Not each autumn fright journey must terrify gamers. Including iconic favorites such as mystery-solving cartoons to endearing shows including Over the Garden Wall, numerous autumn-inspired titles offer entertainment without needing causing fear. Additionally, a expanding collection of ghostly-adorable games with autumn atmosphere, but not the truly terrifying degree of horror. Gloomy Eyes debuted in the fall, and acts as an superb relaxing alternative to the truly terrifying titles of the current season.
An Original Single-Player Cooperative Journey
Labeled as a solo collaboration puzzle game, Gloomy Eyes teams up a living-impaired child called Gloomy and a mortal child named Nena as they begin an mission to bring the sun back to their shadowy environment. They look resembles collectible figures combined with the puppets from a animated feature. The light-complected and tired-looking style borrows heavily from the visual style of Gothic fantasy movies, and the plot is a quintessential suitable for everyone tale. The pair builds an enduring bond over the span of the game’s numerous levels as Nena tries to show to her religious guardian that, hey, maybe living-impaired beings are actually good.
Innovative Puzzle Mechanics
The “self-coop” description comes about from the game’s environmental puzzles. Once Gloomy and Nena cross paths, players alternate between the newfound friends to solve puzzles and progress through the levels. Being a zombie, Gloomy cannot pass through the brightness of a light source, while Nena will get snatched up by wandering undead unless a light is focused on them.
It's necessary for them to work in tandem — actually, players control them together — to advance through areas. Nena may move or momentarily deactivate illumination to clear paths for Gloomy, while the open-brained boy will use his zombie strength to shift around obstacles in the surroundings, creating paths for Nena.
Engaging World Building
The brain-teasers remind me a bit of The Gardens Between, in the way the levels are floating, model-like constructions that the camera pans around in sync with your characters. Gloomy Eyes’ environments are highly entertaining, taking the duo around a carnival and through a spooky mansion, amid other locales. There’s a “diorama view” feature that enables you to zoom out and turn the areas, simultaneously to enjoy the artwork and search for ways that may not have been apparent.
Slight Hiccups and Complete Experience
And that’s one of the sole difficulties with Gloomy Eyes. Comparable to other titles with a static view, occasionally it's confusing where the characters can and cannot go. Gamers could require to randomly encounter a few random objects to discover which ones are interactable, as clues aren't consistently provided.
Nevertheless, those minor challenges don’t get in the way of a eerie-adorable fun adventure. Gloomy Eyes runs on the short side, with roughly three to five hours worth of brain-teasers. Later levels blend together light hidden movement and action elements with the challenge completion, as Gloomy Eyes progresses to a satisfying — and somewhat surprising — finale.
Accessibility and Final Thoughts
Those shying away from the frights of intense horror games should definitely try Gloomy Eyes. You can find it on Nintendo Switch, Sony system, computer, and Xbox, and is presently discounted for 25% off on digital platforms.
The spooky-cute adventure is available on several consoles and offers a pleasurable choice for fans looking for autumn enjoyment without intense scares.
