Not each autumn fright adventure has to terrify players. From well-known tales for example animated detectives to delightful stories including Over the Garden Wall, numerous Halloween-themed staples provide fun without needing increasing anxiety. There’s also, a growing library of ghostly-adorable games including autumn atmosphere, but not the sleep-with-the-lights-on degree of fear. Gloomy Eyes debuted in September, and stands as an excellent cozy alternative to the truly terrifying releases of 2025.
A Unique Collaborative Solo Adventure
Described as a “self-coop” brain-teaser, Gloomy Eyes teams up a undead youth called Gloomy and a living girl named Nena as they start an mission to restore sunlight to their shadowy realm. Their appearance evokes Funko Pops mixed with the figures from a Laika film. Their pale-skinned and tired-looking aesthetic is influenced by the appearance of Tim Burton’s films, and the plot is a classic family-friendly adventure. These two develops an enduring connection over the span of the game’s 14 chapters as Nena attempts to prove to her religious guardian that, you know, possibly living-impaired beings can be friendly.
Creative Puzzle Mechanics
This unique term stems from the game’s world-based challenges. Once Gloomy and Nena encounter each other, you’ll swap amidst the newfound friends to solve puzzles and progress through the levels. Being a zombie, Gloomy cannot pass through the brightness of a streetlight, while Nena can be captured by loitering creatures except if a light is shone on them.
It's necessary for them to cooperate closely — in practice, players control them simultaneously — to advance through areas. Nena could adjust or momentarily deactivate lamps to create passages for Gloomy, while the intellectually curious character will use his zombie strength to rearrange obstacles in the surroundings, revealing routes for Nena.
Immersive Level Design
The puzzles remind me a touch of The Gardens Between, in the way the areas are hovering, diorama-like structures that the view pans around in conjunction with your heroes. Gloomy Eyes’ worlds are quite fun, guiding the friends around a fair and through a ghostly building, including other locations. There’s a “diorama view” option that enables you to zoom out and rotate the levels, simultaneously to admire the designs and search for ways that may not have been apparent.
Slight Issues and Complete Gameplay
Here lies one of the only problems with Gloomy Eyes. Like other releases with a locked camera, it’s not always clear where the protagonists can and cannot go. You may need to just bump into a few random objects to determine which ones are interactable, as the game doesn't always indicate.
Nevertheless, those small obstacles don't obstruct of a ghostly-charming enjoyable experience. Gloomy Eyes runs on the short side, with about a few sessions worth of brain-teasers. Advanced areas blend together subtle sneaking and dynamic sequences with the problem-solving, as Gloomy Eyes progresses to a satisfying — and slightly unexpected — conclusion.
Release and Summary
Gamers steering clear of the scares of intense horror releases ought to experience Gloomy Eyes. You can find it on Switch console, PS5, Windows PC, and Xbox, and is currently on sale for 25% off on online stores.
The spooky-cute adventure has been released on several consoles and delivers a pleasurable alternative for gamers in search of Halloween fun without the intense scares.
