Not each autumn fright experience has to scare gamers. From well-known tales such as Scooby-Doo to charming series such as Over the Garden Wall, numerous Halloween-themed titles offer entertainment without requiring increasing anxiety. Moreover, a growing library of spooky-cute releases with Halloween vibes, but not the sleep-with-the-lights-on level of fear. Gloomy Eyes was released in September, and serves as an superb comfortable choice to the truly terrifying releases of 2025.
A Unique Single-Player Cooperative Adventure
Described as a “self-coop” problem-solving title, Gloomy Eyes teams up a zombie boy known as Gloomy and a mortal child named Nena as they start an adventure to return daylight to their dark, dark world. Their design resembles Funko Pops combined with the puppets from a Laika film. The pale-skinned and baggy-eyed style borrows heavily from the look of Tim Burton’s films, and the story is a classic suitable for everyone journey. These two forms an strong friendship over the course of the game’s numerous levels as Nena attempts to prove to her priest uncle that, hey, maybe zombies aren’t half bad.
Original Gameplay Systems
The “self-coop” description originates from the game’s world-based challenges. Once Gloomy and Nena encounter each other, players alternate amidst the recent allies to overcome obstacles and progress through the stages. As an undead, Gloomy is unable to traverse through the light of a streetlight, while Nena can be captured by idle zombies without a beam is shone on them.
It's necessary for them to work in tandem — in practice, gamers operate them together — to complete stages. Nena may move or briefly disable lights to clear paths for Gloomy, while the thoughtful youth will employ his undead power to shift around obstacles in the surroundings, revealing routes for Nena.
Engaging Level Design
The puzzles evoke memories a touch of The Gardens Between, in the fashion the levels are floating, diorama-like structures that the camera rotates in sync with your protagonists. Gloomy Eyes’ environments are quite fun, taking the friends around a amusement park and through a ghostly building, amid other locales. Players can use a “diorama view” option that allows you to pull back and turn the stages, both to admire the visuals and look for ways that may not have been apparent.
Minor Issues and Complete Experience
Here lies one of the sole hiccups with Gloomy Eyes. Like other titles with a fixed perspective, occasionally it's confusing where the characters are able to move. You may need to randomly encounter a several various items to determine which ones are interactive, as it’s not always intuitive.
However, those slight obstacles don’t get in the way of a eerie-adorable fun adventure. Gloomy Eyes has a compact length, with about several hours worth of challenges. Advanced areas combine subtle sneaking and dynamic sequences with the challenge completion, as Gloomy Eyes advances to a rewarding — and slightly unforeseen — ending.
Availability and Summary
Gamers steering clear of the frights of intense horror games ought to experience Gloomy Eyes. You can find it on Nintendo Switch, Sony system, computer, and Xbox Series X, and is currently on sale for 25% off on digital platforms.
The spooky-cute adventure is out now on several consoles and provides a enjoyable choice for gamers in search of spooky entertainment without the fear factor.
