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.

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.

People will sometimes ask me, "What's a really good horror game?"

Okay, I'm lying. They never ask me that.

But there is a horrible sub-genre of horror in both video games and films that I see in a unnerving rising trend... modern horror. Ugh. Disgusting, I know. I have so many people recommend the sh** out of games like "Five Nights at Freddie's" or "Slender", and films like "The Conjuring" and "Sinister". However, the problem with them is that they follow too many unfortunate trends seen in popular horror. Predictable build-ups that lead to eventual jump-scares or the occaisional fake out, with no great atmosphere, story, or character development. And I f***ing love horror. I love me some "Rosemary's Baby" and "The Shining", and I love to play "Silent Hill", because they focus on one of the most pivotal aspects of the genre... tone and atmosphere.

"Close Your Eyes" is one of those few experiences that follows the rules of good, old-fashioned horror, with its own spectacular conventions, that legitimately left me feeling alone, afraid, and like there was someone right behind my back ready to grab me against my will. There were several nights I had a hard time going to sleep, thanks to the thoughts this game put in my head. All "The Conjuring" ever did was make me laugh my a** off at the exaggerated finale.

"Close Your Eyes" is a free indie horror game that follows the subconscious of a young girl who has been sentenced to hang for her crimes of mass murder. The story revolves around the girl's memories, and an entity who acts like a game show host playing on the girl's guilt for her murder.

And what follows is some of the greatest horror I've experienced in a game since... probably the last time I re-played "Silent Hill". The atmosphere feels void and empty, distorted and deranged, and sometimes like you can just feel someone is there following you. The level design is tight and angular and you're only given a small enough light to see around the small girl, effectly cutting you off from everything you can see around you, and giving an excellent isolation-effect.

You solve puzzles through the jumbled mess of memories, pure subconscious nothingness, and the supernatural all while trying to just get out, but always being pushed to do more. It's a painful game to play, but painful in the good way. Not like Kane and Lynch 2, where I had to rub my damned eyes because they were on the verge of bleeding.

There are very few jumpscares. There's one scene that is purely meant to shock and disturb you, but it's short. There's the occasional sudden explosion of sound or appearances of characters. Besides those and a couple of incredibly fast images that pass by quickly, the game uses it's dark atmosphere and level-design to confuse, terrorize, and isolate you as you delver further and further into the heart of madness.

The sound design is terrific. The music and ambience are mostly top-notch, save for some odd choices here and there. And while I was on the fence for the game show host's voice at the beginning, his voice got darker and darker, until it sounded like a demon's low purr whispering in my ears. It was dreadful to listen to, so good on him. That man has some true talent at sounding horrfying.

The story is a muddled mess of what might be reality, what might be imagination, and what might be actually supernatural. It's meant to confuse you as much as the level structure itself. I might play it again to get a fuller grasp of the story, but for what it's worth, the story is incredibly effective. Save for some dumber moments. Like when your best friend (or sister. I'm not sure) tells you it's cool if you'd kill her. And the ending I got was, frankly, less than satisfactory. But it was one of seven, so I might go back and play it again... with a friend maybe.

Close Your Eyes is a truly disturbed horror game, that I'm proud to actually call a horror game! It effectly horrfies you and scares you on a psychological level. It is a definite recommend from me. Despite what problems I had with the story, sound design, and the occasional lag I still love this game to death. I'm giving it an 8/10.

if you have epilepsy or related conditions triggered by flashing lights and images, DO NOT PLAY THIS GAME.

also, a list of content warnings that i can remember:
-hanging
-eye gore (lots of it)
-blood
-sexual implications
-death in general
-creepiness in general
-chasing scenes
-ghosts
-jump scares

that said, this is a good game. well developed and interesting, with fairly good voice acting. i enjoyed it!

I've been playing this game for 3 hours now and I have to say: This is a pretty nice game.

I thought it would be shorter, since I played the earlier versions of it before, but now I'm
surprised about all the new stuff you can expirience. Even after playing these last 3
hours, I still didn't get all the endings. It keeps beeing entertaining to try out how to get
the other endings.

There are some pretty decent puzzles to solve, little secrets to discover, mazes to survive
and many weird, twisted happenings which make you wonder, how you're involved in all of it.

What I really like about the game are it's sounds and melodies. They fit perfectly into the sceneries. Some of them make you feel very uncomfortable while others pretty much sooth your soul. They were chosen wisely and make the game feel deeper, darker.

There is little to nothing that I disliked. I only noticed some funny typos xD, but those weren't bad. I was stuck for a little at one of the mazes, but made it in the end and was still glad about it. xD

All in all a challanging game with very nice music and a good story.

