Not each autumn fright adventure has to frighten you. Starting with iconic favorites for example Scooby-Doo to charming series including Over the Garden Wall, numerous autumn-inspired favorites provide fun without requiring increasing anxiety. There’s also, a growing library of spooky-cute releases featuring Halloween vibes, though lacking the truly terrifying degree of terror. Gloomy Eyes arrived in the fall, and stands as an outstanding comfortable choice to the intensely frightening titles of the current season.
A Unique Collaborative Solo Quest
Described as a “self-coop” problem-solving title, Gloomy Eyes teams up a living-impaired child named Gloomy and a human girl named Nena as they begin an mission to return daylight to their dark, dark realm. Their design resembles Funko Pops mixed with the puppets from a Laika film. The fair-toned and heavy-lidded appearance borrows heavily from the look of Burtonesque cinema, and the story is a classic all-ages journey. The pair forms an unbreakable friendship over the duration of the game’s multiple stages as Nena attempts to show to her priest uncle that, hey, perhaps the undead can be friendly.
Innovative Puzzle Mechanics
This unique description originates from the game’s environmental puzzles. After Gloomy and Nena encounter each other, gamers switch amidst the budding companions to complete challenges and advance through the levels. Being a zombie, Gloomy is unable to traverse through the brightness of a streetlight, while Nena may be grabbed by idle zombies unless a beam is focused on them.
They have to collaborate effectively — actually, you’ll use them in tandem — to advance through areas. Nena may move or momentarily deactivate lights to open routes for Gloomy, while the intellectually curious youth will utilize his supernatural ability to move items in the environment, revealing paths for Nena.
Captivating Level Design
The brain-teasers evoke memories a touch of The Gardens Between, in the fashion the stages are floating, miniature designs that the camera rotates in conjunction with your protagonists. Gloomy Eyes’ environments are quite fun, leading the companions around a amusement park and through a ghostly building, among other places. The game includes a “diorama view” button that enables you to zoom out and spin the stages, simultaneously to admire the artwork and look for paths that may not have been apparent.
Minor Issues and Overall Experience
Here lies one of the only problems with Gloomy Eyes. Comparable to other titles with a locked camera, occasionally it's confusing where the characters may or may not travel. Players might have to just bump into a few random items to discover which ones are usable, as the game doesn't always indicate.
Nonetheless, those slight obstacles don’t get in the way of a ghostly-charming good time. Gloomy Eyes is relatively brief, with about three to five hours worth of brain-teasers. Later levels blend together light stealth and action elements with the puzzle solving, as Gloomy Eyes advances to a rewarding — and slightly surprising — ending.
Accessibility and Conclusion
Players shying away from the terror of intense horror releases should definitely try Gloomy Eyes. The game is out on Nintendo platform, PlayStation 5, PC, and Xbox Series X, and is available at a reduced price for 25% off on online stores.
This charming title is out now on several consoles and provides a enjoyable alternative for players seeking Halloween fun without fear factor.
