Not all autumn fright adventure needs to scare players. Including beloved classics such as animated detectives to delightful stories like Over the Garden Wall, plenty of autumn-inspired favorites provide fun without requiring raising your heart rate. Additionally, a growing library of spooky-cute games with Halloween vibes, yet without the sleep-with-the-lights-on level of terror. Gloomy Eyes arrived in the fall, and acts as an outstanding comfortable option to the intensely frightening games of this year.
Labeled as a “self-coop” brain-teaser, Gloomy Eyes teams up a living-impaired child named Gloomy and a mortal child called Nena as they begin an mission to bring the sun back to their gloomy environment. Their appearance resembles Funko Pops combined with the characters from a Laika film. Their light-complected and tired-looking appearance borrows heavily from the visual style of Burtonesque cinema, and the narrative is a archetypal all-ages journey. These two builds an unbreakable friendship over the course of the game’s multiple stages as Nena attempts to demonstrate to her priest uncle that, you know, perhaps zombies can be friendly.
The “self-coop” term stems from the game’s world-based challenges. When Gloomy and Nena meet, you’ll swap amidst the budding companions to overcome obstacles and move forward through the levels. As an undead, Gloomy is unable to traverse through the illumination of a light source, while Nena may be grabbed by idle zombies without a light is focused on them.
They must collaborate effectively — actually, gamers operate them in tandem — to advance through areas. Nena could adjust or momentarily deactivate lights to open routes for Gloomy, while the thoughtful boy will use his zombie strength to shift around items in the world, creating paths for Nena.
The brain-teasers evoke memories a bit of The Gardens Between, in the fashion the levels are suspended, model-like constructions that the camera rotates in conjunction with your heroes. Gloomy Eyes’ environments are very enjoyable, leading the duo around a amusement park and through a haunted house, amid other locales. The game includes a “diorama view” button that permits you to pull back and turn the stages, both for enjoy the artwork and hunt for routes that may not have been clear.
And that’s one of the few problems with Gloomy Eyes. Comparable to other titles with a static view, occasionally it's confusing where the heroes may or may not travel. Players might have to simply collide with a few random elements to figure out which ones are interactive, as it’s not always intuitive.
Nevertheless, those minor challenges don't hinder of a spooky-cute good time. Gloomy Eyes runs on the short side, with about three to five hours worth of brain-teasers. Later levels integrate light sneaking and exciting moments with the challenge completion, as Gloomy Eyes advances to a rewarding — and moderately unforeseen — ending.
Players steering clear of the terror of terrifying releases ought to experience Gloomy Eyes. It’s available on Switch console, PlayStation 5, PC, and Xbox Series X, and is available at a reduced price for 25% off on game marketplaces.
Gloomy Eyes has been released on multiple platforms and provides a enjoyable option for gamers in search of spooky entertainment without the fear factor.