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

Not each spooky season experience needs to frighten players. Starting with beloved classics such as Scooby-Doo to charming series such as Over the Garden Wall, numerous spooky-season favorites provide fun without requiring increasing anxiety. Additionally, a expanding collection of ghostly-adorable games including autumn atmosphere, though lacking the truly terrifying intensity of horror. Gloomy Eyes debuted in recent months, and acts as an superb relaxing alternative to the truly terrifying games of the current season.

Gloomy Eyes visual
Screenshot: ARTE France, Production Team, Design Group, Game Company

A Unique Self-Coop Quest

Labeled as a solo collaboration puzzle game, Gloomy Eyes pairs up a zombie boy called Gloomy and a mortal child known as Nena as they begin an adventure to restore sunlight to their shadowy environment. Their design evokes collectible figures blended with the puppets from a animated feature. The fair-toned and baggy-eyed aesthetic borrows heavily from the look of Burtonesque cinema, and the plot is a quintessential suitable for everyone adventure. The pair develops an strong connection over the course of the game’s 14 chapters as Nena strives to demonstrate to her priest uncle that, you know, maybe the undead are actually good.

Innovative Puzzle Mechanics

This unique term stems from the game’s environmental puzzles. When Gloomy and Nena encounter each other, players alternate among the recent allies to overcome obstacles and progress through the stages. As an undead, Gloomy cannot pass through the light of a light source, while Nena can be captured by loitering creatures unless a lamp is directed on them.

They must cooperate closely — well, players control them simultaneously — to complete stages. Nena might relocate or briefly disable lights to open routes for Gloomy, while the intellectually curious youth will use his zombie strength to move obstacles in the world, opening up routes for Nