Not all Halloween horror adventure has to scare players. From beloved classics like Scooby-Doo to endearing shows such as Over the Garden Wall, many spooky-season titles provide fun without causing fear. Additionally, a growing library of ghostly-adorable releases featuring Halloween vibes, but not the truly terrifying level of fear. Gloomy Eyes arrived in recent months, and acts as an outstanding cozy alternative to the intensely frightening titles of 2025.
A Distinctive Self-Coop Quest
Known as a “self-coop” brain-teaser, Gloomy Eyes pairs up a zombie boy named Gloomy and a human girl known as Nena as they embark on an quest to return daylight to their gloomy world. Their appearance is similar to Funko Pops blended with the figures from a stop-motion animation. Their light-complected and heavy-lidded appearance is influenced by the visual style of Burtonesque cinema, and the plot is a archetypal all-ages adventure. The duo develops an strong bond over the course of the game’s multiple stages as Nena tries to prove to her priest uncle that, hey, perhaps living-impaired beings are actually good.
Innovative Puzzle Mechanics
This unique description stems from the game’s environmental puzzles. After Gloomy and Nena encounter each other, players alternate between the budding companions to overcome obstacles and advance through the areas. Being a zombie, Gloomy can’t walk through the brightness of a streetlight, while Nena can be captured by wandering undead without a beam is focused on them.
They have to work in tandem — actually, gamers operate them in tandem — to finish levels. Nena may move or briefly disable illumination to open routes for Gloomy, while the intellectually curious character will employ his undead power to shift around objects in the environment, creating ways for Nena.
Captivating Level Design
These challenges bring to mind a bit of The Gardens Between, in the fashion the levels are hovering, miniature constructions that the camera pans around in conjunction with your heroes. Gloomy Eyes’ environments are very enjoyable, guiding the duo around a carnival and through a spooky mansion, among other places. There’s a “diorama view” option that enables you to zoom out and spin the areas, simultaneously to enjoy the visuals and hunt for paths that may not have been obvious.
Slight Issues and Overall Adventure
This represents one of the only hiccups with Gloomy Eyes. Similar to other releases with a locked camera, occasionally it's confusing where the characters can and cannot go. You may need to just bump into a multiple different elements to determine which ones are interactable, as clues aren't consistently provided.
Nonetheless, those minor challenges don’t get in the way of a eerie-adorable good time. Gloomy Eyes is relatively brief, with about a few sessions worth of brain-teasers. Subsequent stages blend together light hidden movement and action elements with the puzzle solving, as Gloomy Eyes advances to a rewarding — and moderately unforeseen — conclusion.
Accessibility and Summary
Those avoiding the terror of terrifying games should definitely try Gloomy Eyes. It’s available on Nintendo platform, PS5, computer, and Xbox, and is available at a reduced price for a quarter off on online stores.
Gloomy Eyes is available on various systems and offers a enjoyable choice for gamers looking for Halloween fun without intense scares.
