Not every autumn fright journey needs to terrify gamers. Starting with well-known tales such as Scooby-Doo to charming series including Over the Garden Wall, plenty of Halloween-themed staples are enjoyable without requiring raising your heart rate. Additionally, a expanding collection of spooky-cute titles featuring Halloween vibes, but not the keep-you-awake degree of horror. Gloomy Eyes debuted in September, and acts as an superb cozy option to the intensely frightening games of the current season.
A Unique Self-Coop Journey
Labeled as a single-player cooperative problem-solving title, Gloomy Eyes teams up a undead youth named Gloomy and a human girl named Nena as they begin an mission to bring the sun back to their gloomy realm. They look is similar to Funko Pops combined with the characters from a stop-motion animation. The light-complected and heavy-lidded aesthetic is influenced by the appearance of Gothic fantasy movies, and the story is a classic suitable for everyone tale. These two builds an unbreakable connection over the course of the game’s multiple stages as Nena attempts to show to her clerical relative that, hey, perhaps the undead can be friendly.
Creative Problem-Solving Features
The “self-coop” label stems from the game’s world-based challenges. Once Gloomy and Nena meet, you’ll swap among the newfound friends to complete challenges and progress through the areas. Since he's not alive, Gloomy cannot pass through the light of a streetlight, while Nena can be captured by wandering undead unless a beam is shone on them.
They have to collaborate effectively — well, players control them together — to complete stages. Nena may move or briefly disable illumination to create passages for Gloomy, while the thoughtful boy will utilize his supernatural ability to move obstacles in the world, opening up ways for Nena.
Immersive Environment Creation
The brain-teasers remind me a bit of The Gardens Between, in the way the stages are floating, diorama-like structures that the view rotates in conjunction with your heroes. Gloomy Eyes’ worlds are very enjoyable, guiding the companions around a fair and through a spooky mansion, amid other places. There’s a “diorama view” button that allows you to view from afar and spin the stages, simultaneously to admire the designs and hunt for paths that may not have been apparent.
Small Issues and Overall Gameplay
This represents one of the sole difficulties with Gloomy Eyes. Comparable to other releases with a fixed perspective, it’s not always clear where the protagonists can and cannot go. You may need to just bump into a several various elements to determine which ones are usable, as the game doesn't always indicate.
However, those minor obstacles don’t get in the way of a eerie-adorable fun adventure. Gloomy Eyes is relatively brief, with approximately several hours worth of brain-teasers. Later levels blend together light hidden movement and action elements with the problem-solving, as Gloomy Eyes progresses to a satisfying — and slightly surprising — ending.
Availability and Summary
Gamers avoiding the frights of intense horror games ought to experience Gloomy Eyes. The game is out on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PC, and Xbox, and is currently on sale for a discount on digital platforms.
This charming title is available on several consoles and delivers a enjoyable option for gamers in search of Halloween fun minus the fear factor.
