In front of your eyes was one of the most surprising games of 2021, and not just a cheap gimmick. Interacting with the story just by blinking was incredibly novel, and GoodbyeWorld Games took advantage of this input method to intimately tell a heartwarming (and heartbreaking) story. And while it was inventive, the PlayStation VR2 port of the game is the best way to play it because it more aptly embraces the mechanics it was built for.
This is partly because blink capture in other versions of the game wasn’t always consistent despite GoodbyeWorld’s best efforts. Both the PC and mobile versions require decent lighting, and that’s a compromise that’s not always possible. The sun sets. The rooms are not always well lit. External cameras are not magical technologies that can always interpret the correct feed or even catch it, and this caveat meant that In front of your eyes can only be fully enjoyed in certain scenarios. It was possible to work around these issues by playing without the camera, but that’s just not what the game deserves.
The camera’s built-in PS VR2 headset means there’s much less chance of technical cheating; it will always be in the same position with more or less the same lighting. And this change is important because it allows the unique flashing mechanic to more cleanly take center stage. It works almost flawlessly in virtual reality and is obviously made for this medium. However, it’s a little odd (and a bit of a missed opportunity) that it doesn’t take full advantage of the headset’s eye-tracking capabilities, so even though it tracks blinks, users still have to point the crosshairs with their head.
The immersive features of VR also help the way In front of your eyes conveys his story because it’s about seeing the world through Benjamin’s eyes. Going through your life and looking around seamlessly puts the player in their shoes, and considering how much of the story is about their perspective, this change is yet another way this port proves that the game is designed for VR.
However, not everything is always rendered around the player, as only the important bits materialize in the otherwise black void, meaning looking around isn’t always fruitful. However, this limitation is not a distraction, but rather something that forces players to focus on the essentials. It also makes sense since players are just reliving these memories as ethereal snapshots of the past.
This incredible concept is still in the heart In front of your eyes. The natural renderings are strong enough to replace rough character models, and the metaphor of blinks jumping through time is a very clever way to infuse unique gameplay mechanics and storytelling. Everything comes together beautifully and the result is an emotionally rich story that doesn’t overstay its welcome. However, these aspects were always fantastic and show that a game doesn’t need VR to be great; it only gets better with VR. It can be annoying at times, as it sometimes resets progress, soft-locks, or fails to bounce a trophy, but these are ultimately insignificant inconveniences that come with playing one of the game’s most uniquely told stories in the format it was best suited for. .
Disclosure: We were provided a PlayStation 5 copy by the publisher In front of your eyes characteristics. Played in version 1.001.000.
