Game Review: Explore a haunted house in No. 70: Eye of Basir

by Chrisanna Lazaridou on 14 July 2017 · 2610 views

Horror games have always been and will always be my favorite genre even though I still find it hard to play one alone. It is the kind of addiction that you just don’t want to get rid of. Thus, the debut game by studio Old Moustache Gameworks, piqued my interest and decided to give it a try and see what it has to offer. Let’s take a look at this new horror game.

Plot

The story is about two brothers Aras and Erhan who grew up together in their grandmother’s house in Turkey. During their childhood the boys would experience paranormal events and strange occurrences such as objects changing places by themselves or the feeling that someone is watching them. After their grandmother’s death the brothers moved on but 20 years later, Erhan decides to visit their old house only to disappear leaving no trace behind. Aras decides to look for his lost brother only to come face to face the scary nightmares that have been haunting him since childhood. What is hidden in House No. 70?

Gameplay

No. 70: Eye of Basir is a walking simulator in which you explore your surroundings, in this case the grandma’s house, and solve puzzles by collecting items that are scattered around. You also uncover the background of various characters by clicking on photos and reading their stories.

It is easy to tell when you can interact with an object, as the pointer turns red so you don’t really have to check everything that is around you. You just need to be observant and the rest will come to you easily. What is kinda annoying though is that there is no signposting in the game so even if you solve a puzzle by putting an item on the right place for example, the result of it could be total unrelated to the place you are standing and there is no indication as to what has changed. So you need to move back and forth to discover what your action caused and find for instance, a door that was previously locked, now all open for you. This can get tiring but thankfully the areas you need to backtrack to are easy to remember so you won’t spend too much time searching.

The jumpscares are limited as the game focuses more on the eerie atmosphere and scary sounds and darkness to give you the chills. It is very chilling and exciting at the same time to not know what might happen on your next step. I love this type of horror and I enjoyed immensely this haunting and mysterious atmosphere.

Pricing & Availability

The game is available on Steam for the price of $9.99.

Graphics & Sounds

Visually Eye of Basir is definitely beautiful to look at. It has gorgeous designs and effects, the right amount of darkness and needless to say, I loved how old and spooky the house looked. The sound-effects are also something worth mentioning because they played a huge part into creating this eerie and claustrophobic experience. The whispers, the sounds of moving objects and even the sound of wind will give you the chills. The soundtrack is beautiful and sad and definitely compliments the whole game plot. The main character narration is top-notch and very professional.

Conclusion

While not perfect, Eye of Basir is a game that doesn’t disappoint and keeping in mind that it is the debut game of Old Moustache Gameworks, it is certainly a noteworthy title that I enjoyed playing, despite its flaws. If you like walking simulators and prefer horror games that don’t require fighting and running for your lives, but instead focus on the mystery and exploration, then Eye of Basir is a good choice. Let us now your thoughts and impressions in the comments below.