Not all Halloween horror adventure must terrify you. Starting with well-known tales such as animated detectives to charming series like Over the Garden Wall, numerous autumn-inspired titles provide fun without increasing anxiety. Additionally, a growing library of spooky-cute games with autumn atmosphere, yet without the sleep-with-the-lights-on level of terror. Gloomy Eyes arrived in the fall, and stands as an excellent comfortable alternative to the truly terrifying titles of 2025.
A Unique Single-Player Cooperative Adventure
Known as a “self-coop” puzzle game, Gloomy Eyes unites a living-impaired child called Gloomy and a mortal child named Nena as they embark on an mission to bring the sun back to their dark, dark world. Their appearance resembles collectible figures mixed with the figures from a stop-motion animation. Their light-complected and tired-looking aesthetic is influenced by the visual style of Gothic fantasy movies, and the narrative is a quintessential all-ages tale. The duo develops an enduring bond over the duration of the game’s 14 chapters as Nena tries to show to her priest uncle that, look, maybe the undead aren’t half bad.
Innovative Gameplay Systems
The “self-coop” term originates from the game’s interactive problem-solving. When Gloomy and Nena encounter each other, gamers switch between the newfound friends to complete challenges and progress through the stages. Being a zombie, Gloomy is unable to traverse through the brightness of a streetlight, while Nena can be captured by wandering undead without a beam is focused on them.
It's necessary for them to work in tandem — in practice, you’ll use them together — to complete stages. Nena may move or briefly disable illumination to clear paths for Gloomy, while the intellectually curious youth will employ his undead power to move objects in the world, revealing routes for Nena.
Engaging World Building
The puzzles bring to mind a bit of The Gardens Between, in the way the levels are hovering, diorama-like structures that the view rotates in conjunction with your protagonists. Gloomy Eyes’ worlds are very enjoyable, guiding the companions around a carnival and through a ghostly building, among other places. Players can use a “diorama view” button that permits you to zoom out and turn the stages, both for enjoy the artwork and search for paths that may not have been apparent.
Slight Issues and General Gameplay
And that’s one of the only difficulties with Gloomy Eyes. Similar to other releases with a locked camera, occasionally it's confusing where the protagonists may or may not travel. Players might have to just bump into a multiple different elements to discover which ones are interactable, as it’s not always intuitive.
However, those small challenges don't obstruct of a ghostly-charming enjoyable experience. Gloomy Eyes is relatively brief, with about several hours worth of brain-teasers. Subsequent stages blend together light hidden movement and action elements with the challenge completion, as Gloomy Eyes progresses to a satisfying — and slightly unexpected — ending.
Availability and Final Thoughts
Gamers steering clear of the terror of terrifying releases won’t want to miss Gloomy Eyes. It’s available on Nintendo Switch, PS5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X, and is presently discounted for 25% off on game marketplaces.
This charming title is out now on multiple platforms and provides a pleasurable option for fans seeking spooky entertainment without the terrifying moments.
