Publisher Untold Tales and co-publisher ARTE FRANCE alongside developers Fishing Cactus, Atlas V, 3dar, and Be Revolution Gaming have released a new teaser trailer for their narrative driven puzzle game Gloomy Eyes. Provided by Gematsu, Gloomy Eyes is set to launch on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch and PC.
ARTE France head of digital project management and video games co-productions and publishing activities manager Adrien Larouzee said in a press release. “The announcement of Gloomy Eyes: The Game is a testament to ARTE’s investment in the world of independent video games,” and that “With its surprising artistic universe, innovative and accessible gameplay, and moving story, ARTE’s editorial strategy is in full swing.”
Gloomy Eyes is set in a world plunged in darkness, where the sun has sunk and the dead have returned to life marking the divide between the living and undead. Players will assume the role of Gloomy, a mysterious zombie child and Nena, a young human girl. Both must solve puzzles and assist others in need on a quest to make the sun rise again.
Players will alternate between Gloomy and Nena with each utilizing their own distinct abilities to solve puzzles; Puzzles functionally require the use of both characters and are environmentally based. Gloomy Eyes also features hand-crafted dioramas for its environments. Graphical elements of the game have been implemented from its debut as a VR short film. Gloomy Eyes basis, a film won the “Best VR Film” award at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in 2019.
The developer intent behind Gloomy Eyes seems to be to translate the emotional storytelling of the short film into that of something that can be enjoyed by the gaming community. With a strong visual backbone and narrative direction, this one may land nicely for indie audiences come release.