This Spooky-Cute Puzzler Functions as the Ideal Substitute to Halloween Horror

Not each Halloween horror adventure must frighten gamers. Including iconic favorites such as Scooby-Doo to delightful stories like Over the Garden Wall, numerous spooky-season favorites offer entertainment without increasing anxiety. Additionally, a expanding collection of eerie-charming releases including autumn atmosphere, though lacking the sleep-with-the-lights-on intensity of fear. Gloomy Eyes arrived in September, and stands as an superb cozy alternative to the truly terrifying titles of 2025.

An Original Single-Player Cooperative Adventure

Labeled as a single-player cooperative problem-solving title, Gloomy Eyes pairs up a living-impaired child named Gloomy and a human girl named Nena as they start an adventure to bring the sun back to their shadowy world. Their design is similar to collectible figures mixed with the puppets from a stop-motion animation. The light-complected and heavy-lidded appearance draws inspiration from the look of Burtonesque cinema, and the story is a quintessential all-ages journey. The duo forms an enduring bond over the span of the game’s multiple stages as Nena attempts to show to her religious guardian that, you know, possibly living-impaired beings are actually good.

Innovative Puzzle Mechanics

The “self-coop” term stems from the game’s world-based challenges. Once Gloomy and Nena cross paths, players alternate among the recent allies to overcome obstacles and progress through the areas. As an undead, Gloomy can’t walk through the illumination of a lamppost, while Nena can be captured by idle zombies without a lamp is directed on them.

They must work in tandem — actually, gamers operate them together — to advance through areas. Nena might relocate or temporarily shut off lamps to clear paths for Gloomy, while the intellectually curious character will use his zombie strength to shift around items in the environment, opening up routes for Nena.

Captivating World Building

These challenges bring to mind a touch of The Gardens Between, in the manner the levels are hovering, miniature designs that the camera pans around in sync with your heroes. Gloomy Eyes’ worlds are very enjoyable, taking the duo around a carnival and through a spooky mansion, among other places. There’s a “diorama view” feature that allows you to view from afar and rotate the areas, both for enjoy the visuals and look for routes that may not have been obvious.

Small Challenges and Complete Experience

This represents one of the few hiccups with Gloomy Eyes. Like other games with a static view, sometimes it's unclear where the characters may or may not travel. You may need to simply collide with a several various elements to figure out which ones are interactable, as clues aren't consistently provided.

Nonetheless, those slight obstacles don't hinder of a ghostly-charming enjoyable experience. Gloomy Eyes runs on the short side, with about three to five hours worth of puzzles. Subsequent stages integrate minor stealth and dynamic sequences with the puzzle solving, as Gloomy Eyes progresses to a satisfying — and slightly surprising — ending.

Accessibility and Final Thoughts

Gamers avoiding the frights of intense horror releases should definitely try Gloomy Eyes. The game is out on Nintendo platform, PS5, computer, and Xbox Series X, and is presently discounted for a quarter off on digital platforms.

Gloomy Eyes is available on several consoles and provides a delightful option for gamers seeking spooky entertainment without the terrifying moments.