Not all spooky season journey has to scare gamers. From beloved classics like Scooby-Doo to endearing shows such as Over the Garden Wall, plenty of spooky-season staples provide fun without needing increasing anxiety. Moreover, a expanding collection of spooky-cute titles featuring Halloween vibes, but not the keep-you-awake level of fear. Gloomy Eyes was released in the fall, and acts as an outstanding relaxing alternative to the intensely frightening releases of the current season.
A Distinctive Collaborative Solo Adventure
Known as a single-player cooperative puzzle game, Gloomy Eyes pairs up a living-impaired child known as Gloomy and a human girl known as Nena as they begin an quest to return daylight to their dark, dark world. Their appearance evokes Funko Pops mixed with the figures from a stop-motion animation. The light-complected and heavy-lidded aesthetic draws inspiration from the visual style of Tim Burton’s films, and the narrative is a classic all-ages adventure. The pair builds an enduring friendship over the span of the game’s numerous levels as Nena attempts to prove to her religious guardian that, hey, maybe zombies are actually good.
Innovative Puzzle Mechanics
The innovative description originates from the game’s environmental puzzles. Once Gloomy and Nena meet, players alternate among the budding companions to solve puzzles and move forward through the areas. Since he's not alive, Gloomy can’t walk through the illumination of a lamppost, while Nena may be grabbed by idle zombies unless a lamp is focused on them.
They have to collaborate effectively — actually, you’ll use them together — to advance through areas. Nena may move or momentarily deactivate illumination to create passages for Gloomy, while the intellectually curious character will utilize his supernatural ability to rearrange objects in the world, revealing ways for Nena.
Engaging Environment Creation
The puzzles bring to mind a little of The Gardens Between, in the manner the areas are suspended, diorama-like constructions that the camera pans around in sync with your heroes. Gloomy Eyes’ worlds are highly entertaining, leading the duo around a carnival and through a spooky mansion, among other locations. There’s a “diorama view” button that enables you to zoom out and turn the levels, both for appreciate the visuals and hunt for routes that may not have been clear.
Minor Hiccups and General Experience
Here lies one of the few problems with Gloomy Eyes. Like other games with a fixed perspective, sometimes it's unclear where the characters may or may not travel. You may need to just bump into a several various objects to discover which ones are interactable, as the game doesn't always indicate.
However, those slight challenges don't hinder of a eerie-adorable fun adventure. Gloomy Eyes has a compact length, with roughly three to five hours worth of puzzles. Advanced areas integrate light hidden movement and dynamic sequences with the puzzle solving, as Gloomy Eyes marches toward a fulfilling — and moderately unexpected — ending.
Release and Summary
Players shying away from the frights of fear-inducing games should definitely try Gloomy Eyes. It’s available on Switch console, Sony system, PC, and Xbox Series X, and is available at a reduced price for a discount on online stores.
This charming title is available on several consoles and offers a delightful option for players looking for Halloween fun minus the terrifying moments.
