Not each autumn fright adventure must scare players. Including beloved classics such as mystery-solving cartoons to delightful stories like Over the Garden Wall, many spooky-season titles are enjoyable without increasing anxiety. Moreover, a increasing selection of ghostly-adorable releases with Halloween vibes, but not the truly terrifying level of horror. Gloomy Eyes arrived in the fall, and serves as an superb comfortable alternative to the deeply scary titles of 2025.
A Distinctive Self-Coop Adventure
Known as a solo collaboration puzzle game, Gloomy Eyes unites a zombie boy named Gloomy and a human girl known as Nena as they embark on an mission to restore sunlight to their gloomy world. Their appearance resembles Funko Pops mixed with the puppets from a animated feature. Their light-complected and heavy-lidded aesthetic is influenced by the visual style of Gothic fantasy movies, and the story is a classic all-ages journey. These two develops an strong connection over the course of the game’s multiple stages as Nena attempts to show to her clerical relative that, look, perhaps zombies aren’t half bad.
Original Gameplay Systems
The “self-coop” term comes about from the game’s environmental puzzles. When Gloomy and Nena meet, you’ll swap between the budding companions to solve puzzles and move forward through the areas. As an undead, Gloomy can’t walk through the illumination of a streetlight, while Nena can be captured by loitering creatures without a lamp is focused on them.
They have to collaborate effectively — in practice, you’ll use them in tandem — to complete stages. Nena may move or briefly disable lamps to open routes for Gloomy, while the intellectually curious youth will employ his undead power to move items in the world, creating paths for Nena.
Captivating World Building
The brain-teasers remind me a little of The Gardens Between, in the fashion the stages are hovering, miniature constructions that the perspective moves across in sync with your heroes. Gloomy Eyes’ environments are very enjoyable, leading the companions around a fair and through a haunted house, among other locations. Players can use a “diorama view” feature that permits you to pull back and spin the levels, both to appreciate the artwork and search for ways that may not have been apparent.
Minor Hiccups and Complete Gameplay
Here lies one of the sole difficulties with Gloomy Eyes. Comparable to other titles with a locked camera, occasionally it's confusing where the heroes can and cannot go. Gamers could require to just bump into a multiple different items to discover which ones are interactive, as clues aren't consistently provided.
However, those small obstacles don't obstruct of a ghostly-charming good time. Gloomy Eyes is relatively brief, with about a few sessions worth of brain-teasers. Advanced areas blend together light hidden movement and action elements with the challenge completion, as Gloomy Eyes marches toward a fulfilling — and slightly surprising — conclusion.
Availability and Summary
Those shying away from the frights of fear-inducing releases won’t want to miss Gloomy Eyes. The game is out on Nintendo platform, PS5, computer, and Xbox Series X, and is available at a reduced price for 25% off on game marketplaces.
This charming title is out now on various systems and delivers a enjoyable option for players seeking spooky entertainment minus the fear factor.
