Not every Halloween horror adventure has to scare players. From beloved classics for example animated detectives to delightful stories such as Over the Garden Wall, many spooky-season favorites are enjoyable without requiring raising your heart rate. Moreover, a expanding collection of eerie-charming titles featuring spooky themes, but not the truly terrifying intensity of horror. Gloomy Eyes arrived in September, and acts as an outstanding comfortable alternative to the truly terrifying titles of 2025.
A Unique Self-Coop Adventure
Labeled as a “self-coop” puzzle game, Gloomy Eyes pairs up a zombie boy called Gloomy and a living girl called Nena as they start an adventure to return daylight to their shadowy world. Their appearance resembles Funko Pops combined with the figures from a Laika film. Their pale-skinned and tired-looking appearance borrows heavily from the look of Burtonesque cinema, and the plot is a archetypal all-ages journey. The duo builds an enduring connection over the course of the game’s multiple stages as Nena attempts to prove to her religious guardian that, hey, possibly the undead aren’t half bad.
Creative Problem-Solving Features
The innovative label originates from the game’s environmental puzzles. When Gloomy and Nena encounter each other, you’ll swap among the newfound friends to overcome obstacles and advance through the levels. Since he's not alive, Gloomy cannot pass through the illumination of a streetlight, while Nena may be grabbed by idle zombies except if a lamp is shone on them.
They must cooperate closely — actually, gamers operate them simultaneously — to finish levels. Nena could adjust or momentarily deactivate illumination to open routes for Gloomy, while the intellectually curious youth will use his zombie strength to move obstacles in the environment, creating routes for Nena.
Immersive World Building
These challenges evoke memories a little of The Gardens Between, in the way the areas are suspended, diorama-like designs that the camera rotates in conjunction with your characters. Gloomy Eyes’ environments are highly entertaining, taking the companions around a carnival and through a spooky mansion, among other locations. There’s a “diorama view” option that enables you to pull back and rotate the areas, both for enjoy the visuals and hunt for paths that may not have been apparent.
Slight Hiccups and Complete Adventure
Here lies one of the few difficulties with Gloomy Eyes. Similar to other games with a fixed perspective, occasionally it's confusing where the heroes are able to move. You may need to just bump into a multiple different objects to figure out which ones are interactive, as clues aren't consistently provided.
However, those small obstacles don't obstruct of a eerie-adorable good time. Gloomy Eyes has a compact length, with about three to five hours worth of puzzles. Advanced areas blend together minor stealth and action elements with the puzzle solving, as Gloomy Eyes advances to a fulfilling — and moderately unforeseen — finale.
Accessibility and Conclusion
Players shying away from the scares of terrifying releases should definitely try Gloomy Eyes. You can find it on Nintendo Switch, PS5, computer, and Microsoft console, and is currently on sale for a discount on digital platforms.
This charming title is out now on various systems and provides a delightful choice for players seeking autumn enjoyment minus the intense scares.
