The Spooky-Cute Puzzler Functions as the Ideal Alternative to Halloween Horror

Not each autumn fright adventure must frighten you. Starting with well-known tales for example Scooby-Doo to delightful stories like Over the Garden Wall, plenty of Halloween-themed staples are enjoyable without increasing anxiety. There’s also, a growing library of ghostly-adorable games with Halloween vibes, yet without the keep-you-awake intensity of horror. Gloomy Eyes arrived in September, and serves as an superb cozy option to the deeply scary releases of 2025.

An Original Single-Player Cooperative Adventure

Known as a single-player cooperative problem-solving title, Gloomy Eyes teams up a living-impaired child known as Gloomy and a mortal child named Nena as they begin an adventure to return daylight to their shadowy realm. Their design resembles stylized dolls mixed with the puppets from a stop-motion animation. The light-complected and tired-looking aesthetic is influenced by the look of Tim Burton’s films, and the story is a classic suitable for everyone journey. The pair forms an unbreakable connection over the duration of the game’s numerous levels as Nena tries to demonstrate to her religious guardian that, look, maybe zombies are actually good.

Creative Gameplay Systems

The innovative description originates from the game’s environmental puzzles. After Gloomy and Nena cross paths, you’ll swap among the recent allies to overcome obstacles and move forward through the areas. As an undead, Gloomy cannot pass through the light of a light source, while Nena will get snatched up by wandering undead without a lamp is shone on them.

It's necessary for them to work in tandem — actually, you’ll use them in tandem — to advance through areas. Nena could adjust or temporarily shut off lights to clear paths for Gloomy, while the thoughtful character will use his zombie strength to move objects in the environment, opening up paths for Nena.

Captivating World Building

The puzzles bring to mind a bit of The Gardens Between, in the manner the stages are floating, miniature constructions that the view rotates in coordination with your protagonists. Gloomy Eyes’ worlds are quite fun, leading the friends around a fair and through a spooky mansion, among other places. There’s a “diorama view” button that permits you to zoom out and turn the levels, both to enjoy the artwork and search for routes that may not have been obvious.

Minor Issues and Complete Gameplay

And that’s one of the sole hiccups with Gloomy Eyes. Similar to other games with a static view, occasionally it's confusing where the characters can and cannot go. Players might have to simply collide with a several various elements to determine which ones are usable, as it’s not always intuitive.

Nevertheless, those slight speedbumps don't obstruct of a spooky-cute good time. Gloomy Eyes is relatively brief, with roughly three to five hours worth of challenges. Subsequent stages combine minor sneaking and exciting moments with the challenge completion, as Gloomy Eyes progresses to a satisfying — and moderately surprising — finale.

Availability and Conclusion

Players avoiding the scares of terrifying releases won’t want to miss Gloomy Eyes. The game is out on Nintendo platform, PS5, PC, and Xbox Series X, and is currently on sale for 25% off on digital platforms.

Gloomy Eyes is out now on several consoles and delivers a delightful alternative for players seeking Halloween fun without intense scares.