Not all Halloween horror experience must scare you. Including beloved classics such as mystery-solving cartoons to endearing shows like Over the Garden Wall, plenty of autumn-inspired staples offer entertainment without causing fear. There’s also, a growing library of spooky-cute titles including Halloween vibes, but not the sleep-with-the-lights-on degree of terror. Gloomy Eyes debuted in September, and stands as an excellent comfortable option to the intensely frightening releases of the current season.
An Original Collaborative Solo Quest
Described as a single-player cooperative puzzle game, Gloomy Eyes unites a living-impaired child called Gloomy and a mortal child named Nena as they begin an mission to bring the sun back to their shadowy environment. They look resembles stylized dolls blended with the characters from a animated feature. The fair-toned and heavy-lidded style borrows heavily from the appearance of Tim Burton’s films, and the narrative is a archetypal family-friendly journey. These two develops an enduring friendship over the duration of the game’s 14 chapters as Nena attempts to prove to her clerical relative that, look, perhaps the undead aren’t half bad.
Original Puzzle Mechanics
The “self-coop” description stems from the game’s environmental puzzles. Once Gloomy and Nena meet, you’ll swap between the newfound friends to complete challenges and advance through the levels. Since he's not alive, Gloomy cannot pass through the light of a light source, while Nena may be grabbed by wandering undead except if a light is focused on them.
They must work in tandem — well, players control them together — to complete stages. Nena might relocate or briefly disable lights to clear paths for Gloomy, while the open-brained character will utilize his supernatural ability to move objects in the environment, opening up routes for Nena.
Immersive Environment Creation
The brain-teasers bring to mind a touch of The Gardens Between, in the manner the stages are hovering, model-like constructions that the view moves across in coordination with your protagonists. Gloomy Eyes’ worlds are quite fun, taking the friends around a amusement park and through a haunted house, including other places. Players can use a “diorama view” feature that enables you to view from afar and spin the areas, simultaneously to admire the visuals and hunt for ways that may not have been clear.
Minor Hiccups and General Adventure
And that’s one of the few problems with Gloomy Eyes. Comparable to other games with a locked camera, occasionally it's confusing where the heroes can and cannot go. You may need to randomly encounter a few random objects to determine which ones are interactable, as it’s not always intuitive.
Nevertheless, those minor obstacles don't hinder of a spooky-cute enjoyable experience. Gloomy Eyes is relatively brief, with about three to five hours worth of challenges. Subsequent stages integrate light stealth and exciting moments with the problem-solving, as Gloomy Eyes progresses to a fulfilling — and moderately unexpected — ending.
Availability and Summary
Those shying away from the frights of terrifying titles ought to experience Gloomy Eyes. You can find it on Nintendo platform, Sony system, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X, and is presently discounted for 25% off on game marketplaces.
This charming title is available on various systems and provides a enjoyable alternative for fans in search of Halloween fun without intense scares.
