Not all spooky season journey must terrify you. From beloved classics for example mystery-solving cartoons to charming series like Over the Garden Wall, many spooky-season titles provide fun without requiring causing fear. Additionally, a growing library of spooky-cute titles featuring autumn atmosphere, yet without the sleep-with-the-lights-on intensity of fear. Gloomy Eyes arrived in recent months, and stands as an outstanding relaxing option to the deeply scary games of 2025.
An Original Single-Player Cooperative Journey
Described as a solo collaboration brain-teaser, Gloomy Eyes pairs up a living-impaired child called Gloomy and a human girl named Nena as they begin an mission to return daylight to their gloomy realm. Their design is similar to collectible figures mixed with the puppets from a Laika film. Their fair-toned and baggy-eyed aesthetic borrows heavily from the visual style of Tim Burton’s films, and the narrative is a quintessential all-ages adventure. The duo develops an unbreakable connection over the span of the game’s numerous levels as Nena attempts to demonstrate to her religious guardian that, look, possibly the undead aren’t half bad.
Innovative Gameplay Systems
The innovative label comes about from the game’s environmental puzzles. Once Gloomy and Nena encounter each other, players alternate between the budding companions to complete challenges and progress through the levels. Being a zombie, Gloomy cannot pass through the illumination of a streetlight, while Nena can be captured by loitering creatures unless a beam is focused on them.
They have to cooperate closely — actually, you’ll use them simultaneously — to advance through areas. Nena could adjust or briefly disable lamps to clear paths for Gloomy, while the open-brained boy will employ his undead power to shift around items in the environment, creating ways for Nena.
Captivating World Building
The puzzles bring to mind a bit of The Gardens Between, in the manner the stages are suspended, miniature constructions that the perspective pans around in coordination with your protagonists. Gloomy Eyes’ environments are quite fun, taking the companions around a amusement park and through a ghostly building, including other locales. There’s a “diorama view” button that permits you to pull back and turn the levels, both to admire the artwork and search for paths that may not have been clear.
Minor Issues and Complete Gameplay
Here lies one of the few difficulties with Gloomy Eyes. Comparable to other games with a static view, it’s not always clear where the protagonists can and cannot go. You may need to randomly encounter a few random items to figure out which ones are interactable, as it’s not always intuitive.
Nevertheless, those minor speedbumps don't hinder of a spooky-cute fun adventure. Gloomy Eyes is relatively brief, with roughly a few sessions worth of puzzles. Later levels blend together subtle hidden movement and exciting moments with the challenge completion, as Gloomy Eyes marches toward a fulfilling — and slightly surprising — finale.
Accessibility and Final Thoughts
Those shying away from the scares of terrifying titles won’t want to miss Gloomy Eyes. The game is out on Switch console, PS5, computer, and Microsoft console, and is available at a reduced price for a quarter off on online stores.
Gloomy Eyes is out now on various systems and delivers a pleasurable alternative for gamers in search of autumn enjoyment without the terrifying moments.
