The Eyes of Ara received $17,170 AUD on Kickstarter back in July of 2015. Not only did this gorgeous puzzle adventure release on time, just one year later, but it just revealed a special Halloween surprise for players.
Developer, 100 Stones Interactive, a one-man studio, has continued posting updates long after The Eyes of Ara’s release. The latest promises a special Halloween treat. Running from October 27th until November 2nd, the castle has been decked out for the season.
The Eyes of Ara: Haunted Halloween features all new art, puzzles, as well as two new Steam Achievements. Players will return to the castle where the Pumpkin King has hidden a collection of eerie blue Jack-o’-lanterns. They must navigate the creepy castle hallways, with a full assortment of fun Halloween props leading the way. The bravest and most clever may even find their way into the Pumpkin King’s ancient crypt.
What can I say, I’m a sucker for holiday updates. Putting a spooky Halloween skin on what was already an atmospheric exploration game is an obvious win. Rickety old castles are made for this sort of thing.
100 Stones also announced upcoming Steam Trading Card functionality for the game. There will be nine trading cards to find, with five profile background and emoticons available. It’s a nice gesture to Steam owners and gives players yet another reason to journey back to The Eyes of Ara.
Did you noticed how I specified “Steam” owners. That’s because the DRM-Free and Mac App versions will not have access to the Haunted Halloween content. 100 Stones plans to update both versions so that the bonus content will be available to everyone by next year.
The Eyes of Ara is available now for $14.99 on Steam. You can also pick it up on the App Store or DRM-Free over at Humble Bundle.
Seems neat if you already own the game, but I don’t think anyone will rush to buy it just for this update.