Not every Halloween horror adventure has to scare players. Starting with well-known tales like Scooby-Doo to endearing shows like Over the Garden Wall, many autumn-inspired favorites are enjoyable without needing causing fear. Additionally, a growing library of ghostly-adorable games with Halloween vibes, yet without the sleep-with-the-lights-on intensity of fear. Gloomy Eyes debuted in recent months, and serves as an outstanding comfortable alternative to the deeply scary titles of 2025.
An Original Collaborative Solo Adventure
Known as a single-player cooperative puzzle game, Gloomy Eyes pairs up a undead youth named Gloomy and a human girl named Nena as they start an adventure to restore sunlight to their dark, dark realm. They look is similar to stylized dolls combined with the figures from a animated feature. Their light-complected and heavy-lidded appearance borrows heavily from the visual style of Burtonesque cinema, and the plot is a archetypal suitable for everyone journey. These two forms an enduring friendship over the duration of the game’s multiple stages as Nena tries to demonstrate to her clerical relative that, you know, maybe zombies aren’t half bad.
Creative Puzzle Mechanics
The “self-coop” term originates from the game’s world-based challenges. Once Gloomy and Nena meet, gamers switch among the budding companions to complete challenges and move forward through the stages. As an undead, Gloomy can’t walk through the light of a lamppost, while Nena can be captured by loitering creatures unless a light is shone on them.
They have to collaborate effectively — actually, gamers operate them together — to advance through areas. Nena may move or briefly disable lamps to create passages for Gloomy, while the thoughtful boy will utilize his supernatural ability to move obstacles in the surroundings, creating paths for Nena.
Immersive World Building
The puzzles remind me a touch of The Gardens Between, in the manner the areas are suspended, diorama-like designs that the view moves across in conjunction with your protagonists. Gloomy Eyes’ environments are very enjoyable, leading the companions around a amusement park and through a spooky mansion, among other locations. There’s a “diorama view” option that permits you to view from afar and turn the levels, both to appreciate the visuals and hunt for routes that may not have been obvious.
Small Issues and Complete Experience
This represents one of the few difficulties with Gloomy Eyes. Similar to other games with a fixed perspective, occasionally it's confusing where the protagonists are able to move. You may need to randomly encounter a several various items to figure out which ones are usable, as clues aren't consistently provided.
However, those slight challenges don't obstruct of a spooky-cute fun adventure. Gloomy Eyes is relatively brief, with roughly a few sessions worth of puzzles. Later levels combine light hidden movement and action elements with the challenge completion, as Gloomy Eyes progresses to a satisfying — and slightly surprising — finale.
Availability and Final Thoughts
Those shying away from the frights of intense horror titles won’t want to miss Gloomy Eyes. The game is out on Switch console, Sony system, Windows PC, and Microsoft console, and is currently on sale for a quarter off on digital platforms.
The spooky-cute adventure has been released on several consoles and offers a enjoyable option for fans seeking autumn enjoyment minus the terrifying moments.
