The Eyes of Ara Gets July 19 Release Date
Beautiful Adventure-puzzle game The Eyes of Ara is launching on Steam and Humble Store this July.
The Eyes of Ara, a new Adventure-puzzle game from indie studio 100 Stones Interactive is set for a July 19 release. Along with the launch date come a whole host of new screenshots showing some of the beautiful environments players will explore, including vast halls, abandoned bedrooms, and cobweb-filled secret passageways.
The Eyes of Ara is the brainchild of indie developer Ben Droste who founded his one-man indie studio in 2013. “I wanted to make a game about exploration and discovery”, he said, “The Eyes of Ara is about delving into a world and uncovering the stories and secrets to be found therein.”
Players will be able to do just that on July 19th, when the game launches on Steam and Humble Store for PC and Mac.
About The Eyes of Ara
The Eyes of Ara is an immersive, fully 3D Puzzle-Adventure Game, inspired by genre classics such as Myst. Explore a remote abandoned castle, solve devious puzzles, and discover lost secrets to uncover a long forgotten mystery.
For years the old castle has stood abandoned, and few but the most foolhardy ever approach its weathered walls. Yet odd and troubling events have started happening recently. A powerful radio signal has suddenly begun broadcasting from the topmost tower, and the locals have reported sightings of strange lights moving in the mist.
After years of silence something inside the castle has awoken, its identity and intent unknown. It’s up to you to venture inside and discover the truth!
A Modern Take on a Classic Genre
The Eyes of Ara is built upon inspiration from old classics like Myst, through to modern games that focus on exploration-based puzzles and environmental storytelling, such as the 2013 Tomb Raider.
Explore an immersive, fully 3D environment, riddled with secret rooms and hidden passageways. Solve elaborate puzzles, crack cunning codes, and collect cryptic devices to unravel an ancient mystery.
A Castle Full of Puzzles
Each room contains multiple puzzles and hidden secrets, ranging from simple lock-and-key style puzzles to complex multi-stage puzzles that may even span multiple rooms throughout the level. Each puzzles leads intrinsically to the next, but not all of them need to be done in a predetermined order. You are free to explore the castle and tackle many puzzles at different times, unlocking more rooms or returning to complete previously inaccessible puzzles as you progress.
A Castle Full of Secrets
Every puzzle in the game is unique, and beyond the main puzzles each level contains a series of advanced, optional puzzles, that once solved will reveal the true secret of the castle.
After completing the main story each level also includes a host of further secrets to discover – Including the lost stories of the castle’s occupants, hidden treasures, and secret bonus rooms.
Only by solving all of the puzzles and finding all of the hidden items will you achieve 100% completion.
Environmental Storytelling
The Eyes of Ara tells its story, not by relying on characters and cutscenes, but organically through exploration and interaction with the environment. This technique, known as Environmental Storytelling, is central to the Eyes of Ara experience.
The story is told visually through the puzzles you solve, the items you collect, and the dusty old artifacts left behind by the former occupants. Hurriedly abandoned rooms, cluttered desks, and cobweb covered trinkets all serve to tell a visual story and give insight into the lives of the castle’s former occupants.