Light&Dark
Official Statement on the future of Eyes in the Dark
Due to circumstances outside of our control, Under the Stairs has recently reached an agreement with Gearbox Publishing to mutually part ways. For us this means the return of our publishing rights for Eyes in the Dark.
We wish to express our love and support to everyone on the Gearbox Publishing team, the entire experience of working with them was nothing short of amazing. Not only have they helped us launch our first game, but they made sure that it turned out to be the best version of the game possible.
However, we now have to be realistic, it's been almost 2 years since we last worked on Eyes in the Dark and jumping back in and working on it full time is not something we can currently afford to do.
We've always wanted to support the game long term, there are bugs we'd like to fix, features we'd like to add and feedback we'd love to implement. These are weird times in the game dev industry and for now, we ask you to give us a little bit of time to figure things out and we promise that you’ll hear from us soon!
Thank you,
Under the Stairs
Eyes in the Dark is now Verified on Steam Deck!
Fight with light against the dark in this "roguelight" platformer starring Victoria Bloom!
Drive back the darkness that's overrun Bloom Manor and conquer swarms of creatures as you discover powerful new items to upgrade your arsenal.
Are you ready to enter the ever-changing manor? Light & fight with Eyes in the Dark on Steam Deck today!
Patch 1.1.2
Hello Tinkerers!
We are back with a small update. Here is what we have fixed below:
- Solved various functionality issues with Edgar's Shop. Players can now purchase items and pick them up immediately. Items will now always drop after purchase.
We hope you have enjoyed the festive update!
Cheers!
Halloween Update and Festivities!
Hello, Tinkerers! Happy Halloween! To celebrate the spookiest month of the year, we just deployed a new update that added a few Halloween-related cosmetic upgrades, new visual filters, a series of costumes with gameplay-changing items, and standard patch-related improvements. See below for more details, and banish these creepy crawlers in style with our new festive update!
Accessibility:
Our goal has always been to improve accessibility for those who may not be able to play our game due to some mechanics within the initial release of Eyes in the Dark. Below we wanted to highlight some new accessibility features we have added to this recent update.
Accessibility Options - a new category in the options menu focusing on accessibility.
New Cosmetic upgrades
We have some spooky changes to announce that we've been working on for a while!
New Wardrobe
The wardrobe lets you change into costumes. Each costume replaces your default item with a unique new item that impacts gameplay. Perhaps the Dark won’t be the spookiest creature found in Bloom Manor anymore! See below for a breakdown of each costume.
Witch - The Witch Costume comes with a nice hat and replaces your default gadget with the Flying Broom.
Flying Broom - You fly with great speed! Activate by holding the jump button while in the air!
Hockey Mask - The Hockey Mask not only looks badass but also replaces your default projectile with the Puck Shot.
Puck Shot - The Puck Shot slingshot shoots a puck in a straight line. The puck bounces against surfaces once and explodes on the second bounce.
Werewolf - The Werewolf Costume is very scratchy and hairy inside, but replaces the default gadget with the Full Moon Slippers.
Full Moon Slippers - These increase your jump height and movement speed.
Pumpkinhead - The Pumpkinhead Costume smells really bad inside and replaces your default projectile with the Jack-O-Lantern.
Jack-O-Lanterns - This slingshot shoots a curving ball that bounces against surfaces. Press the projectile to detonate the button to explode.
Alien - The Alien Costume replaces your default bulb with the Cosmic Bulb, but most importantly… really creeps out Edgar.
Cosmic Bulb - This flashlight releases a pulsating donut of light. This then stays in place for a short time creating a wall of light.
Edgar - The Edgar Costume may cause you to have a craving of shiny things and replaces your default gadget with the Feather Bulb.
Feather Bulb - This flashlight releases light feathers that stick to surfaces.
Filters:
We have implemented a series of various filters that players can enable to enhance their experience while navigating the world. These visual enhancements will not just look cool, but also assist players with their ability to play more confidently!
