This Spooky-Cute Puzzler Functions as the Perfect Substitute to Frightening Flicks

Not every spooky season adventure has to frighten players. Including well-known tales such as Scooby-Doo to delightful stories like Over the Garden Wall, numerous spooky-season titles offer entertainment without needing raising your heart rate. Additionally, a expanding collection of spooky-cute titles with autumn atmosphere, though lacking the keep-you-awake level of fear. Gloomy Eyes was released in recent months, and serves as an excellent relaxing choice to the intensely frightening titles of 2025.

A Distinctive Self-Coop Quest

Known as a solo collaboration brain-teaser, Gloomy Eyes pairs up a living-impaired child known as Gloomy and a mortal child named Nena as they start an adventure to restore sunlight to their shadowy realm. They look resembles stylized dolls combined with the characters from a Laika film. The pale-skinned and baggy-eyed style draws inspiration from the appearance of Burtonesque cinema, and the narrative is a archetypal suitable for everyone tale. The pair develops an strong connection over the course of the game’s numerous levels as Nena strives to prove to her religious guardian that, look, possibly the undead are actually good.

Original Gameplay Systems

The “self-coop” label comes about from the game’s interactive problem-solving. When Gloomy and Nena encounter each other, players alternate amidst the budding companions to solve puzzles and move forward through the levels. As an undead, Gloomy is unable to traverse through the illumination of a light source, while Nena can be captured by wandering undead except if a beam is shone on them.

They must work in tandem — actually, you’ll use them simultaneously — to finish levels. Nena may move or temporarily shut off lights to create passages for Gloomy, while the open-brained youth will use his zombie strength to move objects in the surroundings, opening up routes for Nena.

Immersive Environment Creation

The puzzles remind me a touch of The Gardens Between, in the manner the levels are floating, miniature designs that the view pans around in conjunction with your characters. Gloomy Eyes’ settings are very enjoyable, leading the friends around a amusement park and through a ghostly building, amid other places. The game includes a “diorama view” feature that allows you to zoom out and rotate the levels, simultaneously to appreciate the visuals and search for paths that may not have been clear.

Small Hiccups and Complete Gameplay

And that’s one of the sole hiccups with Gloomy Eyes. Similar to other games with a locked camera, occasionally it's confusing where the characters may or may not travel. You may need to randomly encounter a multiple different items to discover which ones are interactable, as clues aren't consistently provided.

However, those slight challenges don’t get in the way of a eerie-adorable enjoyable experience. Gloomy Eyes is relatively brief, with approximately several hours worth of challenges. Advanced areas blend together minor hidden movement and action elements with the problem-solving, as Gloomy Eyes advances to a satisfying — and slightly unexpected — ending.

Availability and Final Thoughts

Players avoiding the scares of fear-inducing releases should definitely try Gloomy Eyes. The game is out on Nintendo platform, Sony system, Windows PC, and Microsoft console, and is currently on sale for 25% off on digital platforms.

Gloomy Eyes is available on multiple platforms and delivers a delightful choice for gamers in search of autumn enjoyment without the intense scares.