Not each autumn fright adventure needs to scare gamers. Starting with beloved classics such as mystery-solving cartoons to endearing shows like Over the Garden Wall, numerous spooky-season favorites provide fun without requiring increasing anxiety. Additionally, a expanding collection of eerie-charming games with spooky themes, yet without the truly terrifying level of fear. Gloomy Eyes arrived in September, and stands as an superb cozy alternative to the intensely frightening titles of the current season.
An Original Self-Coop Quest
Described as a “self-coop” puzzle game, Gloomy Eyes teams up a zombie boy named Gloomy and a mortal child known as Nena as they start an quest to return daylight to their dark, dark world. Their design evokes collectible figures mixed with the puppets from a animated feature. The pale-skinned and heavy-lidded style borrows heavily from the visual style of Burtonesque cinema, and the story is a classic all-ages adventure. The pair builds an enduring friendship over the duration of the game’s multiple stages as Nena strives to demonstrate to her priest uncle that, look, possibly living-impaired beings aren’t half bad.
Original Gameplay Systems
This unique term stems from the game’s interactive problem-solving. Once Gloomy and Nena cross paths, players alternate among the newfound friends to overcome obstacles and advance through the levels. Since he's not alive, Gloomy is unable to traverse through the light of a streetlight, while Nena may be grabbed by wandering undead unless a light is directed on them.
They must collaborate effectively — actually, gamers operate them in tandem — to advance through areas. Nena could adjust or briefly disable lamps to open routes for Gloomy, while the thoughtful youth will use his zombie strength to shift around objects in the surroundings, revealing paths for Nena.
Captivating World Building
These challenges bring to mind a touch of The Gardens Between, in the way the stages are floating, miniature designs that the view pans around in sync with your protagonists. Gloomy Eyes’ worlds are very enjoyable, guiding the companions around a carnival and through a ghostly building, among other locations. The game includes a “diorama view” option that allows you to view from afar and turn the areas, both for admire the artwork and search for paths that may not have been obvious.
Slight Challenges and Complete Experience
This represents one of the sole problems with Gloomy Eyes. Like other releases with a locked camera, it’s not always clear where the heroes can and cannot go. Players might have to simply collide with a few random elements to figure out which ones are interactive, as it’s not always intuitive.
Nonetheless, those small obstacles don't hinder of a ghostly-charming enjoyable experience. Gloomy Eyes is relatively brief, with about several hours worth of puzzles. Later levels integrate light sneaking and action elements with the puzzle solving, as Gloomy Eyes advances to a fulfilling — and somewhat unexpected — finale.
Availability and Final Thoughts
Gamers shying away from the frights of fear-inducing titles ought to experience Gloomy Eyes. You can find it on Switch console, PS5, computer, and Microsoft console, and is currently on sale for a discount on digital platforms.
This charming title is out now on multiple platforms and provides a enjoyable alternative for fans looking for spooky entertainment minus the fear factor.
