Not all autumn fright experience needs to terrify you. Including iconic favorites such as Scooby-Doo to delightful stories such as Over the Garden Wall, many autumn-inspired staples offer entertainment without needing raising your heart rate. Additionally, a expanding collection of eerie-charming releases with spooky themes, though lacking the sleep-with-the-lights-on degree of terror. Gloomy Eyes debuted in recent months, and stands as an excellent comfortable option to the intensely frightening titles of the current season.
A Distinctive Collaborative Solo Quest
Known as a single-player cooperative puzzle game, Gloomy Eyes teams up a living-impaired child known as Gloomy and a mortal child known as Nena as they start an adventure to return daylight to their shadowy environment. Their design resembles Funko Pops combined with the figures from a stop-motion animation. Their light-complected and tired-looking style draws inspiration from the look of Burtonesque cinema, and the story is a classic all-ages tale. The duo forms an enduring friendship over the span of the game’s multiple stages as Nena tries to demonstrate to her priest uncle that, hey, perhaps zombies can be friendly.
Original Gameplay Systems
This unique label originates from the game’s environmental puzzles. Once Gloomy and Nena cross paths, gamers switch among the newfound friends to overcome obstacles and advance through the levels. As an undead, Gloomy cannot pass through the brightness of a lamppost, while Nena can be captured by loitering creatures unless a lamp is focused on them.
They have to collaborate effectively — well, players control them simultaneously — to finish levels. Nena might relocate or briefly disable illumination to create passages for Gloomy, while the open-brained youth will utilize his supernatural ability to rearrange objects in the environment, revealing routes for Nena.
Engaging World Building
The puzzles remind me a little of The Gardens Between, in the fashion the stages are suspended, diorama-like constructions that the camera rotates in coordination with your characters. Gloomy Eyes’ settings are quite fun, guiding the friends around a carnival and through a ghostly building, among other locales. Players can use a “diorama view” feature that allows you to view from afar and spin the areas, both for enjoy the visuals and search for paths that may not have been apparent.
Minor Hiccups and Overall Adventure
This represents one of the few hiccups with Gloomy Eyes. Like other titles with a static view, it’s not always clear where the characters may or may not travel. Players might have to just bump into a multiple different elements to figure out which ones are usable, as the game doesn't always indicate.
However, those minor challenges don’t get in the way of a ghostly-charming good time. Gloomy Eyes is relatively brief, with approximately several hours worth of challenges. Advanced areas blend together light hidden movement and exciting moments with the puzzle solving, as Gloomy Eyes marches toward a fulfilling — and moderately surprising — conclusion.
Accessibility and Summary
Gamers shying away from the scares of fear-inducing games won’t want to miss Gloomy Eyes. You can find it on Nintendo Switch, PS5, computer, and Microsoft console, and is presently discounted for a quarter off on online stores.
Gloomy Eyes is out now on multiple platforms and offers a enjoyable option for players in search of Halloween fun without the intense scares.
