Not every spooky season experience must frighten players. Including iconic favorites like animated detectives to charming series such as Over the Garden Wall, numerous autumn-inspired titles provide fun without needing raising your heart rate. Moreover, a expanding collection of spooky-cute titles featuring autumn atmosphere, yet without the keep-you-awake degree of horror. Gloomy Eyes was released in September, and acts as an outstanding relaxing option to the deeply scary releases of this year.
A Unique Single-Player Cooperative Quest
Known as a solo collaboration problem-solving title, Gloomy Eyes unites a undead youth known as Gloomy and a mortal child called Nena as they begin an adventure to return daylight to their shadowy environment. Their appearance is similar to stylized dolls blended with the puppets from a animated feature. Their pale-skinned and baggy-eyed aesthetic draws inspiration from the visual style of Burtonesque cinema, and the plot is a classic suitable for everyone tale. The pair builds an strong connection over the span of the game’s 14 chapters as Nena strives to show to her priest uncle that, hey, perhaps the undead aren’t half bad.
Innovative Problem-Solving Features
The innovative label comes about from the game’s environmental puzzles. After Gloomy and Nena cross paths, players alternate amidst the budding companions to solve puzzles and move forward through the levels. Being a zombie, Gloomy cannot pass through the brightness of a streetlight, while Nena can be captured by loitering creatures without a light is focused on them.
They have to cooperate closely — actually, you’ll use them in tandem — to complete stages. Nena may move or briefly disable lamps to create passages for Gloomy, while the intellectually curious character will use his zombie strength to shift around obstacles in the environment, revealing routes for Nena.
Immersive Environment Creation
The brain-teasers remind me a little of The Gardens Between, in the manner the levels are suspended, diorama-like constructions that the view rotates in conjunction with your protagonists. Gloomy Eyes’ environments are quite fun, leading the duo around a fair and through a ghostly building, including other places. Players can use a “diorama view” feature that allows you to view from afar and turn the areas, both to admire the visuals and search for paths that may not have been apparent.
Small Challenges and General Gameplay
And that’s one of the sole problems with Gloomy Eyes. Comparable to other releases with a fixed perspective, it’s not always clear where the protagonists may or may not travel. You may need to simply collide with a few random objects to determine which ones are interactive, as clues aren't consistently provided.
However, those slight challenges don’t get in the way of a eerie-adorable fun adventure. Gloomy Eyes is relatively brief, with approximately three to five hours worth of brain-teasers. Advanced areas blend together minor sneaking and exciting moments with the problem-solving, as Gloomy Eyes marches toward a fulfilling — and somewhat unforeseen — finale.
Availability and Final Thoughts
Gamers steering clear of the terror of intense horror games won’t want to miss Gloomy Eyes. You can find it on Switch console, PlayStation 5, PC, and Xbox Series X, and is currently on sale for 25% off on online stores.
Gloomy Eyes is available on various systems and delivers a delightful alternative for gamers looking for autumn enjoyment without the intense scares.
