Not all spooky season journey needs to terrify you. Starting with beloved classics like animated detectives to endearing shows such as Over the Garden Wall, plenty of autumn-inspired favorites provide fun without increasing anxiety. There’s also, a expanding collection of spooky-cute releases with autumn atmosphere, yet without the keep-you-awake intensity of fear. Gloomy Eyes debuted in the fall, and serves as an outstanding relaxing choice to the intensely frightening games of this year.
A Unique Collaborative Solo Quest
Described as a “self-coop” puzzle game, Gloomy Eyes unites a zombie boy named Gloomy and a mortal child named Nena as they begin an adventure to restore sunlight to their shadowy world. Their design resembles collectible figures mixed with the characters from a Laika film. The pale-skinned and heavy-lidded aesthetic borrows heavily from the look of Burtonesque cinema, and the story is a quintessential all-ages adventure. The pair develops an strong friendship over the duration of the game’s numerous levels as Nena strives to show to her clerical relative that, hey, perhaps zombies can be friendly.
Creative Puzzle Mechanics
The innovative term stems from the game’s interactive problem-solving. After Gloomy and Nena cross paths, you’ll swap amidst the newfound friends to overcome obstacles and advance through the stages. Being a zombie, Gloomy can’t walk through the light of a streetlight, while Nena may be grabbed by idle zombies unless a beam is focused on them.
They must work in tandem — well, gamers operate them simultaneously — to complete stages. Nena could adjust or briefly disable illumination to clear paths for Gloomy, while the open-brained youth will use his zombie strength to shift around objects in the surroundings, creating ways for Nena.
Engaging Level Design
The puzzles remind me a little of The Gardens Between, in the fashion the levels are hovering, model-like structures that the view rotates in sync with your protagonists. Gloomy Eyes’ worlds are highly entertaining, taking the duo around a carnival and through a ghostly building, among other places. There’s a “diorama view” button that permits you to zoom out and spin the areas, simultaneously to admire the designs and search for ways that may not have been clear.
Minor Challenges and Complete Adventure
This represents one of the only hiccups with Gloomy Eyes. Like other releases with a locked camera, it’s not always clear where the protagonists may or may not travel. Gamers could require to simply collide with a several various elements to figure out which ones are usable, as the game doesn't always indicate.
However, those minor speedbumps don't hinder of a eerie-adorable enjoyable experience. Gloomy Eyes has a compact length, with roughly several hours worth of brain-teasers. Subsequent stages blend together light hidden movement and exciting moments with the puzzle solving, as Gloomy Eyes progresses to a rewarding — and slightly surprising — ending.
Availability and Final Thoughts
Those shying away from the scares of terrifying releases should definitely try Gloomy Eyes. It’s available on Switch console, Sony system, PC, and Xbox, and is presently discounted for a discount on digital platforms.
Gloomy Eyes has been released on several consoles and delivers a enjoyable choice for fans in search of Halloween fun minus the fear factor.
