Not each Halloween horror adventure has to frighten gamers. Including iconic favorites like animated detectives to endearing shows including Over the Garden Wall, many autumn-inspired staples provide fun without needing increasing anxiety. There’s also, a growing library of spooky-cute games including Halloween vibes, though lacking the keep-you-awake level of horror. Gloomy Eyes arrived in the fall, and acts as an excellent cozy alternative to the intensely frightening releases of this year.
A Distinctive Single-Player Cooperative Quest
Described as a solo collaboration puzzle game, Gloomy Eyes pairs up a undead youth named Gloomy and a mortal child called Nena as they begin an adventure to bring the sun back to their gloomy realm. Their appearance resembles stylized dolls 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 quintessential family-friendly journey. The duo forms an unbreakable friendship over the span of the game’s multiple stages as Nena tries to show to her priest uncle that, you know, perhaps living-impaired beings can be friendly.
Creative Problem-Solving Features
The innovative label stems from the game’s interactive problem-solving. When Gloomy and Nena encounter each other, players alternate amidst the recent allies to solve puzzles and move forward through the stages. As an undead, Gloomy cannot pass through the illumination of a light source, while Nena can be captured by idle zombies unless a light is directed on them.
They have to cooperate closely — in practice, you’ll use them together — to advance through areas. Nena may move or momentarily deactivate lights to create passages for Gloomy, while the thoughtful boy will employ his undead power to rearrange items in the surroundings, creating routes for Nena.
Engaging World Building
The brain-teasers evoke memories a touch of The Gardens Between, in the manner the levels are suspended, diorama-like designs that the camera rotates in coordination with your characters. Gloomy Eyes’ worlds are highly entertaining, taking the friends around a carnival and through a ghostly building, amid other locales. Players can use a “diorama view” feature that allows you to zoom out and turn the stages, both to appreciate the artwork and hunt for ways that may not have been apparent.
Small Hiccups and General Adventure
Here lies one of the few difficulties with Gloomy Eyes. Similar to other games 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 discover which ones are usable, as it’s not always intuitive.
Nonetheless, those minor obstacles don't hinder of a spooky-cute fun adventure. Gloomy Eyes has a compact length, with approximately a few sessions worth of challenges. Later levels combine light hidden movement and action elements with the challenge completion, as Gloomy Eyes advances to a rewarding — and somewhat unexpected — finale.
Availability and Summary
Those avoiding the scares of terrifying releases should definitely try Gloomy Eyes. The game is out on Nintendo Switch, Sony system, computer, and Microsoft console, and is available at a reduced price for a quarter off on game marketplaces.
The spooky-cute adventure is out now on several consoles and delivers a enjoyable alternative for gamers in search of spooky entertainment without fear factor.
