Not all Halloween horror journey has to terrify players. Starting with beloved classics like mystery-solving cartoons to endearing shows like Over the Garden Wall, many spooky-season titles provide fun without requiring raising your heart rate. Moreover, a growing library of eerie-charming releases with Halloween vibes, but not the sleep-with-the-lights-on level of fear. Gloomy Eyes was released in September, and serves as an excellent cozy option to the deeply scary games of the current season.
A Unique Collaborative Solo Journey
Known as a “self-coop” problem-solving title, Gloomy Eyes pairs up a living-impaired child called Gloomy and a human girl named Nena as they begin an adventure to restore sunlight to their shadowy world. Their design is similar to collectible figures blended with the characters from a Laika film. The pale-skinned and baggy-eyed appearance is influenced by the look of Tim Burton’s films, and the plot is a classic all-ages journey. These two builds an strong friendship over the duration of the game’s multiple stages as Nena strives to prove to her clerical relative that, you know, possibly living-impaired beings can be friendly.
Creative Gameplay Systems
This unique label comes about from the game’s environmental puzzles. When Gloomy and Nena encounter each other, players alternate between the recent allies to solve puzzles and advance through the stages. Since he's not alive, Gloomy can’t walk through the illumination of a streetlight, while Nena will get snatched up by wandering undead except if a lamp is directed on them.
They must collaborate effectively — well, gamers operate them together — to finish levels. Nena may move or momentarily deactivate lights to open routes for Gloomy, while the open-brained youth will employ his undead power to move objects in the world, opening up routes for Nena.
Immersive Level Design
The puzzles evoke memories a touch of The Gardens Between, in the manner the areas are suspended, miniature constructions that the perspective rotates in coordination with your protagonists. Gloomy Eyes’ environments are quite fun, leading the companions around a fair and through a ghostly building, including other places. The game includes a “diorama view” button that permits you to zoom out and rotate the areas, simultaneously to appreciate the designs and look for routes that may not have been clear.
Minor Issues and General Adventure
And that’s one of the few difficulties with Gloomy Eyes. Comparable to other titles with a locked camera, sometimes it's unclear where the characters can and cannot go. Players might have to simply collide with a multiple different objects to figure out which ones are usable, as it’s not always intuitive.
Nevertheless, those slight challenges don't obstruct of a eerie-adorable good time. Gloomy Eyes is relatively brief, with approximately three to five hours worth of puzzles. Later levels combine light hidden movement and exciting moments with the problem-solving, as Gloomy Eyes marches toward a fulfilling — and slightly unexpected — ending.
Release and Final Thoughts
Those shying away from the scares of fear-inducing games should definitely try Gloomy Eyes. The game is out on Nintendo platform, PS5, Windows PC, and Xbox, and is currently on sale for 25% off on game marketplaces.
Gloomy Eyes is out now on various systems and offers a delightful alternative for players in search of Halloween fun minus the terrifying moments.
