Éalú

In a cozy, quiet nest at the heart of a stone-and-wood labyrinth, a clockwork mouse sleeps — and dreams of the outside world.

When it awakens, the only way forward is through. To escape, the mouse must rely on clever thinking, keen senses, and hope — despite past failures. The maze is filled with locked doors, cryptic puzzles, and lurking dangers. But maybe, this time, freedom is possible.

PC Gamer's Ted Litchfield wrote, on previewing Éalú, that it's 

"...Somewhat unsettling, like a cross between Myst and Wallace and Gromit⁠—cozy, but also lonely, with flashes of something sinister here and there."

"...I think Beyond the Bark is cooking with a really special, singular atmosphere."

Éalú is a point & click puzzle/adventure game where you:

• Guide a wooden, clockwork mouse from the maze’s center to its outer edges.

• Solve environmental puzzles, uncover clues, and have dangerous encounters.

• Eat cheese!

• Discover the secrets of the maze — and the story hidden beneath it.

Lovingly made by a tiny team

Éalú is a true stop-motion game. Every animation was captured frame-by-frame using real sets, hand-crafted props, and a physical wooden mouse. Over 512 video clips were painstakingly filmed by a single animator — mostly in a garden shed — and brought to life in Unity by one developer.

All of the music was composed and recorded specifically for the game by a single composer, and every illustration was drawn by hand.

Éalú was made with no budget & no crowdfunding. Just 4 people passionate about the project:

• Ivan Owen of Beyond the Bark- Game concept, design, animation & writing

• Benjamin Orr- Game design, Unity development & writing

• Will Wood- Musical composition, performance & recording

• JT Paton- Original illustrations & promotional art

Based on playtests, we anticipate that it will take the majority of players somewhere between 2 and 5 hours to complete everything in the game. We've intentionally avoided sharing our own thoughts on the story, as we're excited to hear how people interpret what they experience!

We hope you enjoy playing Éalú as much as we loved making it.