Adventure · April 8, 2021
Before Your Eyes (2021)
Before Your Eyes is a first person narrative adventure which tells the story of a soul’s journey into the afterlife using a new and innovative form of interaction—your real-life blinks. The story begins after your death, aboard the ship of a mythical Ferryman tasked with shepherding souls to the afterlife. In order to help you pass on, he must first learn the story of your life. And so, he sends you back to relive your most important moments. The game uses your webcam to immerse you in this story in a way you've never experienced before. You will learn to control the flow of the narrative with your actual eyes–blinking through precious memories of family, first love, and the rise of an artistic career. But soon the Ferryman will suspect you aren't showing him everything he needs to see. So he will force you deeper into the dark recesses of your most repressed memories, ultimately revealing a heartbreaking truth. By combining its innovative blink interaction mechanic with a charming world and a fully voice-acted story, Before Your Eyes is a deeply emotional and relatable journey—one about the impossible expectations we place on ourselves and the regrets we carry with us. An earlier version of the game, titled Close Your , received the Game Developers Choice award at Indiecade and the Student Award at the Independent Game Awards (IGF), before receiving funding through a successful Kickstarter campaign. CW: Before Your Eyes deals with themes of death, illness and grief
Adventure releases from 2021
87 Adventure titles launched in 2021 — top 6 by review volume.
Position in Adventure
| Metric | This title | Genre position |
|---|---|---|
| Review volume | 17.5k Steam reviews | Top 14% in Adventure |
| Positive rating | 98% positive | Genre average: 87% — this title sits in top 8% |
| Metacritic | 77/100 | Genre average 77 — top 59% of Adventure titles |
| Engagement hours | 2 h average | Top 89% for session depth among Adventure |
Peer Adventure titles
Comparable titles in the same genre and review-volume band — ranked by Steam positive percentage.
Community Tag Signals
Tag weights reflect how many Steam users voted each descriptor — larger pills = stronger consensus.
- Emotional · 193
- Narrative · 188
- Story Rich · 174
- Indie · 137
- First-Person · 124
- Interactive Fiction · 104
- Walking Simulator · 97
- Singleplayer · 94
- Adventure · 92
- Cartoony · 87
- Colorful · 80
- Hand-drawn · 74
- Psychological · 72
- Philosophical · 70
- Surreal · 69
Reception Metrics
Steam community
98%Overwhelmingly Positive · 17.5k reviews
17.1k positive · 350 negative
Metacritic
77/100 critic aggregate
Metacritic user score
8.6/10
Curator recommendations
18.4k
Localization Coverage
Interface / Subtitles (8)
- English volume_up
- French
- German
- Spanish - Spain
- Japanese
- Korean
- Simplified Chinese
- Traditional Chinese volume_up
Full audio (2)
- English
- Traditional Chinese
Press Quotes
“BYE's unique mechanic matches its narrative so perfectly, that you won’t want to play it any other way.” 8/10 – GameSpot “One of the most original and inspiring games in years.” The Gamer “A memorable journey worth going out of your way to play.” 8.5/10 – GameInformer
Engagement Profile
All-time avg
2h
brief (under 5 hours)
Median
2h
Typical completion time
2-week avg
2h
Current engagement
Achievements
11
Steam unlocks available
Release & Availability
| Release date | Apr 8, 2021 |
|---|---|
| Developer | GoodbyeWorld Games |
| Publisher | Skybound Games |
| Base price | $1.99 -80% |
| DLC / Add-ons | 1 released |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS |
| Estimated owners | 100k–1M |
| External links | Official site · Support |
Content Notes
Before Your Eyes deals with themes of death, illness and grief.
Features & Capabilities
Community
- Steam Achievements
- Steam Trading Cards
Other
- Single-player
- Family Sharing
Editions & Packages
Buy Before Your Eyes











