Not every spooky season experience must scare players. Starting with iconic favorites such as mystery-solving cartoons to endearing shows like Over the Garden Wall, many autumn-inspired staples offer entertainment without requiring increasing anxiety. There’s also, a expanding collection of eerie-charming releases with Halloween vibes, but not the truly terrifying intensity of horror. Gloomy Eyes arrived in September, and acts as an excellent cozy choice to the intensely frightening titles of 2025.
An Original Self-Coop Journey
Described as a “self-coop” problem-solving title, Gloomy Eyes unites a undead youth called Gloomy and a mortal child named Nena as they start an adventure to return daylight to their dark, dark environment. They look evokes collectible figures blended with the puppets from a animated feature. The pale-skinned and tired-looking style is influenced by the look of Gothic fantasy movies, and the story is a quintessential all-ages journey. These two builds an unbreakable friendship over the course of the game’s multiple stages as Nena attempts to prove to her priest uncle that, look, possibly living-impaired beings can be friendly.
Creative Puzzle Mechanics
This unique description comes about from the game’s world-based challenges. After Gloomy and Nena encounter each other, players alternate among the recent allies to complete challenges and move forward through the stages. Since he's not alive, Gloomy is unable to traverse through the brightness of a lamppost, while Nena may be grabbed by loitering creatures except if a lamp is shone on them.
They have to collaborate effectively — actually, gamers operate them together — to complete stages. Nena might relocate or momentarily deactivate lamps to create passages for Gloomy, while the thoughtful youth will use his zombie strength to shift around obstacles in the world, revealing routes for Nena.
Engaging Environment Creation
The puzzles bring to mind a touch of The Gardens Between, in the fashion the levels are suspended, miniature constructions that the camera rotates in conjunction with your heroes. Gloomy Eyes’ environments are quite fun, taking the companions around a fair and through a haunted house, among other places. There’s a “diorama view” feature that permits you to view from afar and spin the stages, simultaneously to appreciate the designs and look for paths that may not have been clear.
Slight Hiccups and General Experience
This represents one of the sole difficulties with Gloomy Eyes. Similar to other titles with a fixed perspective, sometimes it's unclear where the heroes are able to move. Players might have to randomly encounter a few random items to determine which ones are interactable, as the game doesn't always indicate.
However, those slight speedbumps don’t get in the way of a eerie-adorable enjoyable experience. Gloomy Eyes runs on the short side, with approximately several hours worth of brain-teasers. Later levels integrate subtle hidden movement and action elements with the challenge completion, as Gloomy Eyes marches toward a satisfying — and somewhat unforeseen — finale.
Accessibility and Conclusion
Gamers steering clear of the frights of fear-inducing games ought to experience Gloomy Eyes. It’s available on Switch console, PS5, PC, and Xbox, and is currently on sale for 25% off on online stores.
Gloomy Eyes is available on several consoles and provides a enjoyable choice for fans looking for spooky entertainment minus the terrifying moments.
