Not all spooky season experience has to scare gamers. Including beloved classics for example Scooby-Doo to delightful stories such as Over the Garden Wall, many spooky-season titles offer entertainment without needing raising your heart rate. Additionally, a growing library of spooky-cute titles with Halloween vibes, yet without the truly terrifying level of terror. Gloomy Eyes was released in September, and stands as an superb comfortable choice to the deeply scary releases of the current season.
A Distinctive Single-Player Cooperative Quest
Known as a “self-coop” problem-solving title, Gloomy Eyes pairs up a undead youth called Gloomy and a living girl known as Nena as they begin an quest to restore sunlight to their gloomy realm. Their appearance is similar to Funko Pops mixed with the figures from a animated feature. Their light-complected and heavy-lidded style borrows heavily from the appearance of Burtonesque cinema, and the plot is a archetypal family-friendly tale. The duo forms an unbreakable bond over the span of the game’s numerous levels as Nena tries to demonstrate to her priest uncle that, you know, maybe the undead aren’t half bad.
Original Puzzle Mechanics
The innovative label originates from the game’s interactive problem-solving. When Gloomy and Nena meet, gamers switch between the newfound friends to overcome obstacles and advance through the stages. Being a zombie, Gloomy is unable to traverse through the illumination of a light source, while Nena may be grabbed by idle zombies except if a lamp is directed on them.
They have to work in tandem — in practice, gamers operate them simultaneously — to advance through areas. Nena may move or briefly disable lamps to create passages for Gloomy, while the thoughtful boy will utilize his supernatural ability to shift around items in the world, opening up routes for Nena.
Engaging World Building
The puzzles bring to mind a bit of The Gardens Between, in the fashion the levels are hovering, miniature structures that the camera rotates in coordination with your characters. Gloomy Eyes’ environments are quite fun, taking the duo around a fair and through a haunted house, amid other locales. There’s a “diorama view” option that allows you to pull back and rotate the levels, both for appreciate the designs and search for paths that may not have been obvious.
Small Issues and Complete Gameplay
This represents one of the sole hiccups with Gloomy Eyes. Similar to other games with a locked camera, sometimes it's unclear where the characters are able to move. Gamers could require to simply collide with a multiple different items to determine which ones are usable, as the game doesn't always indicate.
Nonetheless, those minor challenges don't obstruct of a ghostly-charming enjoyable experience. Gloomy Eyes runs on the short side, with approximately three to five hours worth of brain-teasers. Later levels combine subtle stealth and action elements with the problem-solving, as Gloomy Eyes marches toward a rewarding — and moderately unforeseen — ending.
Availability and Final Thoughts
Gamers shying away from the scares of intense horror releases ought to experience Gloomy Eyes. You can find it on Switch console, Sony system, PC, and Xbox, and is available at a reduced price for a quarter off on online stores.
Gloomy Eyes is available on various systems and delivers a delightful alternative for players seeking Halloween fun minus the intense scares.
