Not every autumn fright experience has to scare you. Including well-known tales like mystery-solving cartoons to charming series like Over the Garden Wall, plenty of autumn-inspired staples are enjoyable without needing increasing anxiety. Additionally, a expanding collection of eerie-charming titles including spooky themes, but not the sleep-with-the-lights-on degree of terror. Gloomy Eyes arrived in September, and serves as an superb cozy option to the intensely frightening games of 2025.
A Distinctive Collaborative Solo Adventure
Known as a “self-coop” brain-teaser, Gloomy Eyes unites a living-impaired child named Gloomy and a living girl known as Nena as they embark on an adventure to restore sunlight to their gloomy world. Their design evokes collectible figures blended with the characters from a animated feature. The light-complected and tired-looking aesthetic borrows heavily from the look of Gothic fantasy movies, and the plot is a classic family-friendly journey. These two forms an enduring friendship over the span of the game’s numerous levels as Nena strives to show to her priest uncle that, you know, perhaps living-impaired beings can be friendly.
Original Puzzle Mechanics
This unique term originates from the game’s interactive problem-solving. When Gloomy and Nena meet, players alternate between the recent allies to overcome obstacles and advance through the stages. Being a zombie, Gloomy is unable to traverse through the light of a lamppost, while Nena will get snatched up by loitering creatures unless a light is focused on them.
They have to collaborate effectively — well, gamers operate them together — to complete stages. Nena could adjust or momentarily deactivate illumination to clear paths for Gloomy, while the open-brained boy will use his zombie strength to rearrange objects in the environment, revealing ways for Nena.
Immersive World Building
The puzzles evoke memories a bit of The Gardens Between, in the way the stages are hovering, model-like structures that the perspective pans around in sync with your heroes. Gloomy Eyes’ settings are quite fun, leading the duo around a carnival and through a haunted house, among other places. The game includes a “diorama view” feature that permits you to zoom out and rotate the areas, both to appreciate the designs and look for ways that may not have been clear.
Small Challenges and General Gameplay
Here lies one of the sole hiccups with Gloomy Eyes. Comparable to other games with a locked camera, sometimes it's unclear where the characters are able to move. You may need to simply collide with a several various items to determine which ones are interactable, as the game doesn't always indicate.
Nonetheless, those small challenges don't obstruct of a eerie-adorable fun adventure. Gloomy Eyes runs on the short side, with roughly a few sessions worth of puzzles. Subsequent stages integrate light hidden movement and action elements with the challenge completion, as Gloomy Eyes marches toward a rewarding — and slightly unforeseen — conclusion.
Accessibility and Final Thoughts
Gamers steering clear of the terror of intense horror releases won’t want to miss Gloomy Eyes. The game is out on Nintendo Switch, PS5, Windows PC, and Microsoft console, and is currently on sale for 25% off on game marketplaces.
This charming title is available on several consoles and provides a pleasurable option for players looking for Halloween fun without the intense scares.
