Not each Halloween horror experience must terrify you. From beloved classics like animated detectives to endearing shows such as Over the Garden Wall, numerous Halloween-themed staples are enjoyable without increasing anxiety. There’s also, a increasing selection of spooky-cute games featuring autumn atmosphere, yet without the truly terrifying intensity of terror. Gloomy Eyes debuted in the fall, and stands as an superb relaxing choice to the deeply scary titles of this year.
An Original Self-Coop Quest
Described as a “self-coop” brain-teaser, Gloomy Eyes teams up a zombie boy called Gloomy and a living girl named Nena as they start an adventure to return daylight to their shadowy environment. They look resembles stylized dolls combined with the characters from a Laika film. Their pale-skinned and baggy-eyed style draws inspiration from the look of Burtonesque cinema, and the narrative is a classic suitable for everyone tale. The duo builds an enduring bond over the course of the game’s 14 chapters as Nena attempts to demonstrate to her religious guardian that, hey, maybe zombies aren’t half bad.
Creative Gameplay Systems
The innovative label stems from the game’s world-based challenges. When Gloomy and Nena encounter each other, gamers switch amidst the recent allies to solve puzzles and advance through the areas. Being a zombie, Gloomy can’t walk through the light of a lamppost, while Nena can be captured by loitering creatures without a lamp is shone on them.
They have to cooperate closely — 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 employ his undead power to rearrange items in the environment, opening up routes for Nena.
Engaging Environment Creation
The brain-teasers evoke memories a little of The Gardens Between, in the fashion the areas are floating, diorama-like designs that the view pans around in conjunction with your characters. Gloomy Eyes’ worlds are quite fun, guiding the companions around a fair and through a spooky mansion, among other locations. The game includes a “diorama view” button that allows you to zoom out and rotate the levels, both for appreciate the visuals and look for ways that may not have been apparent.
Small Hiccups and Overall Gameplay
Here lies one of the sole difficulties with Gloomy Eyes. Like other games with a locked camera, sometimes it's unclear where the heroes may or may not travel. You may need to simply collide with a few random elements to discover which ones are usable, as clues aren't consistently provided.
Nonetheless, those small obstacles don’t get in the way of a spooky-cute fun adventure. Gloomy Eyes is relatively brief, with roughly three to five hours worth of puzzles. Advanced areas combine minor stealth and dynamic sequences with the challenge completion, as Gloomy Eyes progresses to a satisfying — and moderately unforeseen — finale.
Release and Final Thoughts
Players shying away from the frights of fear-inducing titles won’t want to miss Gloomy Eyes. The game is out on Switch console, PS5, computer, and Microsoft console, and is currently on sale for 25% off on digital platforms.
Gloomy Eyes is out now on multiple platforms and provides a delightful alternative for gamers looking for Halloween fun without the intense scares.
