Not each autumn fright experience needs to scare players. Starting with iconic favorites such as animated detectives to endearing shows like Over the Garden Wall, plenty of autumn-inspired titles are enjoyable without needing raising your heart rate. Moreover, a increasing selection of ghostly-adorable games featuring Halloween vibes, though lacking the keep-you-awake level of terror. Gloomy Eyes debuted in September, and acts as an outstanding relaxing option to the intensely frightening releases of 2025.
An Original Collaborative Solo Quest
Known as a “self-coop” brain-teaser, Gloomy Eyes unites a living-impaired child known as Gloomy and a human girl known as Nena as they begin an adventure to restore sunlight to their dark, dark environment. Their design is similar to Funko Pops blended with the puppets from a Laika film. The fair-toned and heavy-lidded appearance borrows heavily from the appearance of Burtonesque cinema, and the narrative is a archetypal all-ages journey. The duo develops an strong connection over the course of the game’s multiple stages as Nena tries to prove to her religious guardian that, you know, possibly living-impaired beings aren’t half bad.
Original Problem-Solving Features
This unique description stems from the game’s interactive problem-solving. After Gloomy and Nena cross paths, you’ll swap between the budding companions to complete challenges and advance through the stages. Since he's not alive, Gloomy cannot pass through the illumination of a light source, while Nena will get snatched up by idle zombies unless a beam is shone on them.
They must work in tandem — actually, you’ll use them in tandem — to finish levels. Nena might relocate or briefly disable illumination to clear paths for Gloomy, while the intellectually curious character will employ his undead power to shift around obstacles in the environment, opening up routes for Nena.
Captivating Level Design
The puzzles evoke memories a bit of The Gardens Between, in the way the areas are suspended, model-like structures that the view rotates in sync with your protagonists. Gloomy Eyes’ settings are very enjoyable, guiding the companions around a carnival and through a spooky mansion, amid other locations. There’s a “diorama view” option that allows you to pull back and spin the levels, both for appreciate the artwork and hunt for ways that may not have been apparent.
Minor Hiccups and General Experience
And that’s one of the sole difficulties with Gloomy Eyes. Like other releases with a locked camera, it’s not always clear where the characters can and cannot go. You may need to just bump into a multiple different objects to determine which ones are interactable, as it’s not always intuitive.
Nevertheless, those minor obstacles don't hinder of a ghostly-charming fun adventure. Gloomy Eyes has a compact length, with about three to five hours worth of brain-teasers. Advanced areas blend together subtle sneaking and action elements with the challenge completion, as Gloomy Eyes marches toward a rewarding — and slightly surprising — ending.
Accessibility and Final Thoughts
Players avoiding the frights of terrifying titles should definitely try Gloomy Eyes. It’s available on Nintendo Switch, PS5, PC, and Microsoft console, and is currently on sale for a discount on online stores.
This charming title is available on several consoles and delivers a enjoyable choice for players in search of Halloween fun minus the terrifying moments.
