Gloomy Eyes from Untold Tales, ARTE, 3Dar, Be Revolution Gaming, Atlas V, and Fishing Cactus is a cozy horror experience that is worth checking out on Nintendo Switch. Learn why in our Gloomy Eyes review!
Gloomy Eyes from Untold Tales, ARTE, 3Dar, Be Revolution Gaming, Atlas V, and Fishing Cactus is a cozy horror experience that is worth checking out on Nintendo Switch. This one is best described as a self-coop journey, since it’s a single-player game in which you’ll be taking control of two characters on your own: Gloomy and Nena. Gloomy is the zombie boy with the glowing eyes, and Nena is the mischievous girl with the pigtails. The game takes place in a world of eternal night. As expected, this is far from ideal for the humans, who seem to be in an almost eternal conflict with the undead. You know, the zombies.
Because of all this, it’s a bit weird that Gloomy and Nena are working together on this adventure, but maybe that’s exactly what is needed to hopefully bring back the much-needed daylight. You’ll have to switch between the two characters as you work on solving some puzzles here and there while making the most of each of their abilities. As you explore each level, you’ll go through handcrafted, rotatable dioramas that help to make everything pop. As you can tell from the trailer and screens in this Gloomy Eyes review, the game has certainly been inspired by the overall look and feel of Tim Burton’s repertoire.
Once the starting cutscene is over and you’re introduced to the two characters, you’ll be taking control of one of them by using the left analog stick to move around each of the areas that you’ll explore. You can move the camera around by using the right analog stick. Activate the diorama view by pressing the – button. When you’re doing this, you can press the R and L buttons to zoom in and out of the area as needed, so that you can get a closer look at all elements.
You can swap between Gloomy and Nena by pressing the X button as needed, so that you can use their abilities to solve the puzzles that you’ll run into. Gloomy won’t be bothered by the zombies, and Nena can jump over gaps and enter areas that are under the effects of even the most powerful of lights. You can interact with items or other characters by pressing the A button. This could be useful to, say, grab a bone with Gloomy so that you can then throw it at a lamp to move its light. This is important because Gloomy hates the light!
Gloomy Eyes is a cozy horror experience that is worth checking out on Nintendo Switch. This one is best described as a self-coop journey, since it’s a single-player game in which you’ll be taking control of two characters on your own: Gloomy and Nena. Gloomy is the zombie boy with the glowing eyes, and Nena is the mischievous girl with the pigtails. The game takes place in a world of eternal night. As expected, this is far from ideal for the humans, who seem to be in an almost eternal conflict with the undead. You know, the zombies.
This game is based on the short VR film experience of the same name, which was released back in 2020, and it expands the story to give us a better look at the relationship between Gloomy and Nena. You’ll first be introduced to Gloomy and will place as him for a bit before Nena is introduced, which will help you get used to how the game handles things. It’s one that you can play at your own pace, as you slowly explore each location, rotating the diorama around to find the right solution to your predicament.
As was the case for Gloomy Eyes VR, this new release features a narrator, which helps to present the overall story as you move from chapter to chapter, solving this or that puzzle that gets in your way. That narrator? None other than Academy Award nominee Colin Farrell, who said that this project was “one of the most beautiful things I’ve been part of in twenty years.” How’s that for a recommendation? Gloomy Eyes is out today on Nintendo Switch with a $24.99 price tag.
Disclaimer
This Gloomy Eyes review is based on a Nintendo Switch copy provided by Untold Tales.
