Not every autumn fright journey must frighten players. From iconic favorites such as animated detectives to delightful stories like Over the Garden Wall, plenty of autumn-inspired titles are enjoyable without requiring increasing anxiety. Moreover, a growing library of spooky-cute games with autumn atmosphere, yet without the sleep-with-the-lights-on level of horror. Gloomy Eyes was released in recent months, and acts as an superb cozy choice to the intensely frightening titles of this year.
A Unique Collaborative Solo Journey
Known as a “self-coop” brain-teaser, Gloomy Eyes teams up a living-impaired child known as Gloomy and a mortal child named Nena as they begin an adventure to return daylight to their shadowy world. Their design resembles Funko Pops mixed with the characters from a animated feature. The pale-skinned and baggy-eyed aesthetic is influenced by the visual style of Burtonesque cinema, and the story is a quintessential all-ages adventure. The duo builds an enduring connection over the course of the game’s 14 chapters as Nena tries to demonstrate to her priest uncle that, hey, maybe zombies can be friendly.
Original Puzzle Mechanics
This unique term originates from the game’s environmental puzzles. When Gloomy and Nena cross paths, players alternate among the budding companions to solve puzzles and move forward through the areas. As an undead, Gloomy can’t walk through the brightness of a streetlight, while Nena can be captured by wandering undead except if a lamp is focused on them.
They have to collaborate effectively — in practice, players control them together — to finish levels. Nena may move or temporarily shut off lights to open routes for Gloomy, while the thoughtful boy will employ his undead power to move items in the environment, opening up paths for Nena.
Immersive Level Design
These challenges evoke memories a bit of The Gardens Between, in the manner the stages are hovering, miniature designs that the camera rotates in conjunction with your characters. Gloomy Eyes’ environments are quite fun, leading the friends around a carnival and through a spooky mansion, including other locales. There’s a “diorama view” button that permits you to zoom out and rotate the levels, both for appreciate the designs and search for paths that may not have been apparent.
Minor Hiccups and Complete Adventure
And that’s one of the few problems with Gloomy Eyes. Comparable to other titles with a locked camera, sometimes it's unclear where the protagonists may or may not travel. Players might have to simply collide with a few random items to discover which ones are interactable, as clues aren't consistently provided.
Nevertheless, those minor obstacles don't hinder of a ghostly-charming good time. Gloomy Eyes is relatively brief, with about a few sessions worth of brain-teasers. Subsequent stages blend together light hidden movement and action elements with the problem-solving, as Gloomy Eyes advances to a satisfying — and somewhat unexpected — finale.
Availability and Final Thoughts
Players steering clear of the terror of intense horror titles should definitely try Gloomy Eyes. You can find it on Nintendo platform, Sony system, PC, and Xbox Series X, and is currently on sale for a quarter off on digital platforms.
Gloomy Eyes is available on various systems and delivers a delightful choice for gamers in search of autumn enjoyment minus the terrifying moments.