My Playtime: 3.4h (100% achievement, finished the game)
Grindy Achievement(s): No.
Optional Achievement(s): Yes (7 achievements).
Difficult Achievement(s): No.

Close Your Eyes [Old Version] is a horror RPG Maker game with 8 endings. In it, you will have to explore several areas to uncover more of the story. The game offers 8 endings in total, each giving you more insight into the story.

Pros:
- Spooky vibes
- Tricky puzzles
- Nice-looking artwork and soundtrack on cutscenes

Cons:
- Limited light source ruins the exploration aspect
- Some puzzles require brute force to solve

Specs
Intel Core i5-9300H 2.40GHz, 8GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650

Yes.
If you like to play horror RPG Maker games and don't mind the limited light source, play this game.

---

Despite the customized visuals, areas are mostly empty. You have to traverse vast areas with either nothing in them or smaller areas with a limited light source. However, areas with limited light sources tend to be bigger than the light source, forcing you to go back and forth several times if you don't want to miss anything. This also includes some areas that are quite dark and vast. That being said, the cutscenes are beautifully done. Characters look cute and backgrounds still look amazing with the simplified look.

The game doesn't spoonfeed you with the story. You need to figure out what happened yourself by connecting the dots, whether it's from the dialogues or from the events that you experienced. To be honest, I didn't get the story either - although finishing the game in all endings will give more information about the plot, I ended up having more questions than answers. Still, those who are attentive enough might find more clues and theories that might be related to the story.

Most dialogues are voice dubbed. I was impressed that the game has a voice dub of this quality in an RPG Maker game. Voices sound clear and distinct, and the good-looking cutscene images and music help to set up the atmosphere. I enjoyed all cutscenes, including the ones without the voice dub, because of this.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1187931098

Gameplay
The game is focused on exploration and puzzles. You will have to explore several areas and interact with everything to progress the game. Some hints will also be presented on some puzzles, although they can be vague sometimes. Since it's a horror game, expect some spookiness and jumpscare here and there.

The game is more spooky rather than scary. The SFX that was played softly, combined with your backstory and the things that you do will add more atmosphere to the spookiness. The game will also have some game-over scenes, although save points are usually nearby. These game-over scenes surprised me sometimes, especially with how they appear.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1373266675

Puzzles
Puzzles can be tricky to solve. Some might be quite obvious with the logic puzzles, although others might require more thinking to solve. I liked these kinds of puzzles. It might give you trouble at first, but you just need to think for a while to understand what the game means. However, some puzzles are just boring. They require you to brute force the solution, and it can take a while before you can get the combination, especially the one that leads to 3 endings.

Hints can be easy to miss. Some hints will be delivered through sound, and as someone who is not good at listening to English, I couldn't hear what was said. Moreover, the voice was surprisingly lower than how the voice dub sounds, making me think that the voice was just a random SFX at first. Since the game won't give more hints apart from the low voice, those who can't hear the word like me will be forced to look up either a hint or a solution.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1274370272

Length and Endings
I finished the game with ending 5 in 1.9h. The game has 8 endings, all of which can be continued within the same save file through manual save. All endings don't end within the same branch either - you need to play more after you get an ending before you can get the next one. Some endings will also have exclusive content in them, increasing your playtime. I never got bored when I tried to unlock everything.

The biggest complaint that I got for Close Your Eyes [Old Version] is its limited light source. This feature might be popular in horror games, but this game seems to use it to extend the playtime instead of adding the intensity. It took me a long time to explore one room since I need to explore all tiles that I could see one by one. Since the game has a lot of these areas, it took me a while before I finished exploring them, until I gave up somewhere in the middle.

That being said, the game is still enjoyable to play. I might not get the full story, but I was truly immersed in the experience. The creepiness really hits once you play the game within the right atmosphere, and there are times when I was surprised, especially regarding one ending. The game might have some issues, but it's all acceptable for a free game. If you enjoy playing horror RPG Maker games and don't mind the issues, feel free to play the game - it's a game that should be played for the experience.

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as i watch the video that advertises this game with volume off i thought it was some cute comedy escape game about the grim reaper , this in my opinion is scarier than amnesia

The entirety of my commentary for Close Your Eyes can be boiled down to this: it doesn't make a lot of sense. What's kind of unique about it is that it manages to not make sense in a lot of different ways, some of which are actually to the game's benefit. I was waiting for a moment when it would make sense, followed a guide to see all the endings hoping one of them would shed some light, but no, that moment never came. Yet at the same time, I can't imagine a way that it would.

