Not all spooky season journey needs to scare gamers. Starting with beloved classics such as animated detectives to charming series including Over the Garden Wall, many spooky-season favorites offer entertainment without raising your heart rate. There’s also, a expanding collection of spooky-cute games featuring Halloween vibes, but not the keep-you-awake degree of horror. Gloomy Eyes arrived in the fall, and acts as an outstanding cozy alternative to the deeply scary games of the current season.
A Distinctive Self-Coop Quest
Labeled as a “self-coop” puzzle game, Gloomy Eyes unites a undead youth named Gloomy and a living girl named Nena as they start an adventure to restore sunlight to their gloomy environment. Their appearance is similar to stylized dolls combined with the figures from a stop-motion animation. Their fair-toned and heavy-lidded appearance borrows heavily from the look of Tim Burton’s films, and the plot is a archetypal all-ages tale. The duo develops an enduring connection over the course of the game’s multiple stages as Nena attempts to show to her clerical relative that, hey, possibly living-impaired beings are actually good.
Creative Puzzle Mechanics
This unique label comes about from the game’s world-based challenges. When Gloomy and Nena meet, players alternate between the newfound friends to solve puzzles and advance through the stages. Being a zombie, Gloomy cannot pass through the brightness of a lamppost, while Nena may be grabbed by loitering creatures unless a beam is directed on them.
It's necessary for them to collaborate effectively — in practice, players control them simultaneously — to complete stages. Nena could adjust or temporarily shut off illumination to open routes for Gloomy, while the intellectually curious youth will employ his undead power to move items in the surroundings, revealing ways for Nena.
Captivating Level Design
The brain-teasers bring to mind a bit of The Gardens Between, in the way the areas are floating, miniature designs that the view moves across in coordination with your characters. Gloomy Eyes’ settings are very enjoyable, taking the companions around a carnival and through a ghostly building, among other locations. Players can use a “diorama view” button that allows you to view from afar and spin the areas, both to appreciate the designs and hunt for ways that may not have been obvious.
Minor Challenges and General Adventure
Here lies one of the few hiccups with Gloomy Eyes. Similar to other titles with a locked camera, occasionally it's confusing where the protagonists may or may not travel. Players might have to just bump into a few random items to figure out which ones are usable, as the game doesn't always indicate.
Nonetheless, those slight obstacles don’t get in the way of a spooky-cute good time. Gloomy Eyes runs on the short side, with approximately a few sessions worth of brain-teasers. Advanced areas integrate subtle sneaking and action elements with the puzzle solving, as Gloomy Eyes advances to a rewarding — and somewhat surprising — ending.
Availability and Final Thoughts
Those shying away from the scares of terrifying titles ought to experience Gloomy Eyes. It’s available on Nintendo platform, Sony system, PC, and Microsoft console, and is currently on sale for a quarter off on digital platforms.
This charming title is available on various systems and delivers a pleasurable alternative for players seeking Halloween fun minus the intense scares.
