Not each spooky season experience needs to frighten players. Starting with iconic favorites such as Scooby-Doo to endearing shows including Over the Garden Wall, numerous autumn-inspired staples provide fun without needing causing fear. Moreover, a expanding collection of spooky-cute releases with autumn atmosphere, but not the keep-you-awake intensity of fear. Gloomy Eyes arrived in September, and stands as an excellent comfortable option to the intensely frightening releases of this year.
A Distinctive Collaborative Solo Adventure
Labeled as a single-player cooperative brain-teaser, Gloomy Eyes teams up a zombie boy named Gloomy and a mortal child called Nena as they start an mission to restore sunlight to their dark, dark world. They look is similar to stylized dolls blended with the figures from a Laika film. Their fair-toned and baggy-eyed style draws inspiration from the look of Gothic fantasy movies, and the plot is a archetypal family-friendly adventure. These two builds an strong connection over the course of the game’s numerous levels as Nena strives to prove to her religious guardian that, you know, perhaps the undead can be friendly.
Creative Gameplay Systems
This unique description comes about from the game’s world-based challenges. When Gloomy and Nena meet, players alternate amidst the newfound friends to solve puzzles and advance through the levels. Being a zombie, Gloomy cannot pass through the brightness of a light source, while Nena will get snatched up by wandering undead unless a light is directed on them.
They must work in tandem — actually, players control them in tandem — to finish levels. Nena could adjust or briefly disable illumination to open routes for Gloomy, while the intellectually curious youth will employ his undead power to rearrange objects in the surroundings, opening up ways for Nena.
Immersive World Building
The brain-teasers remind me a bit of The Gardens Between, in the manner the areas are hovering, miniature designs that the camera moves across in coordination with your heroes. Gloomy Eyes’ environments are quite fun, taking the duo around a fair and through a haunted house, amid other locales. Players can use a “diorama view” option that allows you to zoom out and spin the levels, both to enjoy the visuals and look for ways that may not have been clear.
Minor Issues and Complete Gameplay
This represents one of the sole problems with Gloomy Eyes. Comparable to other titles with a static view, occasionally it's confusing where the protagonists are able to move. You may need to randomly encounter a few random objects to determine which ones are interactive, as clues aren't consistently provided.
However, those slight obstacles don't obstruct of a eerie-adorable enjoyable experience. Gloomy Eyes runs on the short side, with roughly a few sessions worth of brain-teasers. Subsequent stages combine minor stealth and action elements with the puzzle solving, as Gloomy Eyes advances to a fulfilling — and moderately unexpected — ending.
Accessibility and Summary
Players shying away from the terror of fear-inducing titles should definitely try Gloomy Eyes. It’s available on Nintendo platform, PS5, computer, and Xbox, and is available at a reduced price for a quarter off on digital platforms.
This charming title is out now on various systems and provides a delightful option for gamers looking for autumn enjoyment without the fear factor.
