Not every spooky season experience has to scare gamers. Including iconic favorites such as Scooby-Doo to endearing shows including Over the Garden Wall, numerous autumn-inspired staples provide fun without needing increasing anxiety. Moreover, a increasing selection of ghostly-adorable titles including autumn atmosphere, though lacking the truly terrifying intensity of fear. Gloomy Eyes debuted in the fall, and serves as an outstanding cozy choice to the intensely frightening releases of this year.
A Unique Single-Player Cooperative Quest
Described as a “self-coop” puzzle game, Gloomy Eyes pairs up a undead youth named Gloomy and a mortal child named Nena as they start an quest to bring the sun back to their gloomy realm. They look evokes Funko Pops blended with the characters from a Laika film. The pale-skinned and tired-looking aesthetic draws inspiration from the look of Tim Burton’s films, and the narrative is a quintessential all-ages tale. The duo forms an enduring connection over the span of the game’s numerous levels as Nena attempts to demonstrate to her priest uncle that, look, maybe zombies are actually good.
Innovative Gameplay Systems
The “self-coop” term stems from the game’s world-based challenges. When Gloomy and Nena encounter each other, players alternate amidst the budding companions to overcome obstacles and progress through the levels. As an undead, Gloomy can’t walk through the illumination of a light source, while Nena may be grabbed by idle zombies without a lamp is directed on them.
It's necessary for them to work in tandem — in practice, gamers operate them in tandem — to finish levels. Nena might relocate or momentarily deactivate illumination to clear paths for Gloomy, while the thoughtful boy will utilize his supernatural ability to rearrange items in the world, revealing ways for Nena.
Captivating Environment Creation
The puzzles bring to mind a touch of The Gardens Between, in the way the levels are hovering, model-like constructions that the camera moves across in conjunction with your characters. Gloomy Eyes’ settings are quite fun, guiding the companions around a fair and through a ghostly building, among other places. Players can use a “diorama view” option that allows you to zoom out and turn the areas, both to appreciate the designs and search for paths that may not have been clear.
Slight Challenges and General Gameplay
This represents one of the sole problems with Gloomy Eyes. Like other titles with a static view, sometimes it's unclear where the heroes are able to move. You may need to simply collide with a few random items to discover which ones are interactive, as clues aren't consistently provided.
Nevertheless, those small speedbumps don’t get in the way of a spooky-cute good time. Gloomy Eyes runs on the short side, with about a few sessions worth of puzzles. Advanced areas blend together light hidden movement and action elements with the problem-solving, as Gloomy Eyes advances to a rewarding — and somewhat unexpected — finale.
Accessibility and Conclusion
Those steering clear of the frights of intense horror titles should definitely try Gloomy Eyes. You can find it on Nintendo platform, Sony system, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X, and is presently discounted for 25% off on online stores.
Gloomy Eyes is available on several consoles and delivers a delightful choice for gamers in search of Halloween fun minus the intense scares.
