Shut Eye Switch Review by SwitchWatch
Developer: Hush Interactive
Publisher: Forever Entertainment
[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.11.1″]Release Date: Out Now
Price as of Article: $4.99 USD, £3.49 GBP
Game code provided by Forever Entertainment for review
Here you take control of a young child who is spending a week in a different setting as the parents have gone away. There is no real story to speak of other than realising a child’s imagination can run wild at times and it seems as though the toys are out to get the poor child. Is this all imagination because the child is away from her parents in a different setting or is it real. That’s what you need to find out and surviving this nightmare through the night is paramount.
[/et_pb_toggle][et_pb_toggle title=”Gameplay” open=”on” _builder_version=”3.11.1″ use_border_color=”on”]So Shut Eye is very similar and probably takes inspiration from Five Nights at Freddy’s which follows the same pattern of surviving the night. It’s all in the first person perspective and what is apparent from the beginning is each night will get progressively more difficult as more toys try to attack you.
Here you are trying to make sure you have enough light so your anxiety doesn’t get the better of you. If you do fail then thankfully the game saves so you can try again without losing too much progress. You have a number of different actions you can perform but mostly you will always be stationary sitting on your bed. Using the right or left analogue sticks you can look left to right. By pressing the X button you activate the music box which can make the toys leave you alone even if it’s for a little while but this also increase’s your anxiety meter so it’s a bit of a balancing act. Putting the music box away again and your anxiety will decrease. If the anxiety remains low enough you stay safe however If your anxiety reaches over 100 on the anxiety bar you will be immediately attacked by one of the killer toys thus ending the game. In essence, the game is all about using certain actions at certain times to keep the toys at bay.
If you press the Y button you activate your torch, however, excessive use drains the torches batteries so you will need to find new ones and they can appear in different locations in the room, not that you have to travel too far to find these items. To get to these areas you’ll need to simply press one of 3 direct pad buttons either up, down or right to access these parts of the game so it’s very simple indeed. While all this is going on the screen will flicker and one of the toys will move into view. So far I’ve seen a doll stand in the doorway, evil gnome watching me at the window and a teddy bear sitting on the top of the bunk bed. A spider baby from (toy story 2) under the bed was enough to get my heart pumping even if just a little. Ok, maybe a lot!
As toys approach the music will change alerting you to the fact they’re closing in. Normally you will hear your heart beating which also means’s your anxiety is at its highest point. So it’s up to you to find the relevant items to use at the right times. Managing a child’s anxiety can certainly be testing at times.
My main criticism is there is just not enough variety within the game to keep things interesting. The mechanics to survive are very basic but then the game is cheaper than a meal deal from Tesco so it’s difficult to expect too much. What I can say is there is a decent little experience here for the money even if it doesn’t last that long. Seeing things from a child’s perspective takes me back to my childhood where I didn’t like being in a dark room at night. The thought of toys attacking me would have terrified me!
Creepy sounds and that music box really adds to the atmosphere here. Screams, your heartbeat and jump scare sounds are what you would expect from this title and it’s all here and used to good effect.
[/et_pb_toggle][et_pb_toggle title=”Visuals & Performance” open=”on” _builder_version=”3.11.1″ use_border_color=”on”]Visuals in the game look ok nothing outstanding of course. Which is a bit of a shame considering you are confined to a single area. It would have been nice if the developers added that extra kick to the visuals. I think if graphics had of been really pushed it would have really echoed and the atmosphere of the sound design. I would say the visuals are just about passable. The toys do look creepy and are animated quite well. Game performance is fine and I had no glitches or crashes. The game also supports screenshots and video capture.
At £3.49 its pretty cheap as far as horror theme titles go. It can give you a few scares but the repetitious nature of the title will wear thin. If you have played these sorts of games before then there is nothing unique here and you are looking at a very quick game to complete. Once completed there is nothing to really entice you back.
Pros
[/et_pb_text][et_pb_blurb use_icon=”on” font_icon=”%%47%%” icon_color=”#ffffff” use_circle=”on” circle_color=”#5bd999″ icon_placement=”left” _builder_version=”3.11.1″]When Anxiety rises it can get pretty intense
[/et_pb_blurb][et_pb_blurb use_icon=”on” font_icon=”%%47%%” icon_color=”#ffffff” use_circle=”on” circle_color=”#5bd999″ icon_placement=”left” _builder_version=”3.11.1″]Jump scares are quite good here
cheap price point
[/et_pb_blurb][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.95″]Cons
[/et_pb_text][et_pb_blurb use_icon=”on” font_icon=”%%47%%” icon_color=”#ffffff” use_circle=”on” circle_color=”#e6567a” icon_placement=”left” _builder_version=”3.11.1″]Hardly no story or backstory
Gets very repetitive quickly
[/et_pb_blurb][et_pb_blurb use_icon=”on” font_icon=”%%47%%” icon_color=”#ffffff” use_circle=”on” circle_color=”#e6567a” icon_placement=”left” _builder_version=”3.11.1″]Super short
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