Beneficial senselessness first: this is a horror game and it is very scary. It is very scary largely because the sound design is as good as it gets for a free horror game, but also because there is no point in the game where you have a clear idea of what to expect. A lot of my time playing it I was on edge for a jump scare, which the dev smartly distributed sparsely throughout the game. This goes as far as the game having kind of distinct "levels" within it where what is expected of the player is something that they have not encountered. The gameplay has an erratic rhythm, at no point can you expect a set measure of puzzle>story>puzzle>story or some such. The unpredictability of the game, the shifting playstyle and artstyles, with menacing voices whispering veiled threats into your ear; these come together to make for a harrowing, visceral experience.

Now for the problematic senselessness.

One, the puzzles. There are a few notable puzzles the solutions to which are ridiculously designed. One of the earliest puzzles, with the trains, leaves out an important part of the solution in the in game note that tells you how to solve it. The graveyard puzzle, which there is a guide on, and which I almost certainly would have given up on without a guide, is a terrible bunch of lateral thinking riddles smashed together. I would not even call the bizarre text adventure toward the end a puzzle, where the girl chases you and you have to choose the correct options to kill her as there's absolutely no indication how effective any of your options might be, leading to just one long trial and error segment. One of the endings requires an incredibly obscure action to be taken, but I'll give that a slide as it's practically a bonus ending, and a homage to Silent Hill.

Two, the plot. I mention Silent Hill and maybe that's the most flattering thing I could compare it to, characters stuck in a hellish purgatory where nothing really makes any sense as punishment for vague crimes. The greatest game of that franchise (2) managed to pull it together and make a story that was cohesive in a metaphorical sense, but I guess I can't really come to expect that of something like this. It is disappointing though, because the game keeps asking you "Haven't you figured it out yet?" figuratively and literally at times, but as far as I can tell, there's nothing to figure out beyond well, you're in a hellish purgatory where nothing really makes any sense as punishment for vague crimes. The multiple threads that the game holds throughout, each character seemingly punishing the player character for different reasons and the surreal non-choices that the player character makes to lead to whichever ending, come to read as muddled and meaningless.

Honestly... I don't know if this is worth anybody's time. I also don't know that it's not worth anybody's time. It's a weird one and I'm picking thumbs down pretty much on the basis of cons outweighing pros in sheer quantity. The pros are probably more pertinent in some senses though. So I don't know. I have a mixed opinion. I would pick thumbs left or right if I had that option, but it's not there.

This game is very creative and takes the old 8-bit gaming style to a whole new level of fun and anxiousness. This horror isn't recommended to the "I want jump scared" type, This is more for a psyhcological horror type of people but even you are into jump scares more than psyhcological stuff I recommend to give it a try and you will be surprised. Remember " Life is all about Perseption"

I absolutely love this game... which bothers me, considering the type of game Close Your Eyes is. Horror is really the only way to describe the genre, but it's not really scary so much as it's deeply disturbing with a lot of creepiness factored in. There's also an almost somber tone implemented in some sections as you progress through the story. It's definitely a game that messes with your head, and the artstyle and soundtrack do an awesome job of adding onto that level of unease and horror felt throughout the game. I think the artstyle adds a rather specific level of creepiness, too. It's almost childish in nature and a bit on the cuter side, or maybe light-hearted is a better word? So that all just makes some of the actual art so much more disturbing. And the soundtrack is just awesome. Dark and disturbing in some places only to suddenly be replaced by something light and almost whimsical that just completely sweeps your legs out from under you, making the progression back into the dark and disturbing even more impactful.

Now, the story of the game... just wow. I mean, there are kind of multiple stories depending on what you do in the game, but it's all awesome. Because the different endings are so varied, there's a lot of replayability. And if you choose to seek out all of the endings, then the game adds yet another layer of horror as you have to repeat some of the parts that are the most horrifying until you almost become numb to it (which in and of itself is absolutely terrifying). I'd say there are basically three main storylines in the game, maybe four? My favorite would probably be the story that the fifth achievement is a part of.

Really all I have is praise for this game. I highly recommend Close Your Eyes to those who think they can handle it. I want to put a heavy emphasis on that last part! This isn't a game to play just because it's free or because it has achievements. It comes with very strong warnings, which you actually see when starting the game, stating there is "violent, disturbing, cruel and graphic content that may not be suitable for all audiences." Heed this warning! I'm not saying this as a deterrent, because I love this game and really do recommend it, just be prepared and keep in mind what awaits you if you decide to give this gem a try.