Not each autumn fright adventure needs to terrify gamers. Starting with well-known tales such as Scooby-Doo to delightful stories such as Over the Garden Wall, many Halloween-themed staples provide fun without increasing anxiety. Additionally, a increasing selection of spooky-cute releases with Halloween vibes, yet without the truly terrifying intensity of horror. Gloomy Eyes arrived in September, and stands as an outstanding relaxing option to the truly terrifying releases of the current season.
A Unique Self-Coop Journey
Described as a solo collaboration problem-solving title, Gloomy Eyes unites a zombie boy named Gloomy and a human girl named Nena as they start an mission to return daylight to their dark, dark realm. Their design resembles Funko Pops blended with the figures from a Laika film. Their fair-toned and baggy-eyed style borrows heavily from the appearance of Tim Burton’s films, and the story is a quintessential family-friendly tale. The pair develops an strong bond over the course of the game’s multiple stages as Nena strives to show to her religious guardian that, look, possibly zombies aren’t half bad.
Creative Puzzle Mechanics
The innovative label comes about from the game’s world-based challenges. After Gloomy and Nena encounter each other, players alternate among the newfound friends to solve puzzles and advance through the levels. Being a zombie, Gloomy cannot pass through the light of a light source, while Nena can be captured by wandering undead unless a lamp is focused on them.
They must work in tandem — well, players control them together — to advance through areas. Nena might relocate or temporarily shut off illumination to clear paths for Gloomy, while the thoughtful character will utilize his supernatural ability to shift around objects in the environment, opening up ways for Nena.
Engaging Level Design
The puzzles bring to mind a bit of The Gardens Between, in the manner the areas are hovering, model-like structures that the camera moves across in conjunction with your characters. Gloomy Eyes’ environments are quite fun, taking the companions around a fair and through a haunted house, amid other places. There’s a “diorama view” feature that permits you to view from afar and rotate the levels, both to appreciate the artwork and look for paths that may not have been obvious.
Small Hiccups and Overall Adventure
Here lies one of the few difficulties with Gloomy Eyes. Similar to other titles with a static view, occasionally it's confusing where the heroes are able to move. You may need to just bump into a few random objects to figure out which ones are interactable, as clues aren't consistently provided.
Nevertheless, those minor obstacles don't hinder of a ghostly-charming fun adventure. Gloomy Eyes runs on the short side, with about three to five hours worth of puzzles. Subsequent stages integrate subtle stealth and dynamic sequences with the puzzle solving, as Gloomy Eyes progresses to a rewarding — and slightly unexpected — conclusion.
Release and Conclusion
Players avoiding the frights of intense horror titles won’t want to miss Gloomy Eyes. The game is out on Switch console, PS5, computer, and Microsoft console, and is currently on sale for a discount on game marketplaces.
This charming title has been released on multiple platforms and provides a pleasurable option for gamers looking for spooky entertainment without fear factor.
