Not every autumn fright adventure needs to frighten players. Starting with beloved classics for example animated detectives to charming series including Over the Garden Wall, plenty of spooky-season titles offer entertainment without increasing anxiety. Moreover, a increasing selection of eerie-charming games including spooky themes, though lacking the sleep-with-the-lights-on level of terror. Gloomy Eyes debuted in recent months, and stands as an excellent relaxing option to the deeply scary titles of 2025.
An Original Single-Player Cooperative Adventure
Known as a solo collaboration puzzle game, Gloomy Eyes unites a undead youth known as Gloomy and a living girl known as Nena as they embark on an adventure to bring the sun back to their dark, dark environment. Their appearance is similar to Funko Pops blended with the puppets from a stop-motion animation. The light-complected and heavy-lidded appearance is influenced by the visual style of Gothic fantasy movies, and the story is a classic family-friendly adventure. The duo develops an unbreakable connection over the course of the game’s multiple stages as Nena strives to demonstrate to her clerical relative that, hey, perhaps the undead are actually good.
Creative Problem-Solving Features
The “self-coop” description comes about from the game’s environmental puzzles. Once Gloomy and Nena encounter each other, gamers switch amidst the newfound friends to solve puzzles and advance through the levels. Being a zombie, Gloomy can’t walk through the illumination of a lamppost, while Nena can be captured by wandering undead unless a beam is shone on them.
It's necessary for them to collaborate effectively — actually, you’ll use them together — to advance through areas. Nena could adjust or momentarily deactivate lamps to clear paths for Gloomy, while the open-brained youth will use his zombie strength to rearrange items in the environment, creating ways for Nena.
Engaging World Building
The puzzles evoke memories a touch of The Gardens Between, in the manner the areas are floating, model-like designs that the perspective moves across in conjunction with your protagonists. Gloomy Eyes’ settings are quite fun, taking the duo around a amusement park and through a spooky mansion, among other locations. Players can use a “diorama view” option that permits you to zoom out and turn the areas, both to admire the visuals and look for paths that may not have been apparent.
Minor Issues and General Gameplay
And that’s one of the few problems with Gloomy Eyes. Comparable to other titles with a fixed perspective, sometimes it's unclear where the protagonists are able to move. You may need to simply collide with a multiple different items to figure out which ones are usable, as it’s not always intuitive.
Nevertheless, those slight speedbumps don't hinder of a ghostly-charming enjoyable experience. Gloomy Eyes is relatively brief, with about several hours worth of brain-teasers. Advanced areas integrate minor hidden movement and action elements with the challenge completion, as Gloomy Eyes progresses to a fulfilling — and slightly unforeseen — ending.
Release and Final Thoughts
Those shying away from the frights of intense horror releases should definitely try Gloomy Eyes. You can find it on Nintendo platform, PS5, PC, and Xbox Series X, and is currently on sale for a quarter off on game marketplaces.
This charming title has been released on various systems and provides a pleasurable choice for gamers seeking Halloween fun without the intense scares.
