Not every Halloween horror adventure needs to frighten gamers. From well-known tales such as mystery-solving cartoons to endearing shows including Over the Garden Wall, plenty of autumn-inspired favorites provide fun without raising your heart rate. Additionally, a expanding collection of ghostly-adorable releases with autumn atmosphere, but not the keep-you-awake intensity of horror. Gloomy Eyes debuted in the fall, and serves as an excellent comfortable alternative to the intensely frightening games of this year.
An Original Collaborative Solo Quest
Labeled as a “self-coop” brain-teaser, Gloomy Eyes teams up a undead youth known as Gloomy and a human girl called Nena as they embark on an quest to bring the sun back to their dark, dark realm. Their appearance resembles collectible figures combined with the puppets from a animated feature. Their pale-skinned and tired-looking appearance draws inspiration from the appearance of Tim Burton’s films, and the story is a archetypal family-friendly journey. These two develops an strong friendship over the course of the game’s numerous levels as Nena strives to prove to her religious guardian that, look, possibly living-impaired beings can be friendly.
Innovative Puzzle Mechanics
The innovative label originates from the game’s environmental puzzles. After Gloomy and Nena meet, gamers switch between the recent allies to solve puzzles and move forward through the levels. Being a zombie, Gloomy cannot pass through the light of a lamppost, while Nena can be captured by wandering undead without a light is focused on them.
It's necessary for them to work in tandem — in practice, you’ll use them simultaneously — to advance through areas. Nena could adjust or temporarily shut off illumination to open routes for Gloomy, while the intellectually curious character will use his zombie strength to shift around obstacles in the environment, creating ways for Nena.
Engaging World Building
The puzzles remind me a touch of The Gardens Between, in the way the levels are floating, model-like constructions that the perspective moves across in sync with your characters. Gloomy Eyes’ environments are very enjoyable, leading the friends around a fair and through a haunted house, amid other locales. There’s a “diorama view” feature that allows you to pull back and spin the areas, both for enjoy the visuals and hunt for ways that may not have been obvious.
Slight Challenges and General Experience
This represents one of the only hiccups with Gloomy Eyes. Similar to other games with a fixed perspective, it’s not always clear where the characters are able to move. You may need to randomly encounter a multiple different objects to discover which ones are usable, as clues aren't consistently provided.
Nevertheless, those minor obstacles don't hinder of a spooky-cute enjoyable experience. Gloomy Eyes runs on the short side, with roughly several hours worth of challenges. Subsequent stages blend together subtle sneaking and action elements with the challenge completion, as Gloomy Eyes advances to a satisfying — and slightly unforeseen — ending.
Availability and Conclusion
Gamers avoiding the frights of intense horror games should definitely try Gloomy Eyes. The game is out on Nintendo Switch, Sony system, PC, and Xbox, and is available at a reduced price for a discount on digital platforms.
Gloomy Eyes is available on various systems and provides a delightful alternative for fans in search of autumn enjoyment without the intense scares.
