Not all Halloween horror experience has to terrify you. From iconic favorites like animated detectives to delightful stories like Over the Garden Wall, plenty of Halloween-themed favorites offer entertainment without requiring increasing anxiety. Additionally, a increasing selection of ghostly-adorable titles including autumn atmosphere, but not the truly terrifying degree of fear. Gloomy Eyes arrived in September, and stands as an superb comfortable option to the deeply scary games of this year.
A Unique Collaborative Solo Journey
Labeled as a single-player cooperative brain-teaser, Gloomy Eyes pairs up a undead youth known as Gloomy and a human girl known as Nena as they embark on an mission to restore sunlight to their gloomy world. They look evokes stylized dolls combined with the figures from a animated feature. Their pale-skinned and heavy-lidded style is influenced by the look of Gothic fantasy movies, and the story is a classic family-friendly journey. These two builds an enduring friendship over the span of the game’s numerous levels as Nena strives to prove to her religious guardian that, hey, maybe the undead are actually good.
Creative Problem-Solving Features
This unique label stems from the game’s interactive problem-solving. Once Gloomy and Nena meet, players alternate among the budding companions to overcome obstacles and advance through the levels. Since he's not alive, Gloomy cannot pass through the illumination of a lamppost, while Nena can be captured by wandering undead unless a lamp is focused on them.
They must work in tandem — in practice, you’ll use them in tandem — to advance through areas. Nena could adjust or briefly disable lights to clear paths for Gloomy, while the open-brained boy will employ his undead power to shift around objects in the environment, opening up routes for Nena.
Engaging World Building
The brain-teasers evoke memories a little of The Gardens Between, in the manner the levels are hovering, model-like structures that the perspective rotates in coordination with your protagonists. Gloomy Eyes’ settings are very enjoyable, taking the companions around a amusement park and through a haunted house, among other locations. Players can use a “diorama view” option that permits you to view from afar and turn the stages, both for enjoy the visuals and hunt for ways that may not have been apparent.
Small Hiccups and Complete Gameplay
This represents one of the only hiccups with Gloomy Eyes. Comparable to other games with a fixed perspective, it’s not always clear where the characters can and cannot go. You may need to simply collide with a few random objects to figure out which ones are interactive, as the game doesn't always indicate.
However, those minor challenges don't obstruct of a eerie-adorable good time. Gloomy Eyes has a compact length, with about three to five hours worth of brain-teasers. Subsequent stages blend together light sneaking and exciting moments with the challenge completion, as Gloomy Eyes progresses to a satisfying — and slightly surprising — finale.
Availability and Final Thoughts
Those avoiding the scares of intense horror games won’t want to miss Gloomy Eyes. The game is out on Nintendo Switch, PS5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X, and is currently on sale for a quarter off on online stores.
This charming title is available on various systems and offers a enjoyable option for players in search of autumn enjoyment without the terrifying moments.
