Not each Halloween horror journey needs to frighten players. Including beloved classics for example animated detectives to charming series such as Over the Garden Wall, plenty of spooky-season favorites are enjoyable without needing raising your heart rate. There’s also, a increasing selection of ghostly-adorable releases featuring spooky themes, though lacking the sleep-with-the-lights-on level of terror. Gloomy Eyes arrived in September, and stands as an excellent cozy alternative to the deeply scary titles of 2025.
An Original Single-Player Cooperative Quest
Described as a “self-coop” brain-teaser, Gloomy Eyes teams up a living-impaired child called Gloomy and a mortal child known as Nena as they begin an quest to restore sunlight to their shadowy realm. Their design evokes collectible figures combined with the characters from a animated feature. The fair-toned and baggy-eyed aesthetic borrows heavily from the visual style of Gothic fantasy movies, and the plot is a quintessential all-ages journey. These two develops an enduring friendship over the duration of the game’s 14 chapters as Nena attempts to prove to her clerical relative that, look, perhaps zombies can be friendly.
Original Gameplay Systems
This unique description comes about from the game’s world-based challenges. When Gloomy and Nena cross paths, you’ll swap among the recent allies to overcome obstacles and move forward through the stages. Since he's not alive, Gloomy is unable to traverse through the illumination of a streetlight, while Nena may be grabbed by loitering creatures without a light is focused on them.
They have to collaborate effectively — in practice, players control them together — to complete stages. Nena might relocate or momentarily deactivate lights to clear paths for Gloomy, while the open-brained boy will utilize his supernatural ability to move items in the surroundings, creating routes for Nena.
Immersive Level Design
The puzzles bring to mind a bit of The Gardens Between, in the manner the areas are suspended, diorama-like constructions that the view rotates in conjunction with your characters. Gloomy Eyes’ settings are very enjoyable, guiding the companions around a fair and through a ghostly building, including other locales. There’s a “diorama view” feature that permits you to zoom out and turn the stages, both to admire the artwork and hunt for paths that may not have been clear.
Small Issues and General Gameplay
This represents one of the sole hiccups with Gloomy Eyes. Similar to other titles with a locked camera, it’s not always clear where the characters are able to move. Players might have to randomly encounter a few random objects to discover which ones are interactive, as clues aren't consistently provided.
Nonetheless, those slight speedbumps don’t get in the way of a eerie-adorable fun adventure. Gloomy Eyes runs on the short side, with roughly three to five hours worth of brain-teasers. Later levels combine light hidden movement and exciting moments with the problem-solving, as Gloomy Eyes advances to a fulfilling — and slightly unforeseen — ending.
Availability and Summary
Those shying away from the terror of terrifying games won’t want to miss Gloomy Eyes. The game is out on Nintendo Switch, PS5, Windows PC, and Microsoft console, and is currently on sale for 25% off on online stores.
Gloomy Eyes is available on several consoles and delivers a enjoyable alternative for players seeking autumn enjoyment without the terrifying moments.
