Developer: Fishing Cactus
Publisher: Untold Tales, ARTE France
Platform: PC, Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X|S
Tested on: Switch (2)
Gloomy Eyes – Review
The latest Nintendo Direct was jam-packed with the usual suspects, including Mario and Pokémon, as well as smaller titles like Popucom and Lynked. One title that was overlooked was Gloomy Eyes, however. The game was shadowdropped on the eShop without so much as a mention in the Direct. That’s a shame, because Gloomy Eyes is a title that deserves some attention, and not just because it was developed by our fellow Belgian countrymen. Protagonist Gloomy may not like it, but we’re going to shine a light on Gloomy Eyes regardless.
Story
In the world of Gloomy Eyes, the sun has mysteriously vanished, and night reigns eternal. Zombies exist here, and they are locked in a conflict with humans, with mistrust and hostility on both sides. The story that unfolds against this background is one of a forbidden friendship; that of Gloomy and Nena. Gloomy is a lonely zombie boy with glowing eyes who cannot endure light, while Nena is a curious human girl who can walk in light but is vulnerable to zombies. This unlikely duo sets off together to search for the missing sun, much to the dismay of Nena’s uncle, a sinister priest. Poised to eradicate the zombies, he sends his cultists after Gloomy. Our heroes must now make their way through a hostile, macabre world filled with cultists, zombies, and other dangers. Despite the game’s dark setting, Gloomy Eyes’ story is actually quite endearing, with a vibe that is close to Coraline and the works of Tim Burton.
Graphics
The Burton-esque feeling of Gloomy Eyes is further enhanced by the game’s visuals. Character designs are exaggerated, with big eyes and eerie yet cute proportions. The twisted and surreal environments include the likes of a haunted house, a swamp, and an abandoned school. These are presented as small, self-contained dioramas. The game’s color palette leans toward dark, muted tones, with pops of contrast from glowing elements like Gloomy’s bright eyes, fireflies, luminescent plants, or toxic green swamps. This naturally ties into how light is part of the game’s mechanics, and fits with the game’s overall aesthetics and atmosphere. In terms of visual performance, Gloomy Eyes doesn’t quite meet expectations, however, when it comes to the Switch version of the game. The game looks blurry and washed out, making fine details harder to appreciate. The fixed isometric camera perspective also doesn’t help, as depth perception becomes tricky.
Sound
Eric Nolan’s narration forms the heart of Gloomy Eyes‘ soundscape. As the voice of the gravekeeper who buried Gloomy and now observes the journey, he delivers a warm and immersive performance, adding to the game’s storybook feel. His performance is underscored by the game’s haunting soundtrack, which combines melancholic violins with whimsical tunes and even carnival music. It’s not quite up there with frequent Burton collaborator Danny Elfman’s compositions, but within the context of Gloomy Eyes, the game’s soundtrack definitely does what it needs to. There is no real voice acting in the game apart from Nolan’s narration, unless you count the groans of the zombies or the cackling laugh of Nena’s uncle, which is overused to the point that it becomes comical. Rounding things out are the sound effects, including footsteps on different surfaces, rain, and wind, which are effective on their own. However, there were some instances where sound effects weren’t synced with the game’s visuals, which unfortunately had a negative effect on immersion.
Gameplay
In Gloomy Eyes, players take control of both Gloomy and Nena, alternating between the pair to solve environmental puzzles. Each of the game’s stages is presented as a self-contained diorama, where the goal is to guide the duo to the exit. Our heroes each have their own strengths and weaknesses: Gloomy can throw objects, move heavy items, and walk among other zombies, but is vulnerable to light. Meanwhile, Nena can operate switches, jump across small gaps, and traverse light, but she is vulnerable to zombies. The stages are built around using each character’s strengths to overcome the other one’s weaknesses. The puzzles themselves strike a good balance when it comes to difficulty. They are intuitive and tactile without feeling overly easy, resulting in plenty of satisfying “a-ha” moments. Should you get stuck, then friendly fireflies will act as guides, alleviating frustration.
Some stages eschew traditional puzzle solving and replace it with stealth gameplay, where you need to stay out of enemy sightlines. Other stages include short, gimmicky boss fights. Neither of these deviations from the core gameplay really sticks the landing, breaking the overall flow of the game instead. It’s here that Gloomy Eyes’ gameplay is at its weakest, although things never get overly difficult. The Switch version also suffers from an unintentional secondary gameplay issue: the drop in visual clarity makes it so that sometimes it’s hard to tell what objects are interactable or where paths exist.
With roughly a dozen stages, none of which should take more than fifteen minutes or so to complete, Gloomy Eyes certainly doesn’t overstay its welcome. You’re looking at around 4 hours for your first playthrough, although once you know the solutions to the puzzles, that can be reduced to about an hour or so. The game’s main reason to replay it comes in the form of Mementos, hidden collectibles that expand the game’s lore and encourage exploration. Still, for as enjoyable as Gloomy Eyes is, it’s hard to deny that it offers a very barebones package for its €24.99 RRP.
Conclusion
A short but memorable puzzle game, Gloomy Eyes is a game where its sum is greater than its individual parts. The audiovisual presentation in particular is a highlight, albeit flawed on the Switch. The game’s storybook narrative and environmental puzzles further tie things together. Gloomy Eyes’ biggest gameplay issues are the boss fights and stealth segments, although its greatest flaw is perhaps its price point. If you can pick this one up on sale, we highly recommend adding it to your library though.
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