Not each autumn fright adventure must scare players. From beloved classics for example mystery-solving cartoons to charming series like Over the Garden Wall, numerous Halloween-themed titles are enjoyable without raising your heart rate. There’s also, a growing library of ghostly-adorable titles featuring Halloween vibes, yet without the truly terrifying level of terror. Gloomy Eyes arrived in September, and stands as an outstanding cozy option to the intensely frightening titles of 2025.
A Unique Collaborative Solo Journey
Described as a solo collaboration problem-solving title, Gloomy Eyes unites a undead youth called Gloomy and a human girl named Nena as they begin an mission to return daylight to their gloomy realm. Their design evokes stylized dolls blended with the puppets from a stop-motion animation. Their fair-toned and heavy-lidded appearance borrows heavily from the look of Burtonesque cinema, and the story is a archetypal all-ages journey. The duo builds an strong connection over the course of the game’s numerous levels as Nena tries to prove to her religious guardian that, look, maybe living-impaired beings are actually good.
Creative Problem-Solving Features
The innovative description originates from the game’s interactive problem-solving. When Gloomy and Nena cross paths, you’ll swap between the budding companions to overcome obstacles and progress through the stages. Since he's not alive, Gloomy is unable to traverse through the light of a lamppost, while Nena will get snatched up by loitering creatures without a beam is shone on them.
They must collaborate effectively — actually, you’ll use them in tandem — to advance through areas. Nena may move or briefly disable illumination to open routes for Gloomy, while the open-brained boy will use his zombie strength to move items in the world, opening up paths for Nena.
Captivating Level Design
These challenges evoke memories a bit of The Gardens Between, in the way the areas are floating, miniature structures that the camera pans around in coordination with your protagonists. Gloomy Eyes’ environments are very enjoyable, leading the companions around a fair and through a spooky mansion, including other locales. Players can use a “diorama view” feature that allows you to zoom out and turn the areas, both to admire the artwork and look for routes that may not have been obvious.
Minor Issues and Overall Gameplay
And that’s one of the only difficulties with Gloomy Eyes. Comparable to other games with a static view, sometimes it's unclear where the heroes may or may not travel. Players might have to simply collide with a few random elements to figure out which ones are interactable, as clues aren't consistently provided.
However, those small speedbumps don't obstruct of a eerie-adorable good time. Gloomy Eyes runs on the short side, with roughly several hours worth of puzzles. Later levels integrate minor sneaking and dynamic sequences with the problem-solving, as Gloomy Eyes progresses to a satisfying — and moderately unexpected — conclusion.
Availability and Summary
Those avoiding the frights of fear-inducing titles won’t want to miss Gloomy Eyes. It’s available on Switch console, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Microsoft console, and is currently on sale for a quarter off on game marketplaces.
This charming title is available on multiple platforms and delivers a pleasurable option for gamers looking for spooky entertainment minus the intense scares.
