BlindGiRl is a title I recently became very interested in playing. If you’re a fan of puzzles, mazes, and unique experiences, don’t keep yourself in the dark regarding this game. Developed by glpeas, BlindGiRl is an intriguing experience that will open your eyes to the indie game scene.
[singlepic id=1175 w=320 h=240 float=center]
In BlindGiRl, you play the role of a young girl who must rely on her senses of touch and hearing. Surrounded in darkness, you must help this child navigate through 22 levels, collecting a musical note within each one. Each level places you in complete darkness, marked by your face when standing still, or by your feet while in motion. When you move, sound waves radiate outward, allowing you to determine obstacles in your path, such as walls, blocks, and enemies. A very slight learning curve is present, and the game walks you through in a friendly manner to start off the first few levels.
In the game, you use two types of sound waves to reach your goal. Red waves are created by your footsteps, and green waves are created by singing. As you progress through the levels, you earn more musical notes, allowing the girl to sing for a longer period of time, which radiates sound waves further. You will encounter different types of blocks which can be destroyed by specific sound waves. In addition to that, some enemies have their eye on you. Enemies vary between red eyes and green eyes, as well as hybrid eyes in the final level. Sound waves matching their color will have them quickly rush to your position, causing you to restart that room. Using slight pressure on the analogue, you can carefully avoid alerting some enemies. Many situations will require a combination of loud and quiet movements, helping you move the enemies to clear your path to the goal.
[singlepic id=1173 w=320 h=240 float=center]
Some mazes in the game will offer you a set path using arrows or checkmarks, but to see them you’ll have to use the power of your red and green sound waves. Others will rely on exploration and memory skills if you want to complete them. If you ever hit a dead end, or just want to restart, you can hold X for a few moments and you’ll be back on the puzzle selection screen. While the game is relatively easy, you will have to determine proper methods to avoid enemies at times, some basic strategic thinking will be required.
In terms of graphics, as most of the game is played in complete darkness, we’re limited to what we can say. Everything is well-defined, and it has a unique style, but there isn’t really anything detailed enough to stand out, which by no means is a bad thing with BlindGiRl – for what the game is, it looks wonderful. An important note regarding the visuals – if you have the deficiency known as color blindness, you’ll be happy to know that BlindGiRl has a protanopia mode, very much inspired by Twitter user @hodsey77 – a feature that more games need to start adding to increase their audience.
[singlepic id=1174 w=320 h=240 float=center]
Sound is the key component in the game, and through the sound of your footsteps and through singing, you will ultimately reach your goal. Effects such as breaking glass and footsteps are very distinct. The faster you walk, the louder your footsteps become, and the waves radiate further, revealing your path, as well as your position to enemies. The sound is very fine-tuned and with very slight pressure, you can move while making almost no sound at all. Depending on walls, the waves will bounce in specific directions, revealing further details of the level. Enemies can hear you through walls, breakable or not, and you can use this to your advantage when you need to get them out of your way. Because of the games’ nature, there is no background music, for obvious reasons.
[singlepic id=1176 w=320 h=240 float=center]
Overall, BlindGiRl is a very fun experience, primarily aimed at puzzle game fans. For the low price of 80 :MSPoints:, you help navigate this young girl through all 22 puzzles, ultimately helping her gain back her sight. The game will last about 2-3 hours if you’re decent at it, and while it was a short experience, it has enough variety opening up to you at a steady pace, and the game remains fun throughout the experience. Do yourself a favor, and head straight over to the Marketplace and grab the demo. Please note that if you progress in the demo, then purchase it, you will be required to redo those levels after the purchase.
0
