Not every autumn fright experience needs to terrify gamers. Including well-known tales like mystery-solving cartoons to delightful stories like Over the Garden Wall, numerous autumn-inspired staples are enjoyable without requiring causing fear. Moreover, a growing library of eerie-charming titles featuring spooky themes, yet without the keep-you-awake level of horror. Gloomy Eyes was released in September, and stands as an outstanding relaxing option to the truly terrifying games of this year.
An Original Self-Coop Quest
Known as a single-player cooperative puzzle game, Gloomy Eyes pairs up a undead youth called Gloomy and a human girl named Nena as they begin an quest to restore sunlight to their shadowy realm. Their appearance is similar to collectible figures combined with the figures from a stop-motion animation. Their pale-skinned and tired-looking style borrows heavily from the visual style of Tim Burton’s films, and the plot is a archetypal all-ages adventure. These two builds an strong connection over the course of the game’s multiple stages as Nena attempts to prove to her religious guardian that, hey, perhaps the undead can be friendly.
Creative Problem-Solving Features
This unique label originates from the game’s world-based challenges. After Gloomy and Nena meet, gamers switch among the recent allies to complete challenges and progress through the areas. Since he's not alive, Gloomy can’t walk through the light of a light source, while Nena may be grabbed by wandering undead except if a beam is shone on them.
It's necessary for them to work in tandem — actually, you’ll use them together — to complete stages. Nena might relocate or temporarily shut off illumination to create passages for Gloomy, while the thoughtful character will utilize his supernatural ability to move obstacles in the surroundings, opening up routes for Nena.
Engaging Level Design
The puzzles remind me a little of The Gardens Between, in the way the levels are suspended, model-like structures that the camera pans around in conjunction with your protagonists. Gloomy Eyes’ environments are quite fun, leading the companions around a amusement park and through a haunted house, including other locales. There’s a “diorama view” option that enables you to view from afar and rotate the stages, simultaneously to appreciate the visuals and hunt for ways that may not have been obvious.
Slight Issues and General Gameplay
Here lies one of the few problems with Gloomy Eyes. Like other releases with a fixed perspective, sometimes it's unclear where the heroes can and cannot go. You may need to randomly encounter a several various items to discover which ones are interactable, as clues aren't consistently provided.
Nonetheless, those minor challenges don't obstruct of a eerie-adorable enjoyable experience. Gloomy Eyes has a compact length, with about three to five hours worth of puzzles. Subsequent stages blend together minor stealth and dynamic sequences with the problem-solving, as Gloomy Eyes progresses to a fulfilling — and moderately unexpected — conclusion.
Release and Final Thoughts
Gamers shying away from the terror of fear-inducing releases should definitely try Gloomy Eyes. It’s available on Nintendo platform, PlayStation 5, PC, and Xbox Series X, and is presently discounted for a discount on online stores.
Gloomy Eyes is available on various systems and offers a pleasurable choice for players looking for spooky entertainment minus the terrifying moments.
