Not each Halloween horror experience must terrify players. Starting with well-known tales such as mystery-solving cartoons to delightful stories including Over the Garden Wall, many autumn-inspired favorites provide fun without needing raising your heart rate. There’s also, a increasing selection of ghostly-adorable releases with Halloween vibes, but not the sleep-with-the-lights-on level of terror. Gloomy Eyes was released in September, and stands as an outstanding relaxing choice to the intensely frightening titles of 2025.
An Original Collaborative Solo Quest
Described as a single-player cooperative puzzle game, Gloomy Eyes pairs up a zombie boy known as Gloomy and a mortal child named Nena as they start an mission to restore sunlight to their shadowy world. Their appearance resembles Funko Pops blended with the figures from a Laika film. Their fair-toned and baggy-eyed style is influenced by the look of Burtonesque cinema, and the story is a archetypal all-ages adventure. The pair builds an strong friendship over the course of the game’s multiple stages as Nena tries to show to her religious guardian that, hey, perhaps zombies are actually good.
Creative Problem-Solving Features
This unique label originates from the game’s world-based challenges. After Gloomy and Nena cross paths, players alternate between the budding companions to solve puzzles and move forward through the areas. Being a zombie, Gloomy is unable to traverse through the brightness of a light source, while Nena will get snatched up by loitering creatures except if a lamp is focused on them.
They must collaborate effectively — well, you’ll use them together — to advance through areas. Nena may move or temporarily shut off lights to open routes for Gloomy, while the thoughtful boy will utilize his supernatural ability to move items in the surroundings, opening up ways for Nena.
Captivating Environment Creation
The brain-teasers remind me a little of The Gardens Between, in the fashion the levels are floating, diorama-like constructions that the camera moves across in coordination with your protagonists. Gloomy Eyes’ settings are very enjoyable, taking the companions around a amusement park and through a haunted house, among other locations. The game includes a “diorama view” feature that enables you to zoom out and rotate the levels, both for admire the visuals and hunt for paths that may not have been apparent.
Small Challenges and Complete Gameplay
This represents one of the sole problems with Gloomy Eyes. Comparable to other titles with a static view, sometimes it's unclear where the protagonists can and cannot go. Players might have to randomly encounter a multiple different elements to discover which ones are interactive, as the game doesn't always indicate.
However, those small challenges don't obstruct of a ghostly-charming fun adventure. Gloomy Eyes has a compact length, with roughly several hours worth of brain-teasers. Later levels integrate light sneaking and exciting moments with the problem-solving, as Gloomy Eyes marches toward a fulfilling — and somewhat unforeseen — ending.
Availability and Final Thoughts
Gamers avoiding the frights of intense horror titles should definitely try Gloomy Eyes. It’s available on Nintendo platform, Sony system, computer, and Microsoft console, and is available at a reduced price for 25% off on digital platforms.
This charming title is available on multiple platforms and provides a pleasurable alternative for fans in search of spooky entertainment without the intense scares.
