Not all spooky season experience needs to terrify gamers. Starting with iconic favorites such as animated detectives to delightful stories including Over the Garden Wall, numerous Halloween-themed staples offer entertainment without requiring causing fear. Moreover, a expanding collection of ghostly-adorable titles with Halloween vibes, though lacking the truly terrifying level of fear. Gloomy Eyes was released in September, and serves as an excellent cozy alternative to the deeply scary games of this year.
A Unique Single-Player Cooperative Adventure
Known as a solo collaboration brain-teaser, Gloomy Eyes pairs up a living-impaired child named Gloomy and a living girl named Nena as they embark on an adventure to bring the sun back to their gloomy realm. Their appearance evokes stylized dolls mixed with the characters from a stop-motion animation. The pale-skinned and baggy-eyed aesthetic draws inspiration from the visual style of Gothic fantasy movies, and the plot is a classic suitable for everyone journey. The pair develops an unbreakable connection over the span of the game’s numerous levels as Nena attempts to demonstrate to her priest uncle that, hey, maybe the undead are actually good.
Original Puzzle Mechanics
This unique term comes about from the game’s world-based challenges. When Gloomy and Nena cross paths, gamers switch amidst the newfound friends to solve puzzles and progress through the areas. Being a zombie, Gloomy cannot pass through the light of a lamppost, while Nena will get snatched up by wandering undead unless a beam is directed on them.
They have to cooperate closely — in practice, gamers operate them together — to finish levels. Nena could adjust or momentarily deactivate illumination to clear paths for Gloomy, while the thoughtful youth will utilize his supernatural ability to shift around objects in the environment, creating ways for Nena.
Immersive Environment Creation
The brain-teasers bring to mind a touch of The Gardens Between, in the way the levels are suspended, model-like structures that the camera moves across in sync with your characters. Gloomy Eyes’ settings are very enjoyable, guiding the companions around a amusement park and through a ghostly building, among other locations. There’s a “diorama view” button that enables you to pull back and turn the stages, both to appreciate the visuals and search for routes that may not have been apparent.
Minor Issues and General Experience
And that’s one of the only difficulties with Gloomy Eyes. Like other games with a locked camera, sometimes it's unclear where the heroes can and cannot go. You may need to randomly encounter a few random items to determine which ones are usable, as clues aren't consistently provided.
Nevertheless, those small obstacles don't obstruct of a spooky-cute enjoyable experience. Gloomy Eyes is relatively brief, with approximately a few sessions worth of challenges. Subsequent stages integrate light stealth and action elements with the problem-solving, as Gloomy Eyes marches toward a satisfying — and slightly surprising — finale.
Availability and Final Thoughts
Those steering clear of the frights of fear-inducing games ought to experience 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 game marketplaces.
Gloomy Eyes is available on several consoles and provides a enjoyable option for gamers in search of Halloween fun minus the intense scares.
