What would you do in a world where the sun didn’t shine and the dead walked among us? Would we just hide ourselves away and try to survive, or would we try to take it back and kill the zombies? In Gloomy Eyes, we get to see just that. We follow the story of Nena and Gloomy, an unlikely pair on a grand adventure. In our Gloomy Eyes review, we’ll tell you if this adorable adventure is worth experiencing. Or is it just another nightmare to skip?

Spoiler Warning: We will be going into heavy details of the story, so if you want to experience it yourself, read at your own discretion.

Story:

Imagine playing a game as if Tim Burton wrote it—a dark and spooky, yet adorably cute story that came together. Well, in Gloomy Eyes you get just that. It tells the story of a young Zombie boy known as Gloomy. A unique zombie with bright yellow eyes that glow like the sun. He and the others arose due to the sun no longer rising. It had refused to rise again. He is being hunted by humans to be killed and hidden away. However, all he wants to do is play and break things; however, that all changed when he met a young human girl named Nena.

Nena had heard stories of the young zombie boy. Mainly, from her deranged uncle, who had been called The Priest. Leading a cult of humans who wanted to be rid of the zombies. However, she dreams of meeting him. Missing the sun that once shone brightly, she wants to find him and find the sun. So she breaks out of her home, where she had been locked away by her uncle.

What follows is an adventure of friendship, loss, and self-discovery. Gloomy realizes he doesn’t want to hurt humans after he meets Nena. He felt happy and realized he would do all to protect her. And she realized she always wanted him by her side. This tale of a loving friendship despite being from two different worlds is absolutely heartwarming as it is heartbreaking at times. That’s not to mention that the entire story is told from the that of a storyteller. The storyteller is none other than the Gravekeeper, who can be seen throughout the game. He’s aware of everything happening and wants nothing more than the happiness of Gloomy and Nena.

All of this creates a truly beautiful drama. Like the story of corpse bride, but role flipped. It made the story so much more memorable.

Audio:

Music, ambience, as well as voice acting are all integral parts of any game. In Gloomy Eyes the sound and audio are so lovely. It was shown to be crafted with the utmost amount of care. From the soft, comforting tone of the Gravekeeper. To the background music of each level. Each part is crafted to such a level that it adds to the tenderness that went into the game.

The Gravekeeper acts as the narrator of the game. However, he is very biased in his telling. Worrying about the children. His tone is always soft when talking about Gloomy and Nena. However, when he talks about The Priest, Nena’s uncle, and his cult. He starts to speak with a tone of hate or disgust. As well as if you can find him hidden in the levels, he talks directly to the young kids.

Then, when you take into account the music. It has a very soulful feeling. While there are more areas where it can be a little creepy sounding, it has a rather playful, spooky sound. Which is weird to say, but it has that feeling times. Along with the fact, it also shows a mellow, somber vibe. All of this combines to create a mood that only adds to the game’s unique charms.

Now the sound isn’t perfect, and through my playthrough, I did notice some desync. Now it doesn’t often, but it’s enough to be noticeable.

Visual:

Now, the look of Gloomy Eyes is simply the easiest thing to describe. It is truly Tim Burtonesque, brought to life in a game. That is the highest compliment I can give it. Truly, any fan of the master of the macabre knows his style is both absolutely creepy and stunningly beautiful. That claymation art is hard to replicate, yet Gloomy Eyes does that almost to near perfection.

From the bright colors of Nena and the human world, to the muted and blue hues of Gloomy and the zombies. However, that’s all complemented by the bright yellow of Gloomy’s eyes. Not to mention the light of the fireflies, as they bring even more color and feel to everything. All of these combine into a beautiful painting of visuals.

Gameplay:

Now the gameplay of Gloomy Eyes is both engaging and yet very basic. That is all it needs to be, as it is a simple puzzle platformer. The game plays and feels almost like a COOP game, the way you have to control and use both Nena and Gloomy. Along with that, each character is able to do something different.

Nena, being a human, is able to think more and articulate herself. From using advanced machinery and buttons. To be able to use electrical devices. However, she is very fragile and a target of both cutlists and zombies. But Gloomy is there by her side. While he may be a target of the cultists, he is ignored by his fellow zombies. So he is there to help get to areas where Nena cannot go. More than that, he is strong enough to throw items at things that might need to be broken. This allows the duo to maneuver lights for Gloomy to not be hurt, but also breaks down walls to make new paths for both. As well as allow Gloomy to move obstacles for Nena.

These all play together to make a very fun puzzle game. It was both a fun and entertaining time, but it also had its challenging moments. However, despite all this, there were some major bugs. There were many times when the character would glitch through certain parts of the area and cause them to get stuck. Along with the fact, there were also times when items would randomly disappear, needing to reload checkpoints. Now they are relatively generous, but it is still an annoyance.

Closing Thoughts:

Overall, my time with my Gloomy Eyes review was a good time. Especially because the game is a very accessible game. As well as the fact that it’s not a very long game. With only 14 chapters, taking no more than 10 minutes or more, depending on your puzzle-solving ability. Overall, it’s about a 3 to 5-hour experience, if that. If you enjoy cute puzzle games, this is well worth your time.

We want to thank the team for the game key to provide for our Gloomy Eyes review. The game is currently out and available on all platforms. You can buy it on Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, Playstation 5, and Steam.

So let us know if our Gloomy Eyes review made you want to check out this creepy, cute title. Are you into puzzle games? Let us know in the comments below. Also, be sure to check out our other reviews.

If you want to keep up with me, you can follow me on Twitter or Twitch where I stream often.