Help the wooden mouse escape
Beyond the Bark has announced that Éalú, a hand-animated puzzle adventure game, is now available on Steam. Created entirely by hand in a garden shed, the game invites players into an immersive yet heartfelt world. Here, a wooden clockwork mouse dreams of getting out of the maze and reaching the outside world. Combining emotional, wordless storytelling with tactile artistry, Éalú stands out as a rare combination of physical artistry and interactive design. The game perfectly captures the charm of a stop motion film in a video game.
In Éalú, an Irish word meaning “escape,” players guide a mouse through a wooden maze full of puzzles, moments of discovery, and moral choices that test curiosity and compassion. The team brought each scene to life using real sets and props. They even took over 18,000 photos and created over 500 animated clips. The mouse is also animated frame by frame without using a single digital sprite, giving the world a unique organic feel and personality.
Animator and concept designer Ivan Fisher-Owen describes Eala as “an interactive silent film or symphony” where lighting, music and woodwork combine to create both wonder and unease. The game reflects the nature of algorithmic cycles, patterns that influence behavior and emotions. As well as a person’s desire to free himself from them.
Since its release, Ealu has appeared on RTEstreamed by French Twitch creator Recalbox and praised by critics for its “unparalleled stop-motion animation craftsmanship” (Heybox) and “beautiful, immersive” atmosphere (NoobFeed). GameBoomers called it a “thrilling mystery”, noting its combination of artistry and depth.
