Backroom Beyond

Backroom Beyond is a first-person game that combines puzzles and platforming in a dark setting. Across 40 stages, you place a red box on a button to open the door to the next stage. Each environment follows its own logic, and pressing the “born again” button returns you to the beginning of the level.

Boxes and puzzles

Each box has a distinct use. The red box can only be pushed and is the only one that activates the buttons that open doors. The blue box can also only be pushed, and you can climb on it to reach higher places. The green box is the only one you can carry; you can throw it or climb on top of it. A shovel lets you dislodge a box stuck in a corner.

Story and settings

The story is told partly through drawings on the walls, whose unknown authorship adds to their strangeness. A guide also prompts you to reflect on your actions and can blur the line between your feelings and those of the protagonist. Each setting—including a subway, a snowy area, a house and an actual backroom—reveals part of the story and brings its own tension and reflection.

Music

The theme song is “Pérolas Irregulares” by Terceiro Mundo Bom. The song’s music video has similarities to the game’s project.