The award-winningindiegameBefore Your Eyesis currently 80% off on PC, and it’s the best game I’ve played this year, even though it was released back in 2021.The narrative-driven indie title developed by GoodbyeWorld Games and published by Skybound Games follows the story of the protagonist Benjamin, living from your first-person perspective. Considered one of themost underrated games of 2021,Before Your Eyesbegins with a ferryman picking up your soul from a river in the afterlife. Pushed forward by the ferryman’s insistence, you must relive the story of your life, leading up to your death.
You will experience several key moments throughout the character’s life and slowly understand how Benjamin got there.The main feature is that, every time you blink, the period in which you are in ends, and you flash-forward to a different point in your life. The game has a special eye-tracking mechanic enabled by a webcam that sees whenever you blink in real life. You don’t need to use this mechanic, however, as it is possible to emulate the blinks via mouse clicks inBefore Your Eyes, which I consider to be one of thebest indie games of 2021.
Before Your Eyes Is 80% Off During Steam Summer Sale
The Game Can Be Purchased For $1.99
This may be the perfect moment to play this indie game, as it is currently at 80% off onSteam.With the 80% discount,Before Your Eyesis $1.99 until July 10, when the ongoing Steam Summer Sale comes to an end. After that, the game should return to its regular price of $9.99 on the platform. It’s worth noting that its Deluxe Edition, which contains the base game, the digital artbook, and the digital soundtrack, is at 78% off for $3.58, down from its regular price of $16.18.
Although the game has a reasonable price and has already seen similar discounts in the past, this is the best value you can get from the indie game. One of the reasons for its low price is that it is also a fairly short game. According toHowLongToBeat,it takes, on average, around two hours to complete the game, though completionists may take up to three and a half hours to get all its Achievements. This was one of theissues withBefore Your Eyesat its launch, as some players sought refunds by claiming it was a fake game.
Before Your Eyes Got A BAFTA Award In 2021
The Indie Game Was Nominated For Several Other Awards
The game, however, is very much real, and a great one at that.This is exemplified by a plethora of reasons, one of which wasBefore Your Eyes’ British Academy Games Award for Game Beyond Entertainment award in 2021 from BAFTA(British Academy of Film and Television Arts). This award contemplates video games that provide impact and “transformation experiences” beyond mere entertainment. In addition to its noteworthy award, the indie game also received several nominations in other award events. DuringThe Game Awards 2021,Before Your Eyeswas nominated for the Games for Impact category.
During TGA 2021,Life Is Strange: True Colorswon the award in that category.
During the 25th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards,Before Your Eyesreceived a nomination for the Outstanding Achievement in Story award, thoughMarvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, which is on sale, was the winner that year. The indie game also holds other accolades, such as being a title in Tokyo Game Show 2021’s Indie Select and IndieCade 2021’s Jury Prix. Beyond these nominations, the game was praised by critics.
Screen Rant’s review ofBefore Your Eyesgave it a 4 out of 5 score, calling it “narrative excellence” and mentioning that it offers a unique experience, despite some of the flaws with its blinking mechanics. I agree with that opinion, going so far as to incentivize players to disable the eye-tracking system and use the manually blinking button to better experience the story.By doing so, you’re able to avoid skipping through some pivotal moments in the narrative, though I do understand that often skipping through them deepens the idea that life goes by in the blink of an eye.
Before Your Eyes Is The Best Game I’ve Played This Year So Far
The Game’s Deep Narrative Dive Is An Emotional One
In 2021,Before Your Eyeswas a game that flew under my radar – so much so that I only recently heard about it. Being given the summary that it is a deeply emotional narrative-driven experience, yet receiving no information whatsoever about its plot (other than it had the potential to make one weep uncontrollably), I immediately purchased it on Steam, without the current discount.I played through it earlier this year, and it’s easily the best game I’ve put my hands on in 2025, even if it’s not technically a game from this year.
The narrative immersion that is achieved within just a couple of hours of gameplay led by small interactive experiences, is outstandingand really comes to show why it was nominated for the aforementioned awards. It’s difficult to discuss exactly why the game’s narrative is so compelling without revealing too many plot points, but you can expect a great level of understanding while witnessing your character growing up and going through the various stages of Benjamin’s life inBefore Your Eyes, as well as the hardships that the people around him, like his parents, endure.
This is a very human story, and that’s one of the reasons you can connect with it so quickly. You’ll resonate with some of the character’s struggles, even if they aren’t necessarily identical to those you’ve experienced yourself. It also puts some effort into developing the secondary characters in complex ways that simply stand out. The way the character’s parents are portrayed, for instance, shows how heroic and flawed parental figures can be, something that is often left on the sidelines of short stories but is explored perfectly withinBefore Your Eyes.
The story discusses themes of death, illness, and grief, as stated in the game’s page on Steam.
I remember playing the game and sobbing uncontrollably at the very end, unable to even speak for a few minutes. After that, my first instinct was to recommend it to all my friends who appreciate indie games with devastating and well-written stories. Seeing the major discount the game has on Steam, this is the perfect moment to recommend the award-winningBefore Your Eyesto everyone.
