Not each spooky season journey needs to scare gamers. Including beloved classics such as mystery-solving cartoons to delightful stories including Over the Garden Wall, plenty of Halloween-themed staples offer entertainment without requiring increasing anxiety. Moreover, a increasing selection of spooky-cute games featuring Halloween vibes, though lacking the truly terrifying degree of fear. Gloomy Eyes was released in the fall, and acts as an excellent cozy choice to the intensely frightening titles of the current season.
An Original Self-Coop Journey
Known as a single-player cooperative problem-solving title, Gloomy Eyes unites a undead youth called Gloomy and a living girl known as Nena as they start an adventure to return daylight to their dark, dark environment. Their design is similar to stylized dolls blended with the characters from a animated feature. The fair-toned and tired-looking appearance is influenced by the visual style of Tim Burton’s films, and the story is a archetypal all-ages tale. The pair builds an strong friendship over the duration of the game’s 14 chapters as Nena attempts to show to her priest uncle that, you know, possibly living-impaired beings aren’t half bad.
Innovative Gameplay Systems
This unique description originates from the game’s environmental puzzles. When Gloomy and Nena cross paths, you’ll swap amidst the budding companions to complete challenges and move forward through the areas. Since he's not alive, Gloomy can’t walk through the light of a lamppost, while Nena may be grabbed by loitering creatures unless a beam is shone on them.
It's necessary for them to collaborate effectively — well, gamers operate them together — to advance through areas. Nena might relocate or briefly disable illumination to open routes for Gloomy, while the thoughtful character will utilize his supernatural ability to rearrange items in the world, opening up routes for Nena.
Captivating Level Design
These challenges evoke memories a bit of The Gardens Between, in the fashion the levels are floating, diorama-like structures that the perspective pans around in conjunction with your protagonists. Gloomy Eyes’ worlds are quite fun, guiding the duo around a fair and through a spooky mansion, among other places. The game includes a “diorama view” option that enables you to view from afar and spin the levels, simultaneously to admire the artwork and search for routes that may not have been clear.
Slight Issues and Overall Adventure
Here lies one of the few problems with Gloomy Eyes. Similar to other titles with a fixed perspective, sometimes it's unclear where the characters may or may not travel. Players might have to randomly encounter a few random elements to discover which ones are interactive, as the game doesn't always indicate.
Nevertheless, those small challenges don’t get in the way of a eerie-adorable enjoyable experience. Gloomy Eyes has a compact length, with roughly a few sessions worth of challenges. Later levels integrate subtle sneaking and action elements with the challenge completion, as Gloomy Eyes progresses to a rewarding — and slightly surprising — ending.
Accessibility and Final Thoughts
Those avoiding the scares of terrifying titles won’t want to miss Gloomy Eyes. You can find it on Switch console, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X, and is available at a reduced price for a quarter off on online stores.
This charming title is out now on several consoles and offers a enjoyable option for players seeking spooky entertainment minus the terrifying moments.
