Not every Halloween horror adventure needs to scare players. Including iconic favorites for example Scooby-Doo to delightful stories such as Over the Garden Wall, many spooky-season staples provide fun without requiring increasing anxiety. Moreover, a growing library of ghostly-adorable titles including Halloween vibes, but not the sleep-with-the-lights-on degree of terror. Gloomy Eyes was released in September, and stands as an superb comfortable option to the truly terrifying titles of the current season.
An Original Single-Player Cooperative Quest
Known as a “self-coop” puzzle game, Gloomy Eyes teams up a zombie boy known as Gloomy and a human girl called Nena as they start an adventure to return daylight to their shadowy world. Their appearance evokes collectible figures mixed with the figures from a animated feature. Their light-complected and heavy-lidded appearance is influenced by the visual style of Burtonesque cinema, and the story is a classic all-ages tale. The duo develops an unbreakable friendship over the duration of the game’s 14 chapters as Nena strives to show to her religious guardian that, you know, perhaps the undead are actually good.
Creative Problem-Solving Features
This unique description comes about from the game’s world-based challenges. After Gloomy and Nena encounter each other, you’ll swap amidst the budding companions to solve puzzles and advance through the levels. As an undead, Gloomy can’t walk through the light of a light source, while Nena will get snatched up by wandering undead unless a lamp is directed on them.
They must cooperate closely — in practice, players control them in tandem — to advance through areas. Nena might relocate or briefly disable lamps to create passages for Gloomy, while the open-brained boy will utilize his supernatural ability to shift around objects in the world, revealing routes for Nena.
Captivating Level Design
These challenges evoke memories a little of The Gardens Between, in the manner the stages are hovering, miniature structures that the camera pans around in coordination with your protagonists. Gloomy Eyes’ worlds are very enjoyable, taking the companions around a carnival and through a spooky mansion, among other locations. Players can use a “diorama view” option that allows you to zoom out and turn the stages, both to appreciate the artwork and look for paths that may not have been apparent.
Small Challenges and General Gameplay
This represents one of the only difficulties with Gloomy Eyes. Comparable to other games with a locked camera, sometimes it's unclear where the protagonists may or may not travel. Players might have to just bump into a several various elements to determine which ones are usable, as clues aren't consistently provided.
Nevertheless, those minor obstacles don't obstruct of a ghostly-charming good time. Gloomy Eyes runs on the short side, with roughly a few sessions worth of brain-teasers. Advanced areas integrate subtle stealth and action elements with the problem-solving, as Gloomy Eyes marches toward a rewarding — and slightly surprising — ending.
Accessibility and Summary
Those avoiding the terror of terrifying games should definitely try Gloomy Eyes. You can find it on Switch console, PlayStation 5, computer, and Xbox Series X, and is available at a reduced price for a quarter off on online stores.
The spooky-cute adventure has been released on various systems and delivers a delightful option for players seeking autumn enjoyment without fear factor.
