Not every spooky season adventure has to frighten players. Including beloved classics for example Scooby-Doo to delightful stories like Over the Garden Wall, plenty of Halloween-themed favorites provide fun without needing causing fear. Moreover, a increasing selection of eerie-charming releases with autumn atmosphere, though lacking the truly terrifying intensity of horror. Gloomy Eyes arrived in the fall, and stands as an superb cozy option to the intensely frightening releases of this year.
A Unique Single-Player Cooperative Quest
Known as a single-player cooperative puzzle game, Gloomy Eyes teams up a living-impaired child called Gloomy and a mortal child known as Nena as they embark on an adventure to restore sunlight to their gloomy world. Their appearance evokes collectible figures blended with the puppets from a stop-motion animation. Their light-complected and baggy-eyed aesthetic is influenced by the look of Gothic fantasy movies, and the plot is a quintessential all-ages tale. The pair forms an strong friendship over the duration of the game’s multiple stages as Nena tries to prove to her religious guardian that, you know, perhaps the undead are actually good.
Creative Gameplay Systems
The “self-coop” description stems from the game’s world-based challenges. When Gloomy and Nena encounter each other, you’ll swap between the recent allies to complete challenges and progress through the stages. Since he's not alive, Gloomy cannot pass through the illumination of a light source, while Nena can be captured by wandering undead except if a lamp is directed on them.
They have to work in tandem — well, players control them together — to finish levels. Nena might relocate or briefly disable lamps to clear paths for Gloomy, while the thoughtful character will utilize his supernatural ability to rearrange obstacles in the environment, opening up ways for Nena.
Engaging World Building
The brain-teasers bring to mind a touch of The Gardens Between, in the fashion the levels are hovering, miniature constructions that the perspective moves across in conjunction with your protagonists. Gloomy Eyes’ worlds are highly entertaining, leading the companions around a carnival and through a ghostly building, including other locations. The game includes a “diorama view” option that permits you to view from afar and spin the areas, both for admire the designs and search for ways that may not have been apparent.
Minor Hiccups and Complete Gameplay
And that’s one of the only problems with Gloomy Eyes. Like other games with a fixed perspective, sometimes it's unclear where the protagonists are able to move. You may need to randomly encounter a multiple different objects to determine which ones are usable, as clues aren't consistently provided.
Nonetheless, those minor speedbumps don't hinder of a eerie-adorable good time. Gloomy Eyes has a compact length, with roughly several hours worth of brain-teasers. Later levels integrate light sneaking and action elements with the problem-solving, as Gloomy Eyes progresses to a satisfying — and slightly surprising — conclusion.
Availability and Conclusion
Gamers avoiding the scares of terrifying releases won’t want to miss Gloomy Eyes. It’s available on Switch console, PS5, Windows PC, and Microsoft console, and is currently on sale for a quarter off on game marketplaces.
This charming title is out now on various systems and offers a delightful choice for players looking for autumn enjoyment without the intense scares.
