Not every autumn fright journey has to frighten you. Starting with well-known tales like Scooby-Doo to delightful stories like Over the Garden Wall, many spooky-season favorites are enjoyable without needing raising your heart rate. Additionally, a expanding collection of ghostly-adorable games with Halloween vibes, yet without the keep-you-awake level of horror. Gloomy Eyes arrived in recent months, and serves as an excellent cozy choice to the truly terrifying games of this year.
A Unique Self-Coop Journey
Labeled as a single-player cooperative problem-solving title, Gloomy Eyes unites a living-impaired child named Gloomy and a mortal child named Nena as they start an quest to return daylight to their shadowy realm. They look evokes collectible figures combined with the puppets from a Laika film. Their light-complected and baggy-eyed appearance is influenced by the appearance of Tim Burton’s films, and the story is a archetypal suitable for everyone journey. These two develops an enduring connection over the duration of the game’s multiple stages as Nena strives to show to her religious guardian that, hey, maybe the undead are actually good.
Creative Gameplay Systems
The “self-coop” label originates from the game’s environmental puzzles. When Gloomy and Nena encounter each other, you’ll swap between the recent allies to complete challenges and move forward through the stages. Being a zombie, Gloomy is unable to traverse through the illumination of a lamppost, while Nena can be captured by wandering undead unless a light is shone on them.
They must cooperate closely — well, players control them together — to finish levels. Nena could adjust or temporarily shut off lights to open routes for Gloomy, while the thoughtful youth will employ his undead power to rearrange obstacles in the surroundings, revealing ways for Nena.
Immersive World Building
The puzzles remind me a little of The Gardens Between, in the fashion the levels are hovering, diorama-like structures that the view pans around in coordination with your characters. Gloomy Eyes’ worlds are very enjoyable, leading the friends around a amusement park and through a ghostly building, amid other locations. Players can use a “diorama view” option that allows you to zoom out and turn the stages, simultaneously to appreciate the visuals and hunt for paths that may not have been apparent.
Minor Issues and General Gameplay
Here lies one of the only hiccups with Gloomy Eyes. Similar to other games with a static view, sometimes it's unclear where the characters may or may not travel. Players might have to simply collide with a multiple different elements to determine which ones are interactive, as the game doesn't always indicate.
However, those minor speedbumps don't obstruct of a ghostly-charming good time. Gloomy Eyes runs on the short side, with approximately three to five hours worth of challenges. Later levels combine subtle stealth and dynamic sequences with the challenge completion, as Gloomy Eyes marches toward a satisfying — and slightly unforeseen — ending.
Release and Summary
Those avoiding the scares of fear-inducing releases won’t want to miss Gloomy Eyes. The game is out on Nintendo Switch, Sony system, PC, and Microsoft console, and is currently on sale for 25% off on digital platforms.
This charming title has been released on various systems and provides a delightful choice for gamers in search of Halloween fun minus the terrifying moments.
