This Spooky-Cute Puzzler Functions as the Excellent Substitute to Frightening Flicks

Not every spooky season journey has to scare players. Including beloved classics such as Scooby-Doo to endearing shows including Over the Garden Wall, many Halloween-themed favorites are enjoyable without requiring increasing anxiety. There’s also, a expanding collection of ghostly-adorable titles with autumn atmosphere, but not the keep-you-awake level of terror. Gloomy Eyes was released in September, and acts as an superb comfortable choice to the intensely frightening games of the current season.

An Original Self-Coop Adventure

Labeled as a solo collaboration problem-solving title, Gloomy Eyes teams up a living-impaired child called Gloomy and a human girl known as Nena as they begin an quest to return daylight to their shadowy world. Their design is similar to stylized dolls blended with the characters from a Laika film. Their fair-toned and heavy-lidded aesthetic draws inspiration from the visual style of Burtonesque cinema, and the story is a quintessential all-ages tale. The pair develops an strong connection over the duration of the game’s numerous levels as Nena attempts to prove to her clerical relative that, you know, possibly the undead can be friendly.

Original Puzzle Mechanics

The innovative description originates from the game’s world-based challenges. Once Gloomy and Nena meet, you’ll swap between the recent allies to complete challenges and advance through the stages. Since he's not alive, Gloomy is unable to traverse through the brightness of a light source, while Nena may be grabbed by loitering creatures unless a light is directed on them.

They have to cooperate closely — in practice, players control them in tandem — to advance through areas. Nena might relocate or briefly disable lights to create passages for Gloomy, while the intellectually curious character will utilize his supernatural ability to shift around obstacles in the world, creating ways for Nena.

Immersive World Building

The puzzles remind me a bit of The Gardens Between, in the fashion the areas are floating, model-like constructions that the perspective moves across in coordination with your heroes. Gloomy Eyes’ settings are quite fun, leading the companions around a amusement park and through a ghostly building, amid other locales. There’s a “diorama view” option that allows you to view from afar and turn the levels, both to appreciate the designs and hunt for ways that may not have been apparent.

Minor Issues and General Experience

Here lies one of the sole problems with Gloomy Eyes. Like other titles with a static view, sometimes it's unclear where the heroes can and cannot go. You may need to just bump into a multiple different objects to determine which ones are interactive, as clues aren't consistently provided.

Nonetheless, those slight obstacles don't obstruct of a spooky-cute good time. Gloomy Eyes has a compact length, with approximately several hours worth of challenges. Advanced areas integrate subtle stealth and action elements with the challenge completion, as Gloomy Eyes advances to a fulfilling — and moderately unexpected — finale.

Release and Final Thoughts

Players steering clear of the frights of fear-inducing games ought to experience Gloomy Eyes. It’s available on Switch console, PS5, computer, and Xbox, and is currently on sale for a quarter off on digital platforms.

This charming title is available on several consoles and delivers a pleasurable choice for gamers in search of spooky entertainment without the intense scares.