if you’re a fan of narrative-led experiences and puzzle games.
It’s a short game — I finished it in under two hours — and I recommend playing it in one sitting. When Netflix isn’t quite cutting it, The Star Named EOS is the perfect mid-week hit.
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If you enjoyed Simpler Times and Open Roads, you’ll likely find this cosy adventure appealing. At $21.95 AUD on Steam, it’s worth considering if your budget allows, though I’d suggest waiting for a sale given its brief playtime.
It’s evident that a lot of love and care went into creating this game, with every detail highlighted in the end credits. Kudos to Silver Lining Studio for their dedication.
The Star Named EOS is available now on PC via Steam, Mac, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch.
Quest Daily score The Star Named EOS:
8/10
Quest Daily was supplied a review copy of The Star Named EOS for the purpose of this review.
