A sport like Gloomy Eyes must’ve been reviewed in October, proper? No longer the vacation season in December? Smartly, right here we’re, anyway. Imagine it a Nightmare Prior to Christmas roughly factor, which is smart taking into consideration the Burton-inspired visuals.
Gloomy Eyes is an journey/puzzle sport in keeping with an animated VR brief from 2019. You play as Gloomy (a zombie boy) and Nena (a dwelling woman) who come in combination in hopes of discovering the solar, which has been misplaced for some time. The artwork taste, sound, and storytelling have a distinctly creepy vibe, however the sport stays comfy and a laugh, with out a main jumpscares or speedy provide risk.
The Gloomy Eyes international exists like a Tremendous Mario Galaxy map, by which every degree is a brand new environment with a lot to discover and lots of puzzles to unravel. There may be a place to begin at every degree, and your function is all the time to search out your solution to the top. After all, many stumbling blocks block your method, and swapping between Gloomy and Nena will probably be required to get previous—he can’t be within the mild and she will be able to’t be round zombies. Those characters due to this fact will have to paintings in combination, however from separate portions of the extent, to transparent every different of any stumbling blocks and in finding the right way to the top.
The sport is single-player simplest, so be expecting numerous switching between the 2 and discovering what movements serve what functions. For instance, within the first couple ranges the place the 2 meet, you’ll play as Nena and in finding buttons inside her space that close off lighting fixtures so Gloomy can then get admission to spaces the place he’ll remedy puzzles that assist Nena in go back.
Those spaces are like dioramas from which you’ll again out and rotate to take all of it in. They’re massive, despite the fact that, so you’re going to spend quite a few time down just about the motion, experimenting with the environments to determine what to do. That’s the entire level, in the end. Gloomy Eyes doesn’t do a lot to steer you, you’re simply anticipated to scout the spaces till you in finding the triggers to assist the opposite growth. A big majority of the gameplay, due to this fact, facilities round blind exploration and trial and mistake. Is that a laugh?
Right here, it roughly is, in large part as a result of after all understanding the right way to growth is reasonably pleasurable. It’s like advancing from one puzzle to the following in an get away room, and it doesn’t take for much longer; Gloomy Eyes may also be finished in only one or two sittings for those who’re devoted. You additionally don’t need to care for being cramped in a tiny room with others who assume they’re higher puzzle-solvers than you.
You’re, then again, struck with a cramped digital camera that makes it tough to search out what you want. In some spaces, I wasn’t even in a position to stumble on that there have been paths I may take. The muted colours and blurry graphics at the Transfer don’t assist, both. To stay with the Tim Burton reference, it wishes the visible aptitude of Corpse Bride’s land of the lifeless, no longer the upstairs.
And taking into consideration the quick gameplay, Gloomy Eyes is simply priced too top at $25.
Nonetheless, I had a good time with the sport. The tale is excellent, even if cryptic in portions. The gameplay supplies sufficient rewards to push you during the occasional irritating parts. And even if it’s single-player simplest, I like to recommend sharing it with others, particularly more youthful players who’ll extra simply connect to Gloomy and Nena. And no want to watch for subsequent October to take action; it’s OK to be spooked in any given season.
