Experimental games are ones that take the biggest risks in terms of execution and concept, simply because they can and they will. It was not so long ago that unique developer Lizardry brought us 7 Days to End With You, a fascinating attempt to express a story through discerning the language of your rescuer/captor, and it really stuck in my mind. I didn’t get a chance to explore their next endeavor, Refind Self, but the graphical outlines and unusual ideas did stick with me, and I’ll be picking it up in the near future. However, it seems that Lizardry has grown tired of focusing on what people can see, and, instead, wants them to explore with what they can hear. Part storytelling, part atmospheric horror and part exercise in frustration, we take an uncertain step forward in Cling to Blindness.

Satsuki has taken the necessary precautions. She knows the rules and has agreed to the terms. First, never take off the blindfold. Second, don’t let Ashioto-San catch you. Third, discover all three talismans. Far away in a remote village, Satsuki enters into this mysterious contract in order to seek the ultimate prize: for Ashioto-San to hear her request and, hopefully, grant her wish to help her friend, Hare. The three rules must be followed exactly if she wishes to succeed, and, more importantly, if she wishes to survive. The talismans each represent an important part of her success, and failure means a fate worse than death. Ashioto-San will not simply kill you: you will become the next Ashioto-San, and be part of the neverending misery that is these ill-fated expeditions from other, hopeful participants.

From the drop, Lizardry encourages players to wear a blindfold while playing Cling to Blindness in order to preserve the honesty of your gameplay as well as to fully enjoy the immersion aspect. There are graphics, but they’re a spartan level of utilitarian. There are subtitles, which can be turned on and off, and there’s a map that gives you a general idea of things should you decide to break the rules and take a peek. The map is incredibly sparse: a blank screen with just a couple of icons that flash to indicate where you should be going and where Ashioto-San is at the time. If the next checkpoint is exceedingly far away, or If there are obstacles, like walls or a door, they will not show up on screen. The only thing you can really do is listen, very carefully, for what to do next.

As to the sounds themselves, Lizardry has taken care to make both a rich palette of sounds and ambience to engage and distract. The recommendation of headphones is EXCEEDINGLY important, and, if you’re like me and completely deaf on one side, this game becomes a testament of wills and patience. The angles and slants of the different cues – from crunching footsteps to the soft tinkling of wind chimes – is very fine and also sometimes quite narrow. You absolutely need to head in the right direction for your next goal, and it’s possible to get mixed up and lost at a moment’s notice when you are trying to escape from Ashioto-San. Thankfully, his ambulation is slightly slower than yours, so escape when the crunching grows louder is far from impossible. But getting turned around is a constant worry, so do your best.

In fact, if you’re not used to being spatially oriented, Cling to Blindness can be incredibly difficult and frustrating. While the game boasts sixty to ninety minutes of play time, it doesn’t account for becoming used to the very nuts and bolts of the game. Satsuki does not move quickly, and there is nothing else to do but walk and adjust yourself for listening. The right click function allows you to focus on certain sounds (with the mouse wheel toggling between which to specifically target), and this does take some getting used to. I have no shame in admitting it took me a couple of different “deaths” at the hands of Ashioto-San before I started to get stronger, and even then I don’t know how good I really became because I had to keep peeking to take screenshots.

There is also a sort of cheaper element that doesn’t work as well in execution as it must in concept. The use of walls throughout the village and Satsuki being able to “hear” where they are is a very tedious affair and resulted in plenty of deaths as I divined which way a wall would curve based on sounds and noises. One of the talismans involves a sort of timed effort that is touch and go and really overstays its welcome with having to keep running away and returning in a very tight and difficult space. Plus, some elements, like the sudden set of earthquakes to open and close access to one area, feel injected simply to prolonge your time in one spot instead of adding to gameplay. It’s like purposely trying not to do horror tropes, then locking the protagonist in a room and you have to run around to avoid getting stabbed.

Now, having said that, Cling to Blindness is a fascinating exercise in storytelling. You get dropped right into the beginning of Satsuki’s story with no preamble and no explanation, though more details and some frankly disturbing reveals come as the walk around the village progresses. Satsuki injects a lot of emotion into her performance, always sounding determined and, at times, desperate, but never a helpless heroine or a doomed damsel at any point. Even when Ashioto-San is almost directly on top of her, there’s a grim determination to survive and keep moving forward, though death could be just a couple of footsteps away. Her reasons for entering into this pact and attempting to find the talismans feels just and sad, though I cannot say without spoiling what ultimately becomes of her quest. It’s an emotional scrambler from start to finish, and keeps you fully engaged with her walk.

Additionally, I do like that this requires me to take a step outside of myself in order to fully enjoy and become a part of the world. In a growing realm where incredible graphics and lifelike fidelity are the benchmarks for what makes the current generation of games “good” or not, something like Cling to Blindness takes a step back and doesn’t just go indie in graphics to make a statement, but removes them altogether. It’s been decades of visually disabled players figuring out ways to enjoy video games in spite of their situation, and this really feels like the shoe being on the other foot. To try and grapple with the insistent pulsing of the phone juxtaposed with the footsteps coming towards me and having them sound like they’re in the same relative space is a pulse-quickening ordeal, and a rather enjoyable one. 

Cling to Blindness is a short but memorable experience that delivers exactly what it promises. The attention to aural detail is magnificent, and the duality of both the Japanese and English versions showcase some real range from the voice actresses (and Mariya Ise delivers one of her finest performances). Though the stress and anxiety I built up during the game means I won’t be returning, I was glad to stumble through these mountainous woods, desperately seeking the talismans to sync my heart beat up with, and to discover the truth and plead for help from Ashioto-San even as I fled before him. Fans of memorable experiences and thrilling gameplay should close their eyes and prick up their ears: the path before you begins with a single, uncertain, terrifying step.

Graphics: 5.0 As the game has no graphics to speak of, the iconography is all that can be judged. The symbols are simple and easy enough, but the fact that the map doesn’t actually encompass all you’re listening for is frustrating at times.	Gameplay: 7.5 Mousework is very fine and important for predicting which way to go. The implementation of the scroll wheel for different sound focus is well done in and natural. Really liked trying to zero in on the rhythm and mimick it when collecting talismans. Short enough to keep you focused without overstaying its welcome.
Sound: 9.5 Superb use of sound effects, voices and directional audio. Expertly crafted to make the full game immersive. Slight deduction because you have to listen to full sentences, even when replaying some areas.	Fun Factor: 7.5 Brief and memorable, Cling to Blindness builds tension and horror without relying on cheap tricks and does well to craft a story and experience that sticks with you until the very end.
Final Verdict: 7.0

Cling to Blindness is available now on Steam.

Reviewed on PC.

A copy of Cling to Blindness was provided by the publisher.