Not every spooky season adventure needs to terrify you. Including iconic favorites such as Scooby-Doo to delightful stories such as Over the Garden Wall, many autumn-inspired staples provide fun without raising your heart rate. Moreover, a increasing selection of spooky-cute games featuring autumn atmosphere, though lacking the sleep-with-the-lights-on level of fear. Gloomy Eyes debuted in September, and stands as an superb relaxing option to the truly terrifying releases of 2025.
A Unique Self-Coop Adventure
Labeled as a “self-coop” puzzle game, Gloomy Eyes unites a living-impaired child known as Gloomy and a mortal child named Nena as they start an mission to restore sunlight to their dark, dark realm. Their design is similar to Funko Pops mixed with the figures from a Laika film. The pale-skinned and tired-looking aesthetic borrows heavily from the appearance of Tim Burton’s films, and the plot is a archetypal family-friendly tale. The pair forms an strong connection over the span of the game’s numerous levels as Nena tries to show to her priest uncle that, you know, perhaps zombies can be friendly.
Original Problem-Solving Features
This unique term stems from the game’s world-based challenges. Once Gloomy and Nena encounter each other, gamers switch between the budding companions to solve puzzles and move forward through the areas. Since he's not alive, Gloomy cannot pass through the brightness of a streetlight, while Nena may be grabbed by wandering undead without a lamp is focused on them.
They must cooperate closely — in practice, players control them simultaneously — to finish levels. Nena might relocate or momentarily deactivate lamps to open routes for Gloomy, while the thoughtful youth will utilize his supernatural ability to shift around obstacles in the environment, opening up ways for Nena.
Captivating Environment Creation
These challenges remind me a touch of The Gardens Between, in the fashion the areas are suspended, diorama-like designs that the camera rotates in coordination with your characters. Gloomy Eyes’ settings are highly entertaining, leading the friends around a amusement park and through a ghostly building, among other places. There’s a “diorama view” button that permits you to pull back and turn the stages, both to enjoy the designs and look for ways that may not have been apparent.
Minor Hiccups and General Gameplay
Here lies one of the sole difficulties with Gloomy Eyes. Similar to other releases with a fixed perspective, sometimes it's unclear where the protagonists may or may not travel. Players might have to simply collide with a multiple different objects to discover which ones are interactive, as the game doesn't always indicate.
However, those slight speedbumps don’t get in the way of a spooky-cute good time. Gloomy Eyes is relatively brief, with approximately a few sessions worth of brain-teasers. Later levels combine minor hidden movement and exciting moments with the problem-solving, as Gloomy Eyes advances to a satisfying — and slightly unforeseen — conclusion.
Release and Final Thoughts
Players steering clear of the scares of intense horror games won’t want to miss Gloomy Eyes. It’s available on Nintendo Switch, PS5, computer, and Xbox, and is currently on sale for a discount on digital platforms.
The spooky-cute adventure is out now on various systems and delivers a delightful alternative for fans seeking spooky entertainment without terrifying moments.