Not each spooky season journey has to frighten gamers. Including iconic favorites for example Scooby-Doo to delightful stories including Over the Garden Wall, numerous Halloween-themed staples are enjoyable without needing increasing anxiety. Additionally, a increasing selection of ghostly-adorable releases featuring spooky themes, but not the keep-you-awake level of fear. Gloomy Eyes arrived in September, and serves as an outstanding relaxing choice to the intensely frightening releases of 2025.
A Unique Collaborative Solo Quest
Described as a solo collaboration problem-solving title, Gloomy Eyes pairs up a zombie boy named Gloomy and a human girl known as Nena as they embark on an mission to restore sunlight to their gloomy realm. They look is similar to Funko Pops combined with the characters from a stop-motion animation. Their pale-skinned and heavy-lidded aesthetic borrows heavily from the appearance of Tim Burton’s films, and the narrative is a archetypal family-friendly tale. These two develops an enduring friendship over the course of the game’s numerous levels as Nena attempts to show to her clerical relative that, you know, possibly the undead are actually good.
Original Gameplay Systems
The “self-coop” label comes about from the game’s environmental puzzles. Once Gloomy and Nena cross paths, players alternate amidst the recent allies to overcome obstacles and advance through the levels. Since he's not alive, Gloomy can’t walk through the brightness of a lamppost, while Nena can be captured by loitering creatures unless a lamp is shone on them.
They must collaborate effectively — in practice, you’ll use them together — to advance through areas. Nena may move or temporarily shut off lamps to open routes for Gloomy, while the open-brained character will use his zombie strength to rearrange items in the world, revealing ways for Nena.
Captivating Level Design
The brain-teasers evoke memories a bit of The Gardens Between, in the way the areas are hovering, miniature constructions that the view pans around in conjunction with your protagonists. Gloomy Eyes’ worlds are quite fun, taking the duo around a carnival and through a ghostly building, among other locations. Players can use a “diorama view” feature that enables you to view from afar and turn the stages, both for admire the designs and search for paths that may not have been clear.
Slight Hiccups and General Experience
This represents one of the only hiccups with Gloomy Eyes. Like other titles with a static view, it’s not always clear where the heroes can and cannot go. You may need to simply collide with a several various elements to determine which ones are interactive, as it’s not always intuitive.
However, those small speedbumps don't obstruct of a spooky-cute good time. Gloomy Eyes is relatively brief, with approximately three to five hours worth of puzzles. Later levels integrate light stealth and exciting moments with the puzzle solving, as Gloomy Eyes advances to a fulfilling — and slightly unexpected — ending.
Availability and Summary
Gamers steering clear of the terror of fear-inducing games ought to experience Gloomy Eyes. You can find it on Switch console, Sony system, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X, and is currently on sale for 25% off on online stores.
This charming title is available on several consoles and provides a enjoyable choice for players in search of Halloween fun without the intense scares.
