Not all autumn fright experience must terrify players. Including iconic favorites such as mystery-solving cartoons to endearing shows such as Over the Garden Wall, many spooky-season staples offer entertainment without requiring increasing anxiety. Additionally, a increasing selection of ghostly-adorable games including spooky themes, but not the sleep-with-the-lights-on intensity of fear. Gloomy Eyes arrived in September, and stands as an outstanding cozy choice to the intensely frightening releases of this year.
A Distinctive Single-Player Cooperative Adventure
Described as a “self-coop” puzzle game, Gloomy Eyes pairs up a undead youth called Gloomy and a mortal child called Nena as they embark on an mission to bring the sun back to their shadowy realm. Their appearance is similar to Funko Pops mixed with the puppets from a Laika film. The light-complected and baggy-eyed appearance is influenced by the look of Tim Burton’s films, and the story is a classic all-ages adventure. These two builds an enduring bond over the duration of the game’s multiple stages as Nena tries to demonstrate to her clerical relative that, look, maybe living-impaired beings are actually good.
Creative Gameplay Systems
This unique label comes about from the game’s interactive problem-solving. When Gloomy and Nena meet, you’ll swap among the recent allies to complete challenges and progress through the areas. As an undead, Gloomy can’t walk through the light of a light source, while Nena may be grabbed by idle zombies unless a light is shone on them.
They must work in tandem — actually, you’ll use them simultaneously — to finish levels. Nena could adjust or temporarily shut off lamps to open routes for Gloomy, while the intellectually curious character will employ his undead power to move objects in the surroundings, opening up paths for Nena.
Captivating Environment Creation
These challenges bring to mind a little of The Gardens Between, in the way the stages are hovering, miniature constructions that the view rotates in conjunction with your characters. Gloomy Eyes’ environments are highly entertaining, leading the companions around a amusement park and through a haunted house, among other locations. Players can use a “diorama view” button that allows you to view from afar and turn the levels, both to appreciate the artwork and look for ways that may not have been apparent.
Minor Challenges and Complete Adventure
Here lies one of the sole hiccups with Gloomy Eyes. Comparable to other titles with a static view, occasionally it's confusing where the heroes may or may not travel. You may need to simply collide with a multiple different items to determine which ones are usable, as clues aren't consistently provided.
However, those small speedbumps don't obstruct of a eerie-adorable fun adventure. Gloomy Eyes runs on the short side, with approximately a few sessions worth of puzzles. Advanced areas blend together light hidden movement and action elements with the challenge completion, as Gloomy Eyes progresses to a rewarding — and slightly unexpected — ending.
Release and Conclusion
Players steering clear of the scares of fear-inducing games should definitely try Gloomy Eyes. The game is out on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox, and is presently discounted for 25% off on game marketplaces.
Gloomy Eyes is out now on multiple platforms and delivers a enjoyable alternative for players looking for Halloween fun minus the intense scares.
