Not all Halloween horror experience has to frighten you. Including iconic favorites for example animated detectives to delightful stories like Over the Garden Wall, many autumn-inspired favorites are enjoyable without needing causing fear. Additionally, a expanding collection of eerie-charming titles with Halloween vibes, but not the truly terrifying level of terror. Gloomy Eyes was released in September, and serves as an outstanding comfortable choice to the truly terrifying games of the current season.
A Distinctive Self-Coop Journey
Labeled as a solo collaboration puzzle game, Gloomy Eyes pairs up a zombie boy named Gloomy and a living girl known as Nena as they start an quest to return daylight to their gloomy world. They look is similar to collectible figures combined with the puppets from a animated feature. The fair-toned and heavy-lidded style borrows heavily from the appearance of Gothic fantasy movies, and the narrative is a classic family-friendly tale. The duo develops an strong friendship over the course of the game’s numerous levels as Nena tries to prove to her religious guardian that, you know, possibly zombies are actually good.
Creative Problem-Solving Features
The innovative term originates from the game’s interactive problem-solving. Once Gloomy and Nena cross paths, gamers switch amidst the recent allies to complete challenges and move forward through the levels. Being a zombie, Gloomy cannot pass through the illumination of a streetlight, while Nena can be captured by loitering creatures except if a beam is directed on them.
They must work in tandem — actually, you’ll use them in tandem — to complete stages. Nena might relocate or briefly disable illumination to open routes for Gloomy, while the intellectually curious character will utilize his supernatural ability to rearrange objects in the surroundings, revealing routes for Nena.
Engaging World Building
These challenges remind me a touch of The Gardens Between, in the fashion the areas are hovering, diorama-like designs that the view pans around in conjunction with your characters. Gloomy Eyes’ worlds are quite fun, leading the friends around a carnival and through a haunted house, including other locales. There’s a “diorama view” option that permits you to pull back and turn the areas, simultaneously to admire the visuals and hunt for routes that may not have been apparent.
Slight Challenges and Complete Adventure
Here lies one of the only difficulties with Gloomy Eyes. Similar to other games with a static view, sometimes it's unclear where the heroes may or may not travel. You may need to just bump into a multiple different elements to discover which ones are interactable, as it’s not always intuitive.
Nonetheless, those minor speedbumps don't hinder of a ghostly-charming good time. Gloomy Eyes runs on the short side, with approximately three to five hours worth of challenges. Later levels blend together minor sneaking and dynamic sequences with the problem-solving, as Gloomy Eyes marches toward a rewarding — and moderately unexpected — ending.
Release and Final Thoughts
Players steering clear of the frights of intense horror releases ought to experience Gloomy Eyes. It’s available on Nintendo Switch, PS5, PC, and Xbox Series X, and is presently discounted for 25% off on game marketplaces.
Gloomy Eyes is out now on several consoles and provides a pleasurable alternative for players in search of spooky entertainment minus the intense scares.
