Not every autumn fright adventure has to scare you. Including beloved classics such as Scooby-Doo to charming series like Over the Garden Wall, plenty of autumn-inspired titles provide fun without causing fear. Additionally, a increasing selection of ghostly-adorable releases including Halloween vibes, but not the keep-you-awake intensity of fear. Gloomy Eyes arrived in September, and acts as an outstanding comfortable alternative to the deeply scary releases of 2025.
A Distinctive Collaborative Solo Quest
Known as a single-player cooperative problem-solving title, Gloomy Eyes unites a living-impaired child named Gloomy and a human girl named Nena as they start an quest to return daylight to their gloomy world. Their appearance evokes Funko Pops combined with the characters from a animated feature. Their light-complected and heavy-lidded aesthetic draws inspiration from the appearance of Gothic fantasy movies, and the narrative is a archetypal suitable for everyone adventure. The pair builds an unbreakable connection over the span of the game’s multiple stages as Nena strives to show to her religious guardian that, look, maybe living-impaired beings are actually good.
Original Problem-Solving Features
The “self-coop” term comes about from the game’s world-based challenges. After Gloomy and Nena meet, you’ll swap between the recent allies to overcome obstacles and advance through the levels. Being a zombie, Gloomy can’t walk through the light of a light source, while Nena can be captured by idle zombies unless a lamp is directed on them.
They must work in tandem — actually, you’ll use them together — to complete stages. Nena might relocate or momentarily deactivate illumination to clear paths for Gloomy, while the intellectually curious youth will utilize his supernatural ability to move objects in the surroundings, revealing paths for Nena.
Immersive World Building
The puzzles evoke memories a little of The Gardens Between, in the manner the levels are suspended, diorama-like constructions that the view moves across in sync with your heroes. Gloomy Eyes’ environments are highly entertaining, guiding the companions around a carnival and through a ghostly building, amid other locations. The game includes a “diorama view” button that enables you to view from afar and spin the levels, both to enjoy the artwork and look for routes that may not have been clear.
Minor Challenges and Complete Adventure
Here lies one of the sole difficulties with Gloomy Eyes. Similar to other games with a locked camera, occasionally it's confusing where the characters are able to move. You may need to just bump into a multiple different elements to figure out which ones are usable, as it’s not always intuitive.
Nonetheless, those minor challenges don’t get in the way of a ghostly-charming good time. Gloomy Eyes runs on the short side, with approximately a few sessions worth of brain-teasers. Later levels combine minor stealth and dynamic sequences with the puzzle solving, as Gloomy Eyes marches toward a rewarding — and slightly unexpected — ending.
Availability and Final Thoughts
Players steering clear of the frights of intense horror titles won’t want to miss Gloomy Eyes. It’s available on Switch console, PS5, PC, and Microsoft console, and is available at a reduced price for 25% off on digital platforms.
Gloomy Eyes has been released on various systems and delivers a enjoyable option for gamers looking for spooky entertainment minus the intense scares.
