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

Not all spooky season adventure has to frighten gamers. Including iconic favorites such as animated detectives to endearing shows including Over the Garden Wall, numerous autumn-inspired titles are enjoyable without needing increasing anxiety. Moreover, a growing library of spooky-cute games with autumn atmosphere, yet without the truly terrifying intensity of fear. Gloomy Eyes arrived in recent months, and serves as an superb relaxing option to the intensely frightening releases of this year.

Gloomy Eyes visual
Image: ARTE France, Studio, Art Team, Game Company

A Distinctive Single-Player Cooperative Adventure

Described as a solo collaboration problem-solving title, Gloomy Eyes teams up a zombie boy called Gloomy and a human girl named Nena as they begin an mission to restore sunlight to their dark, dark world. They look is similar to collectible figures combined with the puppets from a Laika film. The pale-skinned and baggy-eyed appearance draws inspiration from the look of Gothic fantasy movies, and the plot is a quintessential family-friendly adventure. These two forms an strong bond over the duration of the game’s numerous levels as Nena strives to demonstrate to her priest uncle that, hey, perhaps zombies aren’t half bad.

Innovative Problem-Solving Features

The innovative term originates from the game’s interactive problem-solving. After Gloomy and Nena meet, players alternate amidst the newfound friends to solve puzzles and progress through the levels. As an undead, Gloomy cannot pass through the brightness of a light source, while Nena can be captured by wandering undead unless a light is focused on them.

They have to collaborate effectively — actually, gamers operate them simultaneously — to advance through areas. Nena could adjust or temporarily shut off lights to clear paths for Gloomy, while the intellectually curious boy will utilize his supernatural ability to shift around obstacles in the world, opening up routes for Nena.

The game screenshot
Image: Developers, Studio, Design Group, Game Company

Immersive Level Design

These challenges remind me a little of The Gardens Between, in the fashion the areas are suspended, diorama-like constructions that the perspective moves across in conjunction with your protagonists. Gloomy Eyes’ worlds are highly entertaining, taking the companions around a carnival and through a ghostly building, among other locales. The game includes a “diorama view” option that enables you to zoom out and spin the levels, both to enjoy the visuals and search for paths that may not have been apparent.

Slight Issues and General Adventure

And that’s one of the sole difficulties with Gloomy Eyes. Comparable to other titles with a static view, sometimes it's unclear where the heroes may or may not travel. You may need to simply collide with a multiple different elements to figure out which ones are usable, as it’s not always intuitive.

Nonetheless, those small challenges don't obstruct of a eerie-adorable enjoyable experience. Gloomy Eyes runs on the short side, with about three to five hours worth of brain-teasers. Advanced areas combine light hidden movement and exciting moments with the puzzle solving, as Gloomy Eyes advances to a fulfilling — and slightly surprising — ending.

Accessibility and Conclusion

Those steering clear of the frights of terrifying titles should definitely try Gloomy Eyes. It’s available on Switch console, PlayStation 5, PC, and Microsoft console, and is presently discounted for a quarter off on digital platforms.

Gloomy Eyes is out now on several consoles and provides a delightful alternative for players seeking spooky entertainment without the terrifying moments.

Brad Johnson
Brad Johnson

Liam Ashford is a veteran gamer and tech journalist with a passion for indie titles and retro gaming.