Not every spooky season journey must frighten gamers. Including iconic favorites like Scooby-Doo to endearing shows including Over the Garden Wall, plenty of autumn-inspired titles are enjoyable without requiring increasing anxiety. Moreover, a growing library of ghostly-adorable games with Halloween vibes, but not the sleep-with-the-lights-on degree of horror. Gloomy Eyes debuted in the fall, and acts as an outstanding relaxing choice to the deeply scary games of the current season.
An Original Self-Coop Adventure
Known as a “self-coop” puzzle game, Gloomy Eyes teams up a living-impaired child called Gloomy and a human girl named Nena as they embark on an adventure to return daylight to their gloomy world. Their appearance is similar to collectible figures blended with the puppets from a Laika film. The fair-toned and heavy-lidded appearance draws inspiration from the look of Gothic fantasy movies, and the plot is a classic suitable for everyone journey. The duo develops an unbreakable bond over the course of the game’s multiple stages as Nena tries to show to her religious guardian that, you know, perhaps zombies aren’t half bad.
Creative Puzzle Mechanics
The innovative description originates from the game’s interactive problem-solving. After Gloomy and Nena cross paths, players alternate amidst the newfound friends to solve puzzles and advance through the levels. As an undead, Gloomy cannot pass through the illumination of a streetlight, while Nena will get snatched up by idle zombies without a beam is focused on them.
It's necessary for them to cooperate closely — actually, you’ll use them together — to advance through areas. Nena might relocate or briefly disable illumination to clear paths for Gloomy, while the intellectually curious youth will utilize his supernatural ability to shift around objects in the environment, opening up routes for Nena.
Immersive Level Design
The puzzles evoke memories a little of The Gardens Between, in the manner the levels are floating, diorama-like designs that the view rotates in coordination with your protagonists. Gloomy Eyes’ settings are quite fun, guiding the companions around a fair and through a haunted house, including other places. The game includes a “diorama view” option that allows you to zoom out and turn the areas, both for enjoy the visuals and look for routes that may not have been clear.
Small Challenges and General Adventure
And that’s one of the only difficulties with Gloomy Eyes. Similar to other titles with a locked camera, occasionally it's confusing where the heroes are able to move. You may need to simply collide with a multiple different items to determine which ones are interactable, as the game doesn't always indicate.
Nevertheless, those small speedbumps don’t get in the way of a spooky-cute fun adventure. Gloomy Eyes is relatively brief, with roughly several hours worth of challenges. Subsequent stages blend together minor sneaking and action elements with the challenge completion, as Gloomy Eyes advances to a satisfying — and slightly unforeseen — ending.
Availability and Summary
Those shying away from the terror of intense horror games ought to experience Gloomy Eyes. You can find it on Switch console, Sony system, PC, and Xbox Series X, and is available at a reduced price for 25% off on digital platforms.
This charming title has been released on several consoles and offers a pleasurable alternative for gamers seeking autumn enjoyment without the terrifying moments.
