Not every autumn fright journey must frighten players. Including iconic favorites like Scooby-Doo to delightful stories such as Over the Garden Wall, numerous Halloween-themed titles are enjoyable without needing raising your heart rate. Additionally, a expanding collection of ghostly-adorable titles with autumn atmosphere, but not the sleep-with-the-lights-on intensity of horror. Gloomy Eyes debuted in September, and acts as an excellent cozy alternative to the intensely frightening games of the current season.
An Original Self-Coop Adventure
Described as a solo collaboration problem-solving title, Gloomy Eyes teams up a zombie boy called Gloomy and a human girl named Nena as they start an mission to restore sunlight to their dark, dark environment. Their appearance evokes stylized dolls blended with the figures from a Laika film. Their light-complected and baggy-eyed style borrows heavily from the look of Burtonesque cinema, and the plot is a archetypal family-friendly tale. The pair develops an enduring bond over the course of the game’s numerous levels as Nena strives to demonstrate to her clerical relative that, hey, possibly zombies are actually good.
Innovative Gameplay Systems
The innovative label comes about from the game’s environmental puzzles. Once Gloomy and Nena cross paths, you’ll swap amidst the budding companions to solve puzzles and move forward through the stages. Being a zombie, Gloomy can’t walk through the light of a light source, while Nena may be grabbed by loitering creatures without a lamp is shone on them.
It's necessary for them to cooperate closely — actually, players control them together — to advance through areas. Nena may move or momentarily deactivate illumination to clear paths for Gloomy, while the open-brained youth will utilize his supernatural ability to shift around objects in the world, revealing ways for Nena.
Engaging Environment Creation
The brain-teasers bring to mind a bit of The Gardens Between, in the manner the levels are floating, diorama-like constructions that the perspective pans around in sync with your characters. Gloomy Eyes’ worlds are highly entertaining, leading the friends around a carnival and through a ghostly building, including other places. Players can use a “diorama view” feature that permits you to pull back and turn the areas, both to enjoy the artwork and look for paths that may not have been apparent.
Slight Issues and Complete Gameplay
This represents one of the sole difficulties with Gloomy Eyes. Similar to other games with a static view, it’s not always clear where the characters are able to move. Players might have to randomly encounter a multiple different elements to determine which ones are usable, as the game doesn't always indicate.
Nonetheless, those small challenges don't hinder of a ghostly-charming enjoyable experience. Gloomy Eyes runs on the short side, with about three to five hours worth of challenges. Subsequent stages integrate subtle hidden movement and action elements with the problem-solving, as Gloomy Eyes marches toward a fulfilling — and slightly unforeseen — finale.
Release and Final Thoughts
Those shying away from the terror of terrifying games ought to experience Gloomy Eyes. You can find it on Nintendo Switch, Sony system, Windows PC, and Microsoft console, and is currently on sale for a quarter off on online stores.
The spooky-cute adventure is out now on multiple platforms and offers a pleasurable choice for gamers seeking spooky entertainment without the terrifying moments.
