Not each spooky season experience has to terrify gamers. From beloved classics such as Scooby-Doo to charming series including Over the Garden Wall, plenty of spooky-season titles are enjoyable without needing causing fear. Moreover, a growing library of eerie-charming releases including Halloween vibes, but not the truly terrifying degree of terror. Gloomy Eyes arrived in the fall, and stands as an superb cozy option to the intensely frightening titles of 2025.
A Distinctive Collaborative Solo Adventure
Known as a “self-coop” problem-solving title, Gloomy Eyes pairs up a living-impaired child known as Gloomy and a living girl named Nena as they begin an adventure to return daylight to their shadowy environment. Their design evokes Funko Pops blended with the puppets from a stop-motion animation. Their light-complected and tired-looking style is influenced by the appearance of Gothic fantasy movies, and the story is a archetypal family-friendly journey. These two builds an unbreakable connection over the course of the game’s 14 chapters as Nena strives to prove to her priest uncle that, look, possibly the undead aren’t half bad.
Innovative Puzzle Mechanics
The innovative label stems from the game’s environmental puzzles. After Gloomy and Nena cross paths, players alternate amidst the budding companions to solve puzzles and progress through the levels. As an undead, Gloomy cannot pass through the light of a light source, while Nena may be grabbed by wandering undead without a lamp is directed on them.
They have to collaborate effectively — well, players control them in tandem — to advance through areas. Nena could adjust or momentarily deactivate lights to create passages for Gloomy, while the intellectually curious youth will use his zombie strength to shift around items in the surroundings, revealing paths for Nena.
Engaging Level Design
These challenges remind me a touch of The Gardens Between, in the manner the levels are floating, diorama-like structures that the camera pans around in coordination with your protagonists. Gloomy Eyes’ environments are very enjoyable, leading the friends around a fair and through a ghostly building, amid other locations. There’s a “diorama view” option that permits you to pull back and rotate the areas, simultaneously to enjoy the designs and search for paths that may not have been obvious.
Minor Hiccups and General Gameplay
This represents one of the only problems with Gloomy Eyes. Comparable 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 few random elements to figure out which ones are interactable, as clues aren't consistently provided.
Nonetheless, those small obstacles don't obstruct of a eerie-adorable fun adventure. Gloomy Eyes is relatively brief, with about a few sessions worth of brain-teasers. Advanced areas integrate subtle sneaking and action elements with the puzzle solving, as Gloomy Eyes progresses to a rewarding — and moderately unforeseen — ending.
Availability and Conclusion
Players avoiding the terror of intense horror games ought to experience Gloomy Eyes. The game is out on Nintendo platform, PlayStation 5, PC, and Xbox, and is currently on sale for a discount on digital platforms.
Gloomy Eyes is out now on various systems and provides a delightful alternative for gamers looking for spooky entertainment without intense scares.
