This Spooky-Cute Brain-Teaser Acts as the Perfect Alternative to Halloween Horror

Not each Halloween horror experience must scare gamers. From iconic favorites like mystery-solving cartoons to charming series such as Over the Garden Wall, numerous autumn-inspired titles provide fun without requiring increasing anxiety. Additionally, a expanding collection of eerie-charming titles featuring Halloween vibes, though lacking the sleep-with-the-lights-on level of fear. Gloomy Eyes was released in recent months, and stands as an excellent comfortable option to the deeply scary games of 2025.

Gloomy Eyes screenshot
Screenshot: Developers, Production Team, 3DAR, Be Revolution/Untold Tales

A Unique Self-Coop Quest

Described as a single-player cooperative brain-teaser, Gloomy Eyes teams up a zombie boy called Gloomy and a human girl called Nena as they begin an adventure to return daylight to their dark, dark environment. Their design is similar to stylized dolls mixed with the figures from a Laika film. The light-complected and heavy-lidded appearance borrows heavily from the look of Gothic fantasy movies, and the narrative is a archetypal suitable for everyone tale. These two forms an strong friendship over the duration of the game’s numerous levels as Nena attempts to demonstrate to her religious guardian that, you know, maybe zombies are actually good.

Original Puzzle Mechanics

The “self-coop” term originates from the game’s environmental puzzles. Once Gloomy and Nena encounter each other, you’ll swap among the recent allies to complete challenges and move forward through the stages. Being a zombie, Gloomy is unable to traverse through the illumination of a light source, while Nena may be grabbed by wandering undead without a lamp is directed on them.

They have to collaborate effectively — well, players control them together — to finish levels. Nena might relocate or briefly disable illumination to create passages for Gloomy, while the open-brained youth will employ his undead power to shift around items in the environment, revealing ways for Nena.

This adventure screenshot
Screenshot: Developers, ATLAS V, 3DAR, Game Company

Immersive Environment Creation

These challenges bring to mind a little of The Gardens Between, in the manner the stages are hovering, miniature constructions that the perspective rotates in sync with your protagonists. Gloomy Eyes’ worlds are quite fun, taking the friends around a amusement park and through a ghostly building, amid other locations. Players can use a “diorama view” button that enables you to pull back and rotate the levels, both for admire the visuals and look for ways that may not have been clear.

Small Hiccups and Overall Adventure

Here lies one of the only hiccups with Gloomy Eyes. Comparable to other games with a locked camera, occasionally it's confusing where the protagonists are able to move. You may need to simply collide with a multiple different items to determine which ones are usable, as it’s not always intuitive.

Nonetheless, those small speedbumps don't hinder of a ghostly-charming enjoyable experience. Gloomy Eyes is relatively brief, with roughly three to five hours worth of puzzles. Advanced areas integrate subtle sneaking and action elements with the challenge completion, as Gloomy Eyes advances to a fulfilling — and moderately unforeseen — conclusion.

Availability and Summary

Players steering clear of the scares of fear-inducing releases won’t want to miss Gloomy Eyes. You can find it on Switch console, PlayStation 5, PC, and Microsoft console, and is presently discounted for 25% off on online stores.

The spooky-cute adventure has been released on various systems and offers a pleasurable alternative for players looking for autumn enjoyment minus the fear factor.

Gregory Branch
Gregory Branch

A tech journalist and digital strategist passionate about exploring how emerging technologies shape society and business.