Not all spooky season experience must terrify you. From iconic favorites such as Scooby-Doo to delightful stories like Over the Garden Wall, numerous autumn-inspired titles are enjoyable without needing increasing anxiety. Moreover, a growing library of spooky-cute titles with autumn atmosphere, yet without the sleep-with-the-lights-on intensity of terror. Gloomy Eyes arrived in the fall, and serves as an outstanding comfortable alternative to the truly terrifying releases of the current season.
A Unique Collaborative Solo Adventure
Described as a single-player cooperative brain-teaser, Gloomy Eyes pairs up a living-impaired child named Gloomy and a living girl known as Nena as they start an mission to restore sunlight to their gloomy world. Their appearance evokes Funko Pops combined with the characters from a Laika film. The fair-toned and baggy-eyed style is influenced by the look of Burtonesque cinema, and the plot is a classic all-ages journey. The duo develops an strong connection over the duration of the game’s 14 chapters as Nena attempts to show to her clerical relative that, hey, maybe the undead are actually good.
Innovative Gameplay Systems
The “self-coop” term stems from the game’s world-based challenges. Once Gloomy and Nena meet, you’ll swap among the budding companions to overcome obstacles and advance through the levels. As an undead, Gloomy is unable to traverse through the light of a lamppost, while Nena may be grabbed by wandering undead except if a lamp is shone on them.
They must work in tandem — well, you’ll use them simultaneously — to finish levels. Nena may move or momentarily deactivate lamps to clear paths for Gloomy, while the open-brained boy will utilize his supernatural ability to move objects in the surroundings, revealing ways for Nena.
Captivating Environment Creation
The puzzles evoke memories a touch of The Gardens Between, in the fashion the levels are suspended, model-like designs that the view pans around in conjunction with your characters. Gloomy Eyes’ environments are very enjoyable, leading the duo around a fair and through a haunted house, amid other places. Players can use a “diorama view” button that permits you to zoom out and spin the stages, both for admire the visuals and look for routes that may not have been apparent.
Minor Hiccups and General Gameplay
This represents one of the sole problems with Gloomy Eyes. Like other games with a locked camera, it’s not always clear where the protagonists can and cannot go. You may need to randomly encounter a few random items to determine which ones are usable, as it’s not always intuitive.
Nevertheless, those small speedbumps don't hinder of a ghostly-charming enjoyable experience. Gloomy Eyes is relatively brief, with about three to five hours worth of brain-teasers. Advanced areas blend together subtle stealth and action elements with the challenge completion, as Gloomy Eyes advances to a fulfilling — and slightly unforeseen — ending.
Availability and Summary
Players steering clear of the frights of fear-inducing titles won’t want to miss Gloomy Eyes. The game is out on Nintendo platform, PS5, PC, and Xbox Series X, and is available at a reduced price for a quarter off on game marketplaces.
Gloomy Eyes is out now on various systems and delivers a pleasurable option for gamers in search of autumn enjoyment without intense scares.
