This Ghostly-Charming Puzzler Serves as the Excellent Alternative to Spooky Scares

Not each autumn fright adventure must scare gamers. Starting with beloved classics like animated detectives to charming series such as Over the Garden Wall, plenty of autumn-inspired titles are enjoyable without needing causing fear. Additionally, a growing library of spooky-cute releases including Halloween vibes, but not the sleep-with-the-lights-on degree of terror. Gloomy Eyes was released in September, and serves as an superb comfortable alternative to the truly terrifying games of this year.

A Unique Collaborative Solo Adventure

Described as a solo collaboration problem-solving title, Gloomy Eyes pairs up a zombie boy named Gloomy and a human girl known as Nena as they embark on an adventure to return daylight to their shadowy environment. Their design resembles collectible figures mixed with the figures from a stop-motion animation. The pale-skinned and tired-looking aesthetic borrows heavily from the appearance of Gothic fantasy movies, and the narrative is a archetypal family-friendly tale. The pair builds an strong friendship over the span of the game’s 14 chapters as Nena attempts to demonstrate to her clerical relative that, you know, perhaps the undead can be friendly.

Innovative Gameplay Systems

The “self-coop” label stems from the game’s interactive problem-solving. After Gloomy and Nena cross paths, gamers switch among the recent allies to complete challenges and progress through the stages. Being a zombie, Gloomy cannot pass through the light of a lamppost, while Nena can be captured by idle zombies except if a light is focused on them.

It's necessary for them to work in tandem — well, you’ll use them simultaneously — to finish levels. Nena may move or momentarily deactivate illumination to create passages for Gloomy, while the thoughtful youth will employ his undead power to shift around items in the world, creating routes for Nena.

Immersive World Building

These challenges remind me a bit of The Gardens Between, in the fashion the levels are floating, model-like structures that the camera pans around in coordination with your characters. Gloomy Eyes’ worlds are highly entertaining, taking the companions around a carnival and through a ghostly building, including other places. The game includes a “diorama view” feature that permits you to pull back and turn the stages, both to appreciate the artwork and look for paths that may not have been clear.

Small Hiccups and General Experience

And that’s one of the sole difficulties with Gloomy Eyes. Like other releases with a static view, occasionally it's confusing where the heroes are able to move. You may need to simply collide with a few random items to figure out which ones are interactive, as clues aren't consistently provided.

Nonetheless, those small obstacles don’t get in the way of a ghostly-charming good time. Gloomy Eyes runs on the short side, with about three to five hours worth of brain-teasers. Subsequent stages blend together subtle sneaking and exciting moments with the challenge completion, as Gloomy Eyes marches toward a satisfying — and somewhat unforeseen — finale.

Release and Summary

Players shying away from the scares of intense horror releases should definitely try Gloomy Eyes. It’s available on Switch console, PS5, computer, and Xbox, and is currently on sale for a discount on online stores.

Gloomy Eyes is available on various systems and delivers a delightful alternative for gamers looking for spooky entertainment without terrifying moments.