Not all autumn fright adventure must terrify you. From beloved classics for example animated detectives to charming series including Over the Garden Wall, plenty of Halloween-themed favorites are enjoyable without needing causing fear. There’s also, a growing library of spooky-cute titles including Halloween vibes, though lacking the keep-you-awake intensity of horror. Gloomy Eyes arrived in the fall, and serves as an excellent cozy option to the intensely frightening releases of this year.
An Original Self-Coop Adventure
Labeled as a “self-coop” problem-solving title, Gloomy Eyes unites a living-impaired child named Gloomy and a human girl called Nena as they embark on an mission to bring the sun back to their gloomy environment. Their design evokes Funko Pops combined with the characters from a stop-motion animation. Their pale-skinned and baggy-eyed appearance borrows heavily from the look of Tim Burton’s films, and the story is a quintessential family-friendly tale. The duo develops an strong connection over the course of the game’s 14 chapters as Nena strives to prove to her priest uncle that, look, maybe living-impaired beings are actually good.
Creative Gameplay Systems
This unique description originates from the game’s interactive problem-solving. When Gloomy and Nena encounter each other, gamers switch amidst the recent allies to solve puzzles and progress through the levels. As an undead, Gloomy cannot pass through the light of a lamppost, while Nena may be grabbed by wandering undead except if a beam is directed on them.
It's necessary for them to cooperate closely — actually, players control them in tandem — to advance through areas. Nena may move or briefly disable lights to clear paths for Gloomy, while the intellectually curious boy will utilize his supernatural ability to move items in the world, opening up paths for Nena.
Engaging Level Design
The puzzles remind me a little of The Gardens Between, in the way the levels are hovering, model-like constructions that the perspective moves across in coordination with your protagonists. Gloomy Eyes’ settings are very enjoyable, guiding the duo around a carnival and through a spooky mansion, amid other locales. The game includes a “diorama view” button that allows you to zoom out and turn the areas, both for admire the visuals and hunt for ways that may not have been clear.
Minor Issues and Complete Adventure
And that’s one of the few problems with Gloomy Eyes. Similar to other releases with a locked camera, sometimes it's unclear where the protagonists are able to move. Gamers could require to randomly encounter a few random objects to discover which ones are interactive, as it’s not always intuitive.
Nonetheless, those slight challenges don't hinder of a eerie-adorable good time. Gloomy Eyes has a compact length, with approximately three to five hours worth of puzzles. Later levels integrate minor stealth and dynamic sequences with the puzzle solving, as Gloomy Eyes progresses to a rewarding — and slightly unforeseen — ending.
Release and Summary
Gamers shying away from the frights of fear-inducing releases won’t want to miss Gloomy Eyes. The game is out on Switch console, PS5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X, and is currently on sale for a quarter off on online stores.
The spooky-cute adventure is out now on various systems and delivers a delightful option for fans looking for spooky entertainment without fear factor.
