Not each spooky season adventure needs to scare gamers. From beloved classics for example animated detectives to endearing shows such as Over the Garden Wall, plenty of autumn-inspired titles provide fun without causing fear. Additionally, a expanding collection of ghostly-adorable titles featuring Halloween vibes, yet without the keep-you-awake degree of fear. Gloomy Eyes debuted in recent months, and acts as an excellent comfortable option to the deeply scary games of the current season.
A Distinctive Single-Player Cooperative Adventure
Labeled as a single-player cooperative brain-teaser, Gloomy Eyes unites a undead youth named Gloomy and a mortal child called Nena as they embark on an mission to return daylight to their gloomy realm. Their appearance evokes stylized dolls blended with the figures from a stop-motion animation. Their pale-skinned and baggy-eyed aesthetic borrows heavily from the appearance of Burtonesque cinema, and the story is a quintessential all-ages tale. The pair develops an unbreakable friendship over the span of the game’s 14 chapters as Nena strives to show to her priest uncle that, look, maybe the undead aren’t half bad.
Creative Puzzle Mechanics
This unique label comes about from the game’s world-based challenges. After Gloomy and Nena encounter each other, you’ll swap among the budding companions to overcome obstacles and move forward through the levels. Since he's not alive, Gloomy cannot pass through the brightness of a streetlight, while Nena may be grabbed by wandering undead without a light is shone on them.
They must cooperate closely — well, you’ll use them simultaneously — to complete stages. Nena may move or briefly disable lights to clear paths for Gloomy, while the intellectually curious boy will employ his undead power to move obstacles in the surroundings, creating paths for Nena.
Engaging Level Design
The brain-teasers bring to mind a bit of The Gardens Between, in the manner the levels are hovering, miniature constructions that the perspective pans around in conjunction with your protagonists. Gloomy Eyes’ worlds are very enjoyable, taking the friends around a amusement park and through a spooky mansion, among other locations. Players can use a “diorama view” feature that allows you to view from afar and spin the levels, both for admire the designs and search for ways that may not have been apparent.
Slight Hiccups and Complete Adventure
Here lies one of the sole hiccups with Gloomy Eyes. Like other games with a fixed perspective, it’s not always clear where the protagonists may or may not travel. You may need to just bump into a multiple different objects to determine which ones are interactable, as clues aren't consistently provided.
Nevertheless, those small challenges don't hinder of a ghostly-charming enjoyable experience. Gloomy Eyes runs on the short side, with roughly several hours worth of challenges. Subsequent stages integrate light sneaking and dynamic sequences with the challenge completion, as Gloomy Eyes marches toward a fulfilling — and slightly surprising — finale.
Release and Final Thoughts
Gamers avoiding the scares of terrifying games won’t want to miss Gloomy Eyes. You can find it on Nintendo platform, PS5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X, and is presently discounted for a quarter off on digital platforms.
The spooky-cute adventure is available on several consoles and provides a delightful option for gamers in search of autumn enjoyment minus the terrifying moments.
