Not all autumn fright experience has to terrify players. Starting with beloved classics such as mystery-solving cartoons to endearing shows including Over the Garden Wall, numerous Halloween-themed staples are enjoyable without requiring raising your heart rate. There’s also, a increasing selection of ghostly-adorable titles with Halloween vibes, but not the keep-you-awake intensity of fear. Gloomy Eyes was released in the fall, and stands as an superb cozy alternative to the truly terrifying releases of 2025.
An Original Self-Coop Adventure
Labeled as a solo collaboration problem-solving title, Gloomy Eyes pairs up a undead youth named Gloomy and a human girl called Nena as they begin an adventure to bring the sun back to their gloomy realm. Their appearance resembles Funko Pops mixed with the puppets from a Laika film. Their fair-toned and heavy-lidded aesthetic borrows heavily from the look of Burtonesque cinema, and the narrative is a archetypal all-ages tale. The duo forms an unbreakable bond over the course of the game’s numerous levels as Nena strives to demonstrate to her religious guardian that, hey, possibly living-impaired beings aren’t half bad.
Original Gameplay Systems
The “self-coop” term originates from the game’s environmental puzzles. After Gloomy and Nena cross paths, players alternate between the budding companions to complete challenges and progress through the levels. As an undead, Gloomy can’t walk through the brightness of a lamppost, while Nena can be captured by loitering creatures without a beam is directed on them.
It's necessary for them to work in tandem — well, gamers operate them in tandem — to advance through areas. Nena could adjust or briefly disable illumination to open routes for Gloomy, while the thoughtful boy will utilize his supernatural ability to shift around items in the surroundings, revealing paths for Nena.
Engaging World Building
The brain-teasers remind me a little of The Gardens Between, in the manner the areas are suspended, model-like designs that the view pans around in conjunction with your protagonists. Gloomy Eyes’ settings are very enjoyable, taking the companions around a carnival and through a ghostly building, amid other locations. There’s a “diorama view” button that allows you to view from afar and spin the areas, both to admire the artwork and look for routes that may not have been clear.
Slight Issues and General Adventure
Here lies one of the only hiccups with Gloomy Eyes. Comparable to other games with a static view, occasionally it's confusing where the heroes can and cannot go. Gamers could require to randomly encounter a multiple different elements to figure out which ones are interactable, as clues aren't consistently provided.
Nonetheless, those slight obstacles don't obstruct of a spooky-cute enjoyable experience. Gloomy Eyes runs on the short side, with roughly a few sessions worth of challenges. Later levels combine minor stealth and action elements with the challenge completion, as Gloomy Eyes advances to a rewarding — and moderately unforeseen — ending.
Release and Summary
Gamers shying away from the scares of fear-inducing titles won’t want to miss Gloomy Eyes. It’s available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PC, and Xbox, and is currently on sale for a discount on digital platforms.
Gloomy Eyes is available on various systems and offers a enjoyable option for players in search of spooky entertainment without terrifying moments.
