Blind Men is a Romance Game Visual Novel developed and published by Man-Eater Games. It was released on July 25, 2017.
The player controls Keegan (aka Doctor Cyclops), an aspiring young super villain seeking admittance into the League of Evil. The final step of his application requires him to commit a notable crime. However, two men complicate matters: GLOBAL agent Hunter and KGB agent Sergei. What follows is either an unlikely alliance or an unfortunate mistake...
Blind Men contains examples of the following tropes:
- Aborted Arc: If Hunter is kidnapped, Yakov doesn't have any plot relevance.
- Accidental Kidnapping: If Keegan plots to kidnap the scientist, he ends up accidentally kidnapping a potential LI instead.
- Alternate History: In the setting's timeline, the U.S.S.R never dissolved and the Cold War seemingly hasn't ended.
- Bad Boss: Sphinx, who has fed one of his own henchmen to sharks for hooking up with Keegan. Downplayed with Keegan, who's able to form relationships with certain henchmen (or so he thinks), but is quick to blame them for mishaps and forgets their names.
- Belligerent Sexual Tension: Between Keegan and Hunter.
- Big Damn Kiss: Some of Hunter's routes include one.
- Bittersweet Ending: One ending has Keegan admitted into the League on a probationary status, with Sergei as his second-in-command. However, Sphinx and Mantis have gone missing.
- Brick Joke: Keegan's inability to remember a particular henchman's name can come up towards the end of the game.
- Dating Catwoman: Apparently, Hunter actively seeks this dynamic.
- Establishing Character Moment: For Keegan and his LI's:
- Keegan gives a serious speech about his motivations for becoming a super villain...and eagerly asks a henchman what he thinks, because it's part of his application to the League. He then realizes he doesn't know the henchman's name.
- Hunter attracts an adoring crowd with conversation, then aggressively flirts with Keegan.
- Sergei is first briefly seen brushing off Hunter. He's later curt when Keegan sits next to him, drawing Keegan's ire or suspicion.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Keegan is close to his uncle, Sphinx. Sphinx and his ally Madam Mantis act as parental figures to Keegan. In endings where Sergei becomes Keegan's second-in-command, this applies to them, too.
- Failed a Spot Check: If Keegan doesn't gain enough of Hunter's interest one way or another, Hunter doesn't stick around when Keegan's henchman returns. Alone, Keegan fails to notice the illogical aspects of the henchman's claims and gets injured as a result.
- Freudian Excuse: Subverted. Keegan's parents were killed in the same car accident which took one of his eyes. He was then bullied for his disfigurement. But this isn't directly the reason why he wants to become a super villain - he wants to follow the footsteps of his beloved uncle, who raised him.
- I Kiss Your Hand: Sergei does this in the ending where he and Keegan manage to save Sphinx and Mantis.
- Irony: Keegan refuses to attend college because he'd rather be a super villain. His chosen super villain name is Doctor Cyclops.
- Locked in a Room: If Keegan plots to steal the diamond, this winds up happening to him and the chosen potential LI.
- Multiple Endings: There are four main routes with multiple variations, leading to several endings.
- "Not So Different" Remark: Keegan can learn that both Hunter and Sergei have strained relationships with their families. He sympathizes, since he's trying to fill the void left by his parents and desperately wants to live up to his uncle's reputation.
- Shipper on Deck: Mantis, for Keegan and Sergei.
- Title Drop: During Keegan's opening monologue. As a child, Sphinx would comfort him by referring to the rest of the world as 'blind men'.
- Undying Loyalty: Implied to have developed between Keegan and Sergei in endings where Sergei becomes his second-in-command.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: The status of Hunter or Sergei if their route isn't followed. It's probably not as important in Hunter's case, but Sergei will likely always be hunted by the KGB for failing his mission.
