Not each Halloween horror adventure must frighten gamers. Including well-known tales such as animated detectives to charming series like Over the Garden Wall, plenty of Halloween-themed titles are enjoyable without needing raising your heart rate. Additionally, a expanding collection of ghostly-adorable releases including Halloween vibes, though lacking the keep-you-awake intensity of terror. Gloomy Eyes was released in recent months, and stands as an excellent comfortable choice to the intensely frightening games of 2025.
A Distinctive Self-Coop Journey
Labeled as a “self-coop” brain-teaser, Gloomy Eyes pairs up a zombie boy known as Gloomy and a mortal child called Nena as they start an mission to bring the sun back to their shadowy world. Their design resembles collectible figures mixed with the figures from a Laika film. The light-complected and heavy-lidded appearance draws inspiration from the look of Burtonesque cinema, and the narrative is a quintessential suitable for everyone journey. The pair develops an enduring friendship over the span of the game’s numerous levels as Nena attempts to show to her clerical relative that, look, perhaps zombies can be friendly.
Innovative Gameplay Systems
The “self-coop” label originates from the game’s environmental puzzles. Once Gloomy and Nena cross paths, gamers switch between the newfound friends to overcome obstacles and advance through the stages. Since he's not alive, Gloomy can’t walk through the illumination of a lamppost, while Nena may be grabbed by idle zombies except if a light is focused on them.
It's necessary for them to work in tandem — in practice, gamers operate them simultaneously — to finish levels. Nena might relocate or briefly disable illumination to create passages for Gloomy, while the open-brained boy will utilize his supernatural ability to shift around items in the world, revealing paths for Nena.
Engaging Level Design
The brain-teasers remind me a little of The Gardens Between, in the fashion the stages are floating, diorama-like structures that the view pans around in coordination with your characters. Gloomy Eyes’ settings are highly entertaining, leading the companions around a amusement park and through a spooky mansion, amid other places. Players can use a “diorama view” feature that allows you to pull back and rotate the levels, simultaneously to enjoy the visuals and search for ways that may not have been clear.
Slight Hiccups and General Experience
This represents one of the only difficulties with Gloomy Eyes. Similar to other releases with a locked camera, occasionally it's confusing where the characters are able to move. You may need to simply collide with a few random items to figure out which ones are usable, as clues aren't consistently provided.
Nevertheless, those small challenges don’t get in the way of a ghostly-charming enjoyable experience. Gloomy Eyes is relatively brief, with approximately three to five hours worth of challenges. Advanced areas integrate subtle hidden movement and action elements with the challenge completion, as Gloomy Eyes marches toward a satisfying — and somewhat surprising — conclusion.
Accessibility and Summary
Gamers shying away from the terror of intense horror releases should definitely try Gloomy Eyes. The game is out on Nintendo Switch, Sony system, computer, and Xbox, and is presently discounted for 25% off on game marketplaces.
Gloomy Eyes is available on multiple platforms and offers a enjoyable option for gamers seeking Halloween fun without the intense scares.
