Not every Halloween horror experience needs to frighten players. Including well-known tales for example Scooby-Doo to charming series such as Over the Garden Wall, plenty of Halloween-themed titles offer entertainment without increasing anxiety. Moreover, a increasing selection of spooky-cute releases featuring spooky themes, though lacking the keep-you-awake degree of terror. Gloomy Eyes arrived in recent months, and acts as an excellent comfortable choice to the deeply scary games of this year.
A Unique Collaborative Solo Adventure
Labeled as a “self-coop” problem-solving title, Gloomy Eyes pairs up a undead youth named Gloomy and a living girl called Nena as they embark on an mission to bring the sun back to their dark, dark world. Their design is similar to Funko Pops combined with the figures from a animated feature. Their pale-skinned and heavy-lidded style borrows heavily from the visual style of Gothic fantasy movies, and the plot is a quintessential all-ages journey. The duo builds an strong friendship over the duration of the game’s multiple stages as Nena attempts to prove to her clerical relative that, hey, maybe zombies can be friendly.
Innovative Puzzle Mechanics
This unique description stems from the game’s environmental puzzles. When Gloomy and Nena encounter each other, players alternate among the newfound friends to solve puzzles and progress through the stages. Being a zombie, Gloomy can’t walk through the brightness of a lamppost, while Nena can be captured by idle zombies without a beam is focused on them.
They have to work in tandem — actually, you’ll use them simultaneously — to advance through areas. Nena might relocate or momentarily deactivate lamps to open routes for Gloomy, while the intellectually curious boy will use his zombie strength to rearrange items in the environment, creating routes for Nena.
Captivating Level Design
The brain-teasers evoke memories a bit of The Gardens Between, in the fashion the areas are floating, model-like constructions that the perspective moves across in coordination with your protagonists. Gloomy Eyes’ environments are quite fun, guiding the duo around a carnival and through a haunted house, including other locations. The game includes a “diorama view” option that allows you to pull back and spin the stages, both for admire the artwork and look for routes that may not have been obvious.
Small Hiccups and General Adventure
This represents one of the sole hiccups with Gloomy Eyes. Similar to other games with a fixed perspective, it’s not always clear where the protagonists may or may not travel. Players might have to randomly encounter a multiple different objects to figure out which ones are interactive, as clues aren't consistently provided.
Nevertheless, those slight obstacles don't obstruct of a eerie-adorable fun adventure. Gloomy Eyes is relatively brief, with about three to five hours worth of challenges. Subsequent stages integrate minor stealth and exciting moments with the problem-solving, as Gloomy Eyes progresses to a satisfying — and moderately unexpected — conclusion.
Accessibility and Conclusion
Those shying away from the scares of intense horror games should definitely try Gloomy Eyes. It’s available on Switch console, Sony system, computer, and Xbox, and is presently discounted for a discount on digital platforms.
The spooky-cute adventure has been released on several consoles and provides a delightful choice for fans looking for spooky entertainment minus the terrifying moments.
