Not all spooky season journey must frighten you. Starting with beloved classics such as mystery-solving cartoons to charming series like Over the Garden Wall, numerous autumn-inspired favorites are enjoyable without requiring causing fear. Additionally, a increasing selection of ghostly-adorable games featuring spooky themes, though lacking the sleep-with-the-lights-on intensity of horror. Gloomy Eyes arrived in recent months, and acts as an superb relaxing alternative to the intensely frightening games of the current season.
A Unique Collaborative Solo Quest
Labeled as a single-player cooperative brain-teaser, Gloomy Eyes teams up a zombie boy called Gloomy and a mortal child called Nena as they start an adventure to bring the sun back to their shadowy realm. Their appearance is similar to collectible figures blended with the puppets from a stop-motion animation. The light-complected and tired-looking appearance draws inspiration from the visual style of Gothic fantasy movies, and the plot is a quintessential all-ages adventure. The pair builds an enduring bond over the span of the game’s numerous levels as Nena tries to prove to her religious guardian that, hey, possibly the undead can be friendly.
Creative Puzzle Mechanics
This unique term comes about from the game’s world-based challenges. When Gloomy and Nena cross paths, you’ll swap between the budding companions to overcome obstacles and progress through the stages. As an undead, Gloomy can’t walk through the illumination of a streetlight, while Nena may be grabbed by idle zombies except if a lamp is focused on them.
They must cooperate closely — in practice, players control them in tandem — to complete stages. Nena may move or temporarily shut off illumination to create passages for Gloomy, while the intellectually curious boy will employ his undead power to shift around objects in the world, revealing routes for Nena.
Captivating Level Design
The puzzles evoke memories a little of The Gardens Between, in the way the areas are floating, miniature constructions that the camera pans around in sync with your characters. Gloomy Eyes’ worlds are highly entertaining, taking the duo around a fair and through a ghostly building, including other locations. There’s a “diorama view” feature that permits you to view from afar and turn the areas, simultaneously to admire the visuals and look for ways that may not have been obvious.
Minor Challenges and Complete Experience
Here lies one of the few hiccups with Gloomy Eyes. Similar to other titles with a locked camera, it’s not always clear where the protagonists may or may not travel. Gamers could require to randomly encounter a multiple different objects to discover which ones are interactable, as clues aren't consistently provided.
Nonetheless, those minor obstacles don't hinder of a ghostly-charming fun adventure. Gloomy Eyes has a compact length, with approximately several hours worth of challenges. Later levels blend together minor stealth and exciting moments with the challenge completion, as Gloomy Eyes marches toward a fulfilling — and slightly surprising — finale.
Availability and Summary
Players avoiding the terror of intense horror games ought to experience Gloomy Eyes. The game is out on Switch console, PS5, Windows PC, and Xbox, and is currently on sale for 25% off on game marketplaces.
Gloomy Eyes is out now on multiple platforms and provides a delightful choice for players in search of autumn enjoyment without the fear factor.