Names and Details of Filters
Blues Sisters (BLUE / COOL LIGHT)
Game Girl (GREEN)
Sunburst (WARM LIGHT)
Halloween (ORANGE)
Shades (GRAY)
General Improvements:
🏆 GAME OF THE YEAR WINNER 🏆 MEGAMIGS 2022
🏆 GRAND PRIZE WINNER - MEGAMIGS Game of the Year 2022 🏆
Eyes in the Dark: The Curious Case of One Victoria Bloom – Under the Stairs
Eyes in the Dark Patch v 1.0.6
Controls
- The Select button will always open and close the Run Info Menu while using gamepad.
- The Start button will always open and close the Pause Menu while using gamepad.
Visuals
- Impediments and Boons will still be legible when repeatedly selecting Twist of Fate.
- The Monsters Defeated section will always reflect the number of monsters defeated during the run on the Run Result screen.
- The additional Knowledge provided by the Eureka Perk is indicated on the Run Result screen.
- Perks and Impediments no longer run off the screen when Ticking Menace is active.
- Text boxes won’t overlap when there are four choices for Perks on the Divergence screen.
- The description box for the Map of the Mansion Perk now has a right margin.
Gear
- When an item sends out detonable projectiles, the projectiles will always detonate even after the item is scrapped.
- The Stolen Treasure anomaly will no longer generate items from smaller enemies spawned by Nestors and Tickors.
Eyes in the Dark Patch v 1.0.5
Controls
- The mouse cursor will move offscreen in all menus while using a gamepad.
- Addressed an issue where dashing into the boss area could prevent the fight from starting when using mouse and keyboard controls.
- Opening a menu no longer causes Broodor's projectiles to fall to the ground.
Visuals
- Insector: When exiting and re-entering the room, there is no longer a striped look in the ambient darkness.
- Darkness will remain clear when exiting and entering puzzle rooms.
- Players can no longer move through zone gates before they are visibly open.
- Arachnor: Should no longer disappear outside of the playable areas as reported in the Discord.
Gear
- Non-basic Bulbs will damage Broodor.
- Swarmor enemies no longer die when colliding with items.
- Tetaclors can now be stunned by the Cracked Bulb.
- The Flashlight always follows the mouse cursor even when turned off while using mouse and keyboard.
- The Flashlight will stay in the same spot instead of reverting back to the default position while using the gamepad.
Misc
- Addressed several potential crashes during Act 3 and loading back to the hub during specific runs.
- Addressed an issue where the screen may hang for several seconds when transitioning zones.
- Clockwork Area: Enemies should no longer get stuck in boxes.
- Snipor's projects should no longer have the potential to spin in one spot indefinitely.
- After killing both Arachnor and Snipor any remaining projectiles will be destroyed.
Eyes in the Dark Patch v1.0.3
General
● General stability improvements to enhance the user's experience.
● Increased performance by reducing the particles generated upon enemy death.
Balance
● Increased the amount of Knowledged gained from Sparks at the end of a run.
● Reduced cost of the first Metamachine Selector in the bookshelf.
● Bonuses from Whiplash Bulb, Arc Surge Battery and Damage Surge Battery no longer apply to subsequent loops.
● The Light Drain and Lose Sparks impediment now properly drains Sparks if a player has less than 50.
● Perpetum Mobile perk now generates the intended amount of Sparks.
● Base Flashlight damage increased ever so slightly.
● Cracked Bulb damage output slightly reduced.
Controls
● Addressed an issue where projectiles could not be fired with the keyboard.
● Improved dodge mechanic when using keyboard controls.
● Adjusted projectile aiming to not veer downwards in certain control schemes.
● Controller prompts now appear correctly after disconnecting / reconnecting controller.
● The mechanic for falling through platforms is now more consistent with mouse and keyboard controls.
Gear
● Addressed an issue where Impact Boots behaviour could be interrupted by ropes.
● The Slingshot no longer fires backwards when six or more Slower Projectile String upgrades are equipped.
● Globe Bulb now does a better job at clearing darkness.
● Bubble Bulb now does a better job at clearing darkness.
● Sparkle Bulb now does a better job at clearing darkness.
● Enabled the purchase of the final Metamachine Selector.
Misc
● Mothor now stops fighting and accepts mortality when its health reaches zero.
● Attic: Removed tenaclors from certain rooms.
