This Spooky-Cute Puzzler Serves as the Excellent Replacement to Frightening Flicks

Not all Halloween horror experience must scare players. Starting with iconic favorites such as Scooby-Doo to charming series like Over the Garden Wall, plenty of autumn-inspired titles provide fun without causing fear. Moreover, a growing library of ghostly-adorable titles with autumn atmosphere, but not the truly terrifying level of terror. Gloomy Eyes was released in September, and stands as an outstanding comfortable alternative to the deeply scary releases of this year.

An Original Self-Coop Quest

Described as a “self-coop” puzzle game, Gloomy Eyes pairs up a zombie boy called Gloomy and a mortal child called Nena as they embark on an quest to bring the sun back to their dark, dark world. Their design resembles Funko Pops mixed with the puppets from a Laika film. The light-complected and tired-looking aesthetic is influenced by the appearance of Tim Burton’s films, and the plot is a quintessential family-friendly adventure. The pair builds an strong friendship over the span of the game’s multiple stages as Nena strives to demonstrate to her clerical relative that, look, maybe the undead can be friendly.

Innovative Problem-Solving Features

This unique description stems from the game’s interactive problem-solving. Once Gloomy and Nena meet, players alternate among the recent allies to solve puzzles and advance through the levels. Being a zombie, Gloomy is unable to traverse through the light of a light source, while Nena can be captured by wandering undead except if a light is shone on them.

It's necessary for them to cooperate closely — actually, players control them in tandem — to complete stages. Nena might relocate or briefly disable lights to open routes for Gloomy, while the thoughtful boy will utilize his supernatural ability to rearrange objects in the environment, revealing ways for Nena.

Immersive World Building

These challenges remind me a bit of The Gardens Between, in the fashion the stages are suspended, model-like structures that the view pans around in conjunction with your characters. Gloomy Eyes’ settings are highly entertaining, leading the friends around a amusement park and through a spooky mansion, amid other places. There’s a “diorama view” feature that allows you to zoom out and spin the areas, both to enjoy the visuals and search for paths that may not have been clear.

Slight Challenges and Overall Experience

Here lies one of the few difficulties with Gloomy Eyes. Like other games with a static view, occasionally it's confusing where the protagonists are able to move. You may need to randomly encounter a few random objects to discover which ones are interactive, as clues aren't consistently provided.

Nonetheless, those slight speedbumps don't hinder of a ghostly-charming fun adventure. Gloomy Eyes has a compact length, with roughly several hours worth of challenges. Later levels integrate minor sneaking and dynamic sequences with the challenge completion, as Gloomy Eyes progresses to a satisfying — and slightly surprising — finale.

Accessibility and Summary

Those steering clear of the terror of fear-inducing games should definitely try Gloomy Eyes. The game is out on Switch console, PlayStation 5, computer, and Xbox, and is available at a reduced price for a quarter off on game marketplaces.

The spooky-cute adventure has been released on several consoles and offers a pleasurable option for players looking for spooky entertainment minus the terrifying moments.