Gloomy Eyes: The Game — Everything We Know

Fishing Cactus’ award-winning virtual reality animated movie Gloomy Eyes is on the verge of being adapted into a full-fledged video game for PC. Well, saying that, it’s not due to come out until 2025 — but it’s en route, nonetheless. And if that isn’t enough to tide you over, then you’ll be glad to know that ARTE France and a whole bunch of co-creators are already hard at work with porting it over to the gaming world.

“The announcement of Gloomy Eyes: The Game is a testament to ARTE’s investment in the world of independent video games,” said ARTE France head of digital project management Adrien Larouzee in a press release. “With its surprising artistic universe, innovative and accessible gameplay, and moving story, ARTE’s editorial strategy is in full swing.”

So, what more do you need to know about the upcoming video game adaptation? Well, if you’ve had the opportunity to witness the VR film in all its colors and shades, and are now looking explore it a little further, then be sure to read on.

What Is Gloomy Eyes: The Game?

To give you a clearer picture of what Gloomy Eyes is all about, the animated movie follows two unlikely heroes: Gloomy, a zombie brought back from the dead (again, I guess?), and Nena, a human who, under the strangest of circumstances, finds herself joint at the hip with the forsaken wanderer and on a quest to “find the sun” after the darkness swallowed it whole.

From the looks of the footage and in-game screenshots that have been posted to date, the upcoming adventure will feature an array of third-person platforming, as well as a variety of puzzle-solving elements and environmental trials. So, think Little Nightmares II, but with a slightly less depressing chemistry between the heroes, and you’ll have a rough idea of what it’ll aim to capture. Or at least, that’s what we’ve gathered from the details that have been provided to date, anyway.

Story

Gloomy Eyes will cast its focus on a small town engulfed in everlasting darkness—a situation that has gone on to resurrect the dead and spark an epic feud between the humans and the zombies. In a Romeo and Juliet sort of scenario, two unlikely young heroes, bound to their rightful clans, set out to defy the odds and let love guide them towards a better tomorrow. Turns out, that also means finding the sun—the one thing that’s keeping the dead…alive?

“Gloomy Eyes: The Game tells the poignant story of Gloomy, a mysterious zombie child, and Nena, a young human girl, in a world where the sun has chosen not to rise,” the blurb reads in part. “Darkness has awakened the dead from their graves, and the living are trying to chase them away. In the midst of this ongoing conflict between the dead and the living, players find themselves closely connected to this unusual couple who are trying to bring light back to the world despite fear, tension, and hostility.”

Gameplay

Fishing Cactus has described the game as being something of a puzzle-heavy third-person adventure, which means we can expect to see our share of environmental obstacles and all the trimmings. What’s more, as it’ll feature the two protagonists, we can more than likely expect to see cooperative-type segments and character-locked abilities, too.

In the words of Fishing Cactus, “using the unique abilities of Gloomy and Nena, players must solve puzzles and assist the heroes in their quest to make the sun rise again. They will uncover a unique story about loneliness, difference, and love by solving the various puzzles in this dark and poetic narrative game.”

According to the devs, Gloomy Eyes will also allow players to navigate “beautiful dioramas carefully crafted with a unique, breathtaking art direction inherited from the acclaimed virtual reality experience that won the best VR movie award at the Festival international du film d'animation d'Annecy in 2019.”

Development

The dead are rising from their graves ! We’re proud to reveal “Gloomy Eyes – The Game”, our new game, in collaboration with @FishingCactus @AtlasVCorp @3darStudios and Be Revolution, dead on time for a spooky Halloween ! 🧟‍♂️
Wishlist on Steam right now 👇 https://t.co/3B2ML1hLba pic.twitter.com/4POVd7nFWw

— ARTE_Interactif (@ARTE_Interactif) October 31, 2023

ARTE France first lifted the veil on Gloomy Eyes: The Game back on October 31st, at which point it announced its collaboration with developer Fishing Cactus, Atlas V, and 3Dar. Since then, the studios have come together to reveal a slew of new screenshots for the game, along with a short trailer to outline the two leading characters. Will there be any more teasers ahead of its launch? Absolutely. Do we have an idea of when it will release? Not quite. That said, the developers have gone as far as to say that it’ll be in 2025. So that's something.

Trailer

Ready for a deeper dive? If so, then you’ll be pleased to know that Fishing Cactus has already gone ahead and posted a sneak preview of Gloomy Eyes over on its streaming channels. Need we say more? You can check out the latest announcement trailer in the video embedded above.

Release Date, Platforms & Editions

Gloomy Eyes: The Game will be launching on PC via Steam at some point in 2025. Will there be a console port at any point in the foreseeable future? It’s hard to say. Having said that, several other games that have fallen under Fishing Cactus’ umbrella have gone on to launch on a multitude of external platforms. But who knows? Only time will tell on that one.

Interested in staying in the loop? If so, then be sure to swing by Fishing Cactus’ official social handle for all the latest updates here. If anything changes ahead of its global launch, we’ll be sure to fill you in on all the key details right here on gaming.net.

So, what’s your take? Will you be picking up a copy of Gloomy Eyes: The Game when it launches on PC in 2025? Let us know your thoughts over on our socials here.