Planet of the Eyes Review (PS4)

Buried beneath the mishmash of platformers new and old comes the emergence of Planet of the Eyes – a funky puzzle platformer originally released for PC and Mac back in 2015. Though not much has changed throughout its transition to the PlayStation 4, it does feel like a welcome one.

Guided by the wisdom of one man’s audio tapes, you assume the role of a small un-named robot who – driven by the curiosity to discover his existence – journeys through an unknown land in hopes of finding the answer to this very question. In cohesion to its colourful and creative lore, the narrative feels uniquely fitting and reflective, and the small nuggets of information you receive manage to feel interesting enough to propel the story forward with bright success.

At its heart though, Planet of the Eyes can feel like a fairly standard platformer. The little robot can perform the most basic of tasks, such as clambering over large objects that block your path, avoid frazzled electrical beams that plan to fry you to a crisp, and – though providing a light challenge to platforming novices – it never manages to take itself too seriously, serving to the game's overall playful themes. With that being said, veterans among you may wish for a heartier challenge.

More favourably in this instance, Planet of the Eyes feels idyllic for players new to the platforming genre, due to the forgiving nature of its checkpoint system, spawning you at convenient locations throughout. This feeling of hand-holding manages to avoid the harsh and gruelling nature of some of its kind, which ultimately invites you to play around within its environment.

Perhaps one of its cutest novelties, though, rest within its design. A mixture of bold fuchsias and soft blues paint a pretty background for this intentionally retro locale, and transitioning from one area to the other is a visually pleasing experience to behold. In essence, encouraging you to explore its world just that little bit longer, and aided with pockets of dialogue that further unfurl the mystery of its world, they manage to complement each other beautifully.

This mystery isn’t kept a secret for long, however. With the credits rolling at just under an hour, the experience is a brief and abrupt one that may leave some feeling adequately satiated by its shortness, or worse, questioning if it was worth the investment to begin with.