Not all Halloween horror journey has to scare players. Starting with iconic favorites like Scooby-Doo to delightful stories including Over the Garden Wall, plenty of spooky-season favorites provide fun without needing causing fear. Additionally, a growing library of spooky-cute titles including autumn atmosphere, but not the sleep-with-the-lights-on intensity of fear. Gloomy Eyes arrived in the fall, and stands as an superb relaxing choice to the intensely frightening releases of 2025.
An Original Self-Coop Quest
Labeled as a “self-coop” brain-teaser, Gloomy Eyes unites a undead youth known as Gloomy and a living girl called Nena as they begin an quest to restore sunlight to their gloomy environment. Their design evokes Funko Pops blended with the figures from a stop-motion animation. The fair-toned and tired-looking aesthetic is influenced by the visual style of Burtonesque cinema, and the narrative is a archetypal family-friendly journey. The duo develops an unbreakable bond over the course of the game’s multiple stages as Nena attempts to prove to her priest uncle that, you know, maybe zombies aren’t half bad.
Innovative Problem-Solving Features
The “self-coop” term originates from the game’s interactive problem-solving. Once Gloomy and Nena meet, you’ll swap between the recent allies to complete challenges and progress through the stages. Since he's not alive, Gloomy cannot pass through the illumination of a lamppost, while Nena can be captured by idle zombies unless a lamp is focused on them.
They must cooperate closely — actually, gamers operate them simultaneously — to finish levels. Nena may move or briefly disable lamps to create passages for Gloomy, while the open-brained boy will use his zombie strength to move obstacles in the surroundings, opening up paths for Nena.
Captivating Environment Creation
These challenges evoke memories a touch of The Gardens Between, in the fashion the stages are hovering, miniature structures that the camera moves across in conjunction with your heroes. Gloomy Eyes’ settings are very enjoyable, leading the friends around a amusement park and through a haunted house, among other places. Players can use a “diorama view” option that allows you to zoom out and rotate the stages, simultaneously to admire the artwork and look for ways that may not have been apparent.
Slight Challenges and Overall Gameplay
Here lies one of the only hiccups with Gloomy Eyes. Similar to other releases with a static view, occasionally it's confusing where the protagonists can and cannot go. Players might have to just bump into a few random objects to figure out which ones are interactive, as the game doesn't always indicate.
Nevertheless, those minor speedbumps don't hinder of a ghostly-charming enjoyable experience. Gloomy Eyes has a compact length, with about a few sessions worth of puzzles. Subsequent stages blend together light sneaking and exciting moments with the challenge completion, as Gloomy Eyes progresses to a satisfying — and somewhat unexpected — finale.
Accessibility and Final Thoughts
Those steering clear of the scares of terrifying releases ought to experience Gloomy Eyes. You can find it on Nintendo Switch, PS5, computer, and Microsoft console, and is currently on sale for a quarter off on digital platforms.
This charming title is out now on multiple platforms and offers a enjoyable option for gamers seeking autumn enjoyment without terrifying moments.
