Not every spooky season adventure has to terrify gamers. From well-known tales such as mystery-solving cartoons to endearing shows such as Over the Garden Wall, numerous Halloween-themed staples are enjoyable without requiring raising your heart rate. Moreover, a increasing selection of eerie-charming releases with spooky themes, though lacking the sleep-with-the-lights-on degree of horror. Gloomy Eyes debuted in the fall, and acts as an outstanding comfortable option to the intensely frightening games of this year.
A Unique Self-Coop Quest
Described as a solo collaboration puzzle game, Gloomy Eyes pairs up a undead youth called Gloomy and a living girl called Nena as they embark on an adventure to restore sunlight to their dark, dark world. Their design evokes stylized dolls blended with the figures from a Laika film. The light-complected and baggy-eyed appearance draws inspiration from the appearance of Tim Burton’s films, and the plot is a classic all-ages adventure. These two forms an enduring connection over the course of the game’s 14 chapters as Nena strives to prove to her clerical relative that, look, possibly living-impaired beings can be friendly.
Creative Gameplay Systems
The innovative description stems from the game’s interactive problem-solving. After Gloomy and Nena meet, players alternate amidst the budding companions to overcome obstacles and progress through the areas. Being a zombie, Gloomy cannot pass through the brightness of a lamppost, while Nena may be grabbed by idle zombies except if a light is focused on them.
They must work in tandem — in practice, players control them in tandem — to advance through areas. Nena might relocate or momentarily deactivate lamps to create passages for Gloomy, while the thoughtful youth will use his zombie strength to move obstacles in the surroundings, creating ways for Nena.
Engaging Environment Creation
The puzzles bring to mind a bit of The Gardens Between, in the way the stages are suspended, model-like structures that the perspective pans around in sync with your heroes. Gloomy Eyes’ settings are quite fun, leading the friends around a fair and through a spooky mansion, among other locations. The game includes a “diorama view” feature that allows you to pull back and spin the areas, both to admire the artwork and hunt for ways that may not have been obvious.
Minor Hiccups and General Adventure
And that’s one of the only problems with Gloomy Eyes. Comparable to other releases with a fixed perspective, it’s not always clear where the protagonists are able to move. Players might have to simply collide with a few random objects to discover which ones are interactive, as clues aren't consistently provided.
Nevertheless, those small challenges don't hinder of a spooky-cute enjoyable experience. Gloomy Eyes runs on the short side, with about three to five hours worth of puzzles. Subsequent stages combine subtle stealth and action elements with the problem-solving, as Gloomy Eyes advances to a rewarding — and slightly unexpected — conclusion.
Release and Conclusion
Players steering clear of the frights of terrifying releases ought to experience Gloomy Eyes. It’s available on Switch console, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X, and is presently discounted for a quarter off on game marketplaces.
Gloomy Eyes has been released on various systems and provides a enjoyable alternative for fans seeking autumn enjoyment minus the intense scares.
