Not each autumn fright experience must scare players. Including beloved classics like mystery-solving cartoons to endearing shows like Over the Garden Wall, numerous autumn-inspired favorites provide fun without needing raising your heart rate. There’s also, a increasing selection of spooky-cute releases with Halloween vibes, but not the truly terrifying level of fear. Gloomy Eyes debuted in September, and stands as an superb comfortable choice to the truly terrifying games of 2025.
A Distinctive Single-Player Cooperative Journey
Known as a single-player cooperative puzzle game, Gloomy Eyes unites a living-impaired child called Gloomy and a mortal child known as Nena as they begin an mission to restore sunlight to their gloomy environment. Their appearance evokes Funko Pops mixed with the figures from a stop-motion animation. The fair-toned and tired-looking aesthetic draws inspiration from the look of Gothic fantasy movies, and the plot is a quintessential family-friendly tale. The duo develops an enduring bond over the course of the game’s 14 chapters as Nena tries to prove to her religious guardian that, look, maybe the undead aren’t half bad.
Creative Gameplay Systems
This unique term stems from the game’s world-based challenges. When Gloomy and Nena encounter each other, you’ll swap among the recent allies to solve puzzles and progress through the stages. As an undead, Gloomy is unable to traverse through the illumination of a streetlight, while Nena can be captured by wandering undead without a beam is directed on them.
They must work in tandem — in practice, gamers operate them simultaneously — to finish levels. Nena could adjust or momentarily deactivate lights to create passages for Gloomy, while the thoughtful boy will use his zombie strength to rearrange objects in the surroundings, revealing ways for Nena.
Engaging World Building
These challenges remind me a bit of The Gardens Between, in the way the levels are suspended, model-like constructions that the perspective pans around in conjunction with your protagonists. Gloomy Eyes’ settings are very enjoyable, leading the duo around a fair and through a haunted house, including other locales. There’s a “diorama view” option that permits you to view from afar and turn the areas, both to admire the artwork and hunt for ways that may not have been apparent.
Minor Challenges and General Gameplay
This represents one of the sole problems with Gloomy Eyes. Similar to other releases with a fixed perspective, it’s not always clear where the characters are able to move. You may need to simply collide with a several various elements to figure out which ones are interactive, as it’s not always intuitive.
Nevertheless, those small speedbumps don’t get in the way of a ghostly-charming good time. Gloomy Eyes is relatively brief, with about a few sessions worth of puzzles. Advanced areas combine minor sneaking and action elements with the problem-solving, as Gloomy Eyes advances to a rewarding — and moderately surprising — conclusion.
Availability and Conclusion
Players steering clear of the frights of fear-inducing games won’t want to miss Gloomy Eyes. You can find it on Switch console, PlayStation 5, computer, and Xbox, and is available at a reduced price for a quarter off on game marketplaces.
This charming title is out now on several consoles and provides a pleasurable alternative for fans seeking Halloween fun without intense scares.
