Not each spooky season journey has to scare you. Starting with beloved classics for example animated detectives to charming series including Over the Garden Wall, numerous Halloween-themed staples provide fun without needing raising your heart rate. Additionally, a growing library of eerie-charming games featuring spooky themes, but not the sleep-with-the-lights-on intensity of fear. Gloomy Eyes arrived in the fall, and acts as an excellent relaxing choice to the intensely frightening games of the current season.
An Original Self-Coop Journey
Labeled as a solo collaboration problem-solving title, Gloomy Eyes pairs up a living-impaired child known as Gloomy and a human girl called Nena as they embark on an adventure to return daylight to their dark, dark realm. Their design is similar to collectible figures combined with the characters from a stop-motion animation. The fair-toned and baggy-eyed appearance is influenced by the look of Tim Burton’s films, and the story is a quintessential family-friendly tale. The pair develops an unbreakable connection over the duration of the game’s multiple stages as Nena tries to demonstrate to her religious guardian that, you know, perhaps living-impaired beings are actually good.
Innovative Puzzle Mechanics
This unique label originates from the game’s interactive problem-solving. Once Gloomy and Nena meet, gamers switch among the budding companions to complete challenges and advance through the areas. Being a zombie, Gloomy cannot pass through the illumination of a lamppost, while Nena can be captured by wandering undead without a lamp is directed on them.
They must collaborate effectively — in practice, gamers operate them simultaneously — to complete stages. Nena may move or momentarily deactivate lights to create passages for Gloomy, while the open-brained character will employ his undead power to rearrange items in the environment, opening up routes for Nena.
Immersive Environment Creation
These challenges evoke memories a little of The Gardens Between, in the manner the stages are suspended, diorama-like structures that the camera pans around in sync with your heroes. 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 view from afar and turn the areas, both for appreciate the designs and hunt for ways that may not have been obvious.
Small Hiccups and Overall Gameplay
Here lies one of the sole difficulties with Gloomy Eyes. Similar to other titles with a static view, it’s not always clear where the characters are able to move. Players might have to randomly encounter a few random items to determine which ones are interactable, as the game doesn't always indicate.
Nonetheless, those small speedbumps don't obstruct of a spooky-cute enjoyable experience. Gloomy Eyes runs on the short side, with about three to five hours worth of brain-teasers. Later levels combine light stealth and exciting moments with the problem-solving, as Gloomy Eyes advances to a rewarding — and slightly unforeseen — finale.
Availability and Final Thoughts
Players steering clear of the frights of terrifying releases won’t want to miss Gloomy Eyes. You can find it on Nintendo Switch, Sony system, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X, and is currently on sale for 25% off on digital platforms.
The spooky-cute adventure is out now on several consoles and provides a delightful option for players in search of spooky entertainment without fear factor.
