My Eyes Deceive is a psychological horror game by ‘nouhidev’ that explores the darkest extents of human insanity. Gamers have speculated that it is the depiction of the sadistic Josef Fritzl case. But what’s the whole truth?
Note: This post contains sensitive topics and major spoilers. Reader discretion is advised.
My Eyes Deceive Lore
My Eyes Deceive depicts the life of a nameless young girl who lives a secluded life in a basement, following a set of the same daily activities each day. The game narrative is divided across a period of seven days.
The initial pretext of the game seems to be harmless: A father has locked his daughter to save her from an apocalypse, But the reality is far too twisted for a decent imagination.
My Eyes Deceive Game Story (SPOILERS!)
My Eyes Deceive is a spine-chilling tale of a young girl who has only had one human interaction in her life, which is with her father. She is made to believe that the outside world is infested with a deadly apocalypse and only her father can keep her safe. She is also instructed not to respond to anyone other than her dad.
Every day the girl wakes up and follows the same routine – taking pills, preparing & eating food, playing a game on a tablet, watering a plant, taking a shower, and sleeping. Sometimes, she has the special privilege of writing in a diary.
The girl is made to believe that the medicines are the antidote to a deadly virus that has infected the world. So, she consumes them every day despite feeling dizzy afterward. Everything seems fine until the father disappears for a few days. On reaching Day 6, the girl questions whether she should take her pills. This choice is the turning point of the story.
Later, it is made clear that the girl was most likely abducted by the “father” while she was an infant. The girl was kept trapped in a basement on the premise of a fabricated tale of a chaotic world with illnesses and monsters. Being a blank slate, the girl accepts this perception and lets her eyes deceive her.
Meanwhile, the “father” drugged her with sedatives and did unspeakable things to her while the innocent girl lived on cluelessly. Only when she chooses not to take the pill does she experiences the air of the real world, where even the light of the sun confuses her.
Related: My Eyes Deceive All Endings, Explained
While the game flashes a disclaimer that the events in the game are purely fictional, we cannot deny how similar the prison design is to the Fritzl Case’s Cellar Prison. The scenario of abducting his daughter and harassing her in the most immoral way coincides with the Fritzl Case as well.
Is My Eyes Deceive Based On A True Story?
The developers of My Eyes Deceive have claimed to draw only partial inspiration from the Fritzl Case. The real inspiration was said to be a two-sentence horror story post on Reddit.
The developer had initially shared a detailed press release stating the real inspiration behind My Eyes Deceive. The similarities and partial inspiration of the basement prison with the real-life Josef Fritzl Case were also shared in the document. However, the document has recently been updated and the interpretation has been left open-ended.
