Not all autumn fright journey needs to frighten gamers. Starting with well-known tales such as mystery-solving cartoons to delightful stories such as Over the Garden Wall, numerous Halloween-themed staples are enjoyable without requiring raising your heart rate. Additionally, a expanding collection of ghostly-adorable games with spooky themes, though lacking the truly terrifying degree of terror. Gloomy Eyes arrived in the fall, and acts as an outstanding cozy choice to the intensely frightening games of 2025.
A Unique Self-Coop Quest
Known as a “self-coop” brain-teaser, Gloomy Eyes unites a undead youth named Gloomy and a living girl called Nena as they start an mission to restore sunlight to their gloomy realm. Their design evokes Funko Pops combined with the figures from a Laika film. The light-complected and baggy-eyed appearance is influenced by the appearance of Gothic fantasy movies, and the story is a quintessential suitable for everyone adventure. The duo develops an unbreakable connection over the span of the game’s 14 chapters as Nena strives to prove to her religious guardian that, you know, possibly the undead are actually good.
Innovative Problem-Solving Features
The innovative description originates from the game’s environmental puzzles. When Gloomy and Nena cross paths, you’ll swap between the recent allies to solve puzzles and advance through the levels. Since he's not alive, Gloomy can’t walk through the light of a lamppost, while Nena can be captured by idle zombies except if a light is shone on them.
They must collaborate effectively — well, you’ll use them together — to finish levels. Nena could adjust or temporarily shut off illumination to open routes for Gloomy, while the open-brained youth will employ his undead power to move objects in the environment, revealing paths for Nena.
Engaging World Building
These challenges bring to mind a bit of The Gardens Between, in the way the levels are floating, model-like constructions that the camera rotates in sync with your heroes. Gloomy Eyes’ environments are very enjoyable, leading the duo around a fair and through a haunted house, amid other places. Players can use a “diorama view” option that permits you to view from afar and spin the stages, both to enjoy the visuals and search for routes that may not have been obvious.
Minor Issues and Complete Adventure
And that’s one of the only hiccups with Gloomy Eyes. Comparable to other titles with a fixed perspective, sometimes it's unclear where the characters are able to move. You may need to just bump into a several various items to determine which ones are interactable, as clues aren't consistently provided.
Nevertheless, those minor speedbumps don't obstruct of a eerie-adorable fun adventure. Gloomy Eyes has a compact length, with about several hours worth of brain-teasers. Subsequent stages blend together minor stealth and exciting moments with the problem-solving, as Gloomy Eyes marches toward a satisfying — and somewhat unexpected — finale.
Availability and Final Thoughts
Gamers steering clear of the scares of intense horror releases won’t want to miss Gloomy Eyes. The game is out on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox, and is available at a reduced price for 25% off on game marketplaces.
Gloomy Eyes is out now on several consoles and provides a enjoyable choice for players seeking Halloween fun without the intense scares.
