Not each autumn fright journey must frighten gamers. From iconic favorites such as animated detectives to delightful stories including Over the Garden Wall, many Halloween-themed favorites provide fun without causing fear. Additionally, a growing library of ghostly-adorable titles featuring Halloween vibes, though lacking the keep-you-awake level of horror. Gloomy Eyes debuted in the fall, and stands as an outstanding cozy choice to the truly terrifying titles of 2025.
Described as a single-player cooperative brain-teaser, Gloomy Eyes teams up a living-impaired child known as Gloomy and a mortal child called Nena as they start an quest to restore sunlight to their gloomy environment. Their appearance resembles Funko Pops blended with the figures from a stop-motion animation. Their light-complected and baggy-eyed aesthetic draws inspiration from the look of Burtonesque cinema, and the narrative is a classic family-friendly tale. The pair develops an strong connection over the duration of the game’s 14 chapters as Nena tries to show to her religious guardian that, look, maybe the undead aren’t half bad.
This unique description stems from the game’s world-based challenges. When Gloomy and Nena cross paths, players alternate amidst the budding companions to complete challenges and progress through the levels. Being a zombie, Gloomy cannot pass through the brightness of a streetlight, while Nena will get snatched up by idle zombies without a beam is focused on them.
It's necessary for them to collaborate effectively — well, you’ll use them simultaneously — to advance through areas. Nena might relocate or momentarily deactivate illumination to clear paths for Gloomy, while the thoughtful youth will utilize his supernatural ability to move items in the world, opening up paths for Nena.
These challenges evoke memories a little of The Gardens Between, in the manner the stages are suspended, miniature designs that the view moves across in sync with your heroes. Gloomy Eyes’ environments are quite fun, taking the companions around a carnival and through a ghostly building, among other locations. There’s a “diorama view” feature that allows you to view from afar and rotate the levels, both for appreciate the visuals and search for ways that may not have been clear.
And that’s one of the sole difficulties with Gloomy Eyes. Comparable to other games with a locked camera, occasionally it's confusing where the heroes are able to move. You may need to just bump into a several various items to discover which ones are usable, as it’s not always intuitive.
However, those slight speedbumps don't obstruct of a ghostly-charming fun adventure. Gloomy Eyes is relatively brief, with roughly several hours worth of puzzles. Subsequent stages integrate light hidden movement and dynamic sequences with the puzzle solving, as Gloomy Eyes progresses to a fulfilling — and somewhat surprising — conclusion.
Those avoiding the terror of terrifying titles won’t want to miss Gloomy Eyes. It’s available on Switch console, Sony system, PC, and Xbox Series X, and is presently discounted for a quarter off on online stores.
This charming title is out now on several consoles and delivers a pleasurable alternative for fans seeking Halloween fun without terrifying moments.
Elena Hartwell is a multidisciplinary artist and educator passionate about fostering creative communities in London.