Not all spooky season experience needs to frighten you. Starting with well-known tales such as mystery-solving cartoons to charming series like Over the Garden Wall, numerous Halloween-themed favorites offer entertainment without causing fear. There’s also, a growing library of spooky-cute titles featuring autumn atmosphere, but not the keep-you-awake degree of fear. Gloomy Eyes debuted in the fall, and stands as an outstanding comfortable choice to the deeply scary games of the current season.
A Distinctive Self-Coop Quest
Labeled as a single-player cooperative problem-solving title, Gloomy Eyes teams up a living-impaired child called Gloomy and a living girl known as Nena as they start an adventure to return daylight to their dark, dark world. They look resembles Funko Pops combined with the figures from a animated feature. Their light-complected and baggy-eyed aesthetic is influenced by the look of Burtonesque cinema, and the narrative is a quintessential all-ages adventure. The pair builds an strong bond over the course of the game’s multiple stages as Nena strives to show to her clerical relative that, you know, maybe living-impaired beings are actually good.
Creative Problem-Solving Features
The “self-coop” description comes about from the game’s world-based challenges. Once Gloomy and Nena cross paths, players alternate amidst the newfound friends to overcome obstacles and progress through the levels. Being a zombie, Gloomy cannot pass through the illumination of a lamppost, while Nena will get snatched up by loitering creatures unless a beam is focused on them.
They have to collaborate effectively — well, players control them simultaneously — to advance through areas. Nena could adjust or briefly disable lamps to create passages for Gloomy, while the intellectually curious character will employ his undead power to rearrange obstacles in the environment, opening up paths for Nena.
Immersive Level Design
These challenges remind me a little of The Gardens Between, in the manner the areas are suspended, model-like designs that the camera moves across in sync with your heroes. Gloomy Eyes’ environments are quite fun, guiding the friends around a fair and through a haunted house, among other places. The game includes a “diorama view” option that permits you to view from afar and rotate the levels, both to enjoy the visuals and search for ways that may not have been apparent.
Slight Hiccups and Overall Experience
Here lies one of the sole problems with Gloomy Eyes. Comparable to other releases with a locked camera, occasionally it's confusing where the characters can and cannot go. You may need to just bump into a several various items to determine which ones are usable, as clues aren't consistently provided.
Nevertheless, those minor speedbumps don’t get in the way of a spooky-cute good time. Gloomy Eyes is relatively brief, with roughly three to five hours worth of challenges. Subsequent stages integrate minor hidden movement and action elements with the problem-solving, as Gloomy Eyes progresses to a satisfying — and slightly unforeseen — finale.
Availability and Summary
Gamers steering clear of the frights of intense horror titles ought to experience Gloomy Eyes. The game is out on Nintendo platform, Sony system, computer, and Microsoft console, and is currently on sale for a quarter off on game marketplaces.
Gloomy Eyes is out now on multiple platforms and provides a enjoyable option for players in search of Halloween fun without the terrifying moments.
