There are several ways a horror game can put you in a constant state of peril. Some developers employ clever tactics that break the fourth wall, such as listening to your microphone, and the upcomingEyes Never Wakedefinitely falls under that category.
Developed by Allan Hedlund, this is an indie horror title that – as the description onSteamsays – blurs the “line between game and reality.” Essentially,Eyes Never Awakegets its kicks by allowing a pursuing monster to actually see you through your webcam, as seen in the footage below.
In my horror game, the monster SEES YOU THROUGH YOUR WEBCAM.Hide by physically ducking beneath your real-life desk while exploring a strange game not meant to be played.Steam link in comments!#horrorgames#horror#WishlistWednesdaypic.twitter.com/JtPsLMnQg1
In the teaser, we see the player (presumably the developer), actually ducking behind their desk as some sort of monstrosity seeks them out. We also see how the game scans your face through your camera. Hedlund describes the project as a “strange game” that’s “not meant to be played.”
What else will it see you doing via your webcam, I wonder…
For those who have concerns about privacy – given that the crux of the gameplay is in having access to your webcam – Hedlund tries to alleviate worries about intrusiveness. In aresponse to someone on X, they write the following:
…just know that the game simply uses OpenCV and OpenCV for Unity for face recognition which uses pre-trained models. Everything runs locally – nothing gets sent to any server or anything like that. And you can always turn the mechanic off at any time.
Additionally, in order to dissuade people from cheating by simply holding something up to the camera, the game will also check for “large uniform objects and other things.” But, then again, if you’re playing a game where the object is to physically hide from something that sees you through your webcam, what would be the point in cheating?
Eyes Never Wakedoesn’t have a release date yet, but as a horror fan myself, I’ll be following progress on this one pretty closely. Maybe it’s just a gimmick, but I like that indie developers are at least trying new ways to be immersive.
