Not each spooky season adventure must frighten players. Including beloved classics such as animated detectives to delightful stories such as Over the Garden Wall, numerous autumn-inspired favorites provide fun without causing fear. There’s also, a growing library of eerie-charming releases with autumn atmosphere, though lacking the sleep-with-the-lights-on intensity of fear. Gloomy Eyes was released in September, and serves as an superb relaxing choice to the truly terrifying games of this year.
A Unique Self-Coop Journey
Described as a single-player cooperative problem-solving title, Gloomy Eyes teams up a living-impaired child named Gloomy and a human girl known as Nena as they start an adventure to restore sunlight to their dark, dark world. Their appearance evokes collectible figures combined with the puppets from a stop-motion animation. Their light-complected and tired-looking appearance is influenced by the appearance of Burtonesque cinema, and the narrative is a classic family-friendly adventure. These two develops an enduring bond over the course of the game’s numerous levels as Nena strives to prove to her priest uncle that, hey, maybe zombies aren’t half bad.
Innovative Puzzle Mechanics
The “self-coop” term originates from the game’s environmental puzzles. When Gloomy and Nena meet, gamers switch among the recent allies to complete challenges and progress through the stages. Being a zombie, Gloomy is unable to traverse through the light of a light source, while Nena can be captured by wandering undead except if a light is shone on them.
They must work in tandem — actually, gamers operate them together — to complete stages. Nena could adjust or temporarily shut off lights to create passages for Gloomy, while the thoughtful boy will employ his undead power to shift around items in the surroundings, opening up ways for Nena.
Captivating Environment Creation
The puzzles bring to mind a touch of The Gardens Between, in the manner the levels are floating, diorama-like constructions that the perspective moves across in coordination with your protagonists. Gloomy Eyes’ environments are very enjoyable, taking the companions around a amusement park and through a spooky mansion, amid other places. Players can use a “diorama view” feature that allows you to zoom out and turn the levels, both for enjoy the designs and look for routes that may not have been clear.
Slight Hiccups and Complete Gameplay
This represents one of the few difficulties with Gloomy Eyes. Comparable to other games with a locked camera, sometimes it's unclear where the heroes are able to move. Players might have to randomly encounter a few random objects to figure out which ones are interactable, as clues aren't consistently provided.
However, those slight challenges don’t get in the way of a ghostly-charming enjoyable experience. Gloomy Eyes runs on the short side, with about several hours worth of challenges. Subsequent stages blend together minor stealth and exciting moments with the challenge completion, as Gloomy Eyes advances to a satisfying — and moderately unforeseen — finale.
Accessibility and Conclusion
Those shying away from the frights of fear-inducing titles ought to experience Gloomy Eyes. It’s available on Switch console, Sony system, PC, and Xbox, and is presently discounted for a quarter off on digital platforms.
The spooky-cute adventure is available on multiple platforms and delivers a delightful option for players looking for spooky entertainment without intense scares.