● Addressed an issue where Victoria could become invisible in the tutorial.
● Garden Area: Fake walls replaced with fall-through platforms.
● Added option to automatically upload gameplay data and error logs.
● It is no longer possible to repeatedly unlock unlocked perks, Metamachine bonuses and items.
● Items scrapped in the Metamachine now stay scrapped.
● Addressed an issue where Bulbs and Slingshot Ammo from the Metamachine would phase between multiple timelines and change their stats accordingly.
● Doors that previously could not be opened can now be opened.
● Adjusted gadgets so they no longer fire indefinitely if the Tinkering or Pause Menu was opened while active.
● Tutorial: Fixed an area where players could dash out of bounds.
● Achievements for The Living Legacy of the Blooms,, Broken Slingshot, Broken Gadgets, Broken Flashlight, and Vanilla Victoria now unlock properly.
Sound
● Crescent Bulb has a new sound effect.
● Added music to Credits scene.
● Adjusted frequency of damage SFX from final boss.
● Added SFX for a certain machine in Act 4.
● Added SFX for menu panel transitions.
● Ambient music no longer stops after interacting with a certain item in the hub area.
● Added more SFX for Blobor.
● Added SFX for the screen that appears at the end of a run. ● Replaced the SFX for Chain Lightning upgrade.
Visuals
● Cleaned up navigation issues within the Bookshelf.
● Clockwork Area: Removed a lever that did not do anything.
● Mouse and keyboard prompts now display correctly when a controller is connected.
● Bookshelf icon now fills correctly when button is held.
● Addressed an issue where controller prompts would display as blank.
● Adjusted an issue where projectile aiming reticule and the corresponding time dilation would not activate in a boss fight.
● Quickly moving between menu tabs no longer results in the wrong tab being active.
● Added visuals for Chain Lightning upgrade.
● "You are here!" correctly indicates where you are, even when Fast Travel is locked.
● Addressed various instances of text that was overlapped, misaligned or cut-off.
● Removed extraneous button prompts.
● Addressed various instances of missing / misaligned button prompts.
● Adjusted backgrounds for Boiler, Cellar and Attic.
● Updated the visuals of the Boiler to Garden transition room.
● Bonus room tooltips no longer obscure combat.
Eyes in the Dark Now Available on Steam!
Roughly eight years ago, Eyes in the Dark started out as a small Game Jam prototype – a final project for a game design course I took meant to spark some creativity before getting back to my day job. As it turns out, that little project would become the foundation of a new career and a much crazier ride.
Like most creative projects, we didn’t start production with a fully fleshed out design document, and I’d be lying if I said we had it all figured out from the start. Back then, we were a group of strangers united under a simple goal: make a video game. That’s it. There wasn’t any ‘change the world’ ethos statement, we had no access to funding or mentors, and no one stepped up to teach us how to get from point A to point B.
The gameplay mechanics took longer to lock down than the design because we wholeheartedly knew our first title had to be a black-and-white roguelight. It took years of testing and experimenting with the core concepts until it all finally came together in what you’re experiencing today. Of course, this process was not always easy. Along the way we lost a few people and took several long breaks where it wasn’t even clear if the project would be completed. But every time we looked at our progress and what the game could be, the team was revitalized.
Truthfully, I think that finding our own path as a studio had the biggest impact on the final version of Eyes in the Dark; it enabled us to put our own unique spin on the genre, a roguelight. We use that term deliberately because Eyes in the Dark stands out in a genre filled with similar titles. Without spoiling too much, we wanted to create a game that was accessible to everyone, no matter your skill level or experience.
From everyone here at Under the Stairs, we hope you enjoy your time exploring Bloom Manor and have as much fun playing Eyes in the Dark as we did in making it.
Thank you!
Vladimir
Thanks for Playing the Eyes in the Dark Demo!
We enjoyed sharing our experiences with players during our developer streams and interacting with you all in our Discord, and the feedback you've provided will help improve the game as we prepare for launch and beyond.
We're very excited for players to return to the ever-changing mansion and take on more monsters, try more combinations, and discover more secrets – we'll see you back here in less than one month when Eyes in the Dark launches July 14!