Not all spooky season adventure must scare you. From beloved classics like Scooby-Doo to endearing shows like Over the Garden Wall, many spooky-season titles provide fun without increasing anxiety. There’s also, a increasing selection of ghostly-adorable releases with autumn atmosphere, but not the truly terrifying level of terror. Gloomy Eyes debuted in recent months, and stands as an outstanding cozy alternative to the intensely frightening titles of 2025.
A Unique Single-Player Cooperative Quest
Known as a “self-coop” puzzle game, Gloomy Eyes unites a living-impaired child named Gloomy and a human girl named Nena as they embark on an mission to bring the sun back to their shadowy environment. They look resembles stylized dolls blended with the characters from a Laika film. The pale-skinned and baggy-eyed appearance borrows heavily from the look of Tim Burton’s films, and the plot is a archetypal suitable for everyone adventure. The duo forms an strong connection over the duration of the game’s multiple stages as Nena strives to demonstrate to her clerical relative that, you know, possibly the undead aren’t half bad.
Innovative Gameplay Systems
This unique term comes about from the game’s interactive problem-solving. When Gloomy and Nena cross paths, you’ll swap among the newfound friends to complete challenges and advance through the levels. Being a zombie, Gloomy is unable to traverse through the brightness of a streetlight, while Nena can be captured by loitering creatures without a beam is shone on them.
They have to work in tandem — in practice, you’ll use them simultaneously — to finish levels. Nena could adjust or momentarily deactivate illumination to create passages for Gloomy, while the open-brained character will utilize his supernatural ability to rearrange obstacles in the environment, opening up ways for Nena.
Captivating Level Design
These challenges bring to mind a little of The Gardens Between, in the way the areas are floating, model-like designs that the view moves across in conjunction with your protagonists. Gloomy Eyes’ settings are quite fun, leading the companions around a carnival and through a spooky mansion, including other locations. The game includes a “diorama view” feature that allows you to pull back and turn the areas, both to admire the artwork and search for ways that may not have been apparent.
Minor Challenges and General Gameplay
This represents one of the sole hiccups with Gloomy Eyes. Similar to other titles with a locked camera, occasionally it's confusing where the heroes may or may not travel. Players might have to simply collide with a several various items to figure out which ones are usable, as clues aren't consistently provided.
Nonetheless, those small challenges don’t get in the way of a eerie-adorable good time. Gloomy Eyes has a compact length, with roughly a few sessions worth of puzzles. Subsequent stages integrate light sneaking and dynamic sequences with the problem-solving, as Gloomy Eyes progresses to a satisfying — and slightly surprising — finale.
Release and Summary
Gamers avoiding the terror of intense horror titles should definitely try Gloomy Eyes. It’s available on Nintendo platform, Sony system, PC, and Xbox Series X, and is currently on sale for 25% off on online stores.
Gloomy Eyes is available on multiple platforms and delivers a delightful option for players seeking Halloween fun minus the terrifying moments.
