Not every spooky season journey must terrify gamers. Starting with beloved classics such as mystery-solving cartoons to endearing shows including Over the Garden Wall, many Halloween-themed favorites offer entertainment without needing raising your heart rate. Additionally, a expanding collection of eerie-charming titles including autumn atmosphere, yet without the keep-you-awake degree of horror. Gloomy Eyes was released in September, and acts as an excellent comfortable option to the truly terrifying games of 2025.
A Distinctive Collaborative Solo Adventure
Described as a “self-coop” brain-teaser, Gloomy Eyes unites a zombie boy named Gloomy and a human girl called Nena as they begin an adventure to bring the sun back to their gloomy realm. Their appearance evokes stylized dolls combined with the puppets from a Laika film. The fair-toned and baggy-eyed style is influenced by the look of Tim Burton’s films, and the plot is a classic all-ages tale. These two forms an strong friendship over the span of the game’s 14 chapters as Nena strives to show to her priest uncle that, you know, maybe zombies aren’t half bad.
Innovative Problem-Solving Features
The “self-coop” term comes about from the game’s environmental puzzles. When Gloomy and Nena meet, you’ll swap between the budding companions to solve puzzles and advance through the areas. Being a zombie, Gloomy cannot pass through the brightness of a lamppost, while Nena will get snatched up by idle zombies unless a beam is focused on them.
They must work in tandem — well, players control them together — to finish levels. Nena might relocate or momentarily deactivate illumination to open routes for Gloomy, while the open-brained boy will use his zombie strength to shift around items in the surroundings, revealing routes for Nena.
Captivating World Building
The puzzles evoke memories a bit of The Gardens Between, in the fashion the areas are suspended, miniature structures that the camera moves across in sync with your characters. Gloomy Eyes’ settings are quite fun, guiding the duo around a amusement park and through a haunted house, among other locations. The game includes a “diorama view” button that permits you to view from afar and turn the stages, both for enjoy the visuals and hunt for routes that may not have been obvious.
Minor Hiccups and Overall Experience
Here lies one of the few problems with Gloomy Eyes. Similar to other titles with a locked camera, sometimes it's unclear where the protagonists may or may not travel. You may need to just bump into a multiple different objects to figure out which ones are interactive, as it’s not always intuitive.
Nonetheless, those minor obstacles don't hinder of a ghostly-charming fun adventure. Gloomy Eyes runs on the short side, with roughly several hours worth of challenges. Subsequent stages combine subtle stealth and action elements with the challenge completion, as Gloomy Eyes progresses to a rewarding — and slightly surprising — conclusion.
Accessibility and Summary
Players steering clear of the scares of terrifying releases won’t want to miss Gloomy Eyes. You can find it on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PC, and Xbox, and is presently discounted for a discount on digital platforms.
The spooky-cute adventure has been released on several consoles and provides a delightful option for fans seeking Halloween fun without intense scares.
