Not all spooky season adventure has to scare you. Starting with beloved classics such as mystery-solving cartoons to endearing shows including Over the Garden Wall, plenty of autumn-inspired staples are enjoyable without causing fear. There’s also, a expanding collection of eerie-charming releases with Halloween vibes, yet without the keep-you-awake level of horror. Gloomy Eyes was released in the fall, and acts as an superb cozy alternative to the intensely frightening titles of the current season.
A Unique Collaborative Solo Adventure
Described as a solo collaboration brain-teaser, Gloomy Eyes unites a zombie boy named Gloomy and a human girl known as Nena as they start an quest to return daylight to their gloomy world. They look is similar to Funko Pops combined with the puppets from a animated feature. The pale-skinned and heavy-lidded appearance draws inspiration from the look of Gothic fantasy movies, and the story is a classic family-friendly tale. These two develops an strong friendship over the course of the game’s 14 chapters as Nena attempts to show to her priest uncle that, you know, possibly living-impaired beings aren’t half bad.
Creative Gameplay Systems
This unique term comes about from the game’s world-based challenges. When Gloomy and Nena cross paths, players alternate amidst the recent allies to overcome obstacles and advance through the stages. Since he's not alive, Gloomy is unable to traverse through the brightness of a light source, while Nena may be grabbed by loitering creatures without a beam is shone on them.
They have to work in tandem — actually, gamers operate them simultaneously — to complete stages. Nena may move or momentarily deactivate illumination to create passages for Gloomy, while the intellectually curious youth will employ his undead power to shift around items in the environment, opening up routes for Nena.
Captivating Level Design
These challenges remind me a little of The Gardens Between, in the way the areas are hovering, miniature designs that the view moves across in conjunction with your characters. Gloomy Eyes’ environments are very enjoyable, leading the companions around a fair and through a ghostly building, including other locales. Players can use a “diorama view” feature that permits you to pull back and turn the areas, simultaneously to appreciate the artwork and hunt for routes that may not have been apparent.
Small Challenges and Overall Experience
And that’s one of the sole problems with Gloomy Eyes. Similar to other titles with a fixed perspective, occasionally it's confusing where the protagonists can and cannot go. Players might have to just bump into a few random objects to determine which ones are interactive, as the game doesn't always indicate.
However, those slight speedbumps don't obstruct of a ghostly-charming fun adventure. Gloomy Eyes runs on the short side, with approximately three to five hours worth of puzzles. Advanced areas integrate light stealth and exciting moments with the problem-solving, as Gloomy Eyes advances to a satisfying — and somewhat surprising — finale.
Release and Conclusion
Players shying away from the scares of terrifying titles should definitely try Gloomy Eyes. It’s available on Switch console, Sony system, Windows PC, and Microsoft console, and is available at a reduced price for 25% off on digital platforms.
The spooky-cute adventure is available on multiple platforms and delivers a delightful option for gamers looking for autumn enjoyment without the fear factor.
