Information about the mysterious “Eyes”, as well as the most recent occupants of the castle, is slowly revealed by reading documents scattered throughout its rooms. The Eyes of Ara lacks a traditional narrative and, much like other puzzle-based graphic adventure games it’s modeled after, the story is told through interacting with the environment. That castle is where you’ll spend the entirety of your time with The Eyes of Ara, unraveling a mystery closely tied to your task that unfolds before you as you hunt down the rogue interference. It’s a simple enough task, until you realize that the source of the signal has been pinpointed inside an abandoned castle. You take on the role of a contractor for a telecommunications company sent out on a remote job: find the source of a signal that’s been interfering with over-the-air communications throughout the area and put a stop to it.

The Eyes of Ara, the debut title from 100 Stones Interactive, aims to strike that balance with a focus on environmental storytelling. If done well, these games can be a rewarding experience and provide the sense of accomplishment that comes with solving difficult problems. There also needs to be a sense of purpose, of course, to drive players forward in the form of a narrative or overarching goal.

If they’re too difficult, they may become frustrated and walk away. If the puzzles are too easy, players may become bored and stop playing. There’s a delicate balance that needs to be met when developing a quality puzzle game.

The eyes of ara ceiling puzzles