Not each Halloween horror journey must frighten you. Starting with iconic favorites such as animated detectives to charming series such as Over the Garden Wall, numerous spooky-season titles are enjoyable without needing raising your heart rate. Additionally, a growing library of eerie-charming games with Halloween vibes, yet without the keep-you-awake degree of fear. Gloomy Eyes arrived in September, and serves as an outstanding relaxing choice to the truly terrifying titles of this year.
An Original Collaborative Solo Journey
Described as a “self-coop” brain-teaser, Gloomy Eyes pairs up a undead youth known as Gloomy and a mortal child called Nena as they begin an quest to return daylight to their dark, dark realm. Their design is similar to collectible figures blended with the puppets from a animated feature. The pale-skinned and heavy-lidded aesthetic draws inspiration from the look of Gothic fantasy movies, and the story is a classic all-ages journey. These two builds an strong bond over the span of the game’s multiple stages as Nena attempts to prove to her religious guardian that, hey, perhaps the undead can be friendly.
Original Puzzle Mechanics
This unique description stems from the game’s environmental puzzles. When Gloomy and Nena cross paths, you’ll swap between the newfound friends to complete challenges and advance through the stages. As an undead, Gloomy can’t walk through the light of a light source, while Nena will get snatched up by wandering undead unless a light is shone on them.
They must work in tandem — actually, gamers operate them in tandem — to advance through areas. Nena might relocate or momentarily deactivate lamps to create passages for Gloomy, while the open-brained boy will utilize his supernatural ability to rearrange items in the world, creating ways for Nena.
Immersive Level Design
These challenges evoke memories a touch of The Gardens Between, in the way the levels are suspended, diorama-like structures that the view pans around in conjunction with your characters. Gloomy Eyes’ settings are highly entertaining, leading the duo around a carnival and through a haunted house, amid other locations. Players can use a “diorama view” button that permits you to zoom out and spin the levels, both to enjoy the designs and search for routes that may not have been clear.
Minor Challenges and Overall Adventure
And that’s one of the only problems with Gloomy Eyes. Comparable to other games with a static view, it’s not always clear where the characters are able to move. Gamers could require to randomly encounter a few random items to figure out which ones are interactive, as it’s not always intuitive.
However, those small speedbumps don't obstruct of a eerie-adorable good time. Gloomy Eyes has a compact length, with roughly a few sessions worth of challenges. Advanced areas integrate minor stealth and action elements with the puzzle solving, as Gloomy Eyes advances to a rewarding — and somewhat unforeseen — conclusion.
Availability and Summary
Players avoiding the frights of fear-inducing titles should definitely try Gloomy Eyes. The game is out on Nintendo platform, PlayStation 5, computer, and Xbox, and is presently discounted for a discount on game marketplaces.
Gloomy Eyes is out now on several consoles and delivers a delightful choice for fans looking for spooky entertainment minus the terrifying moments.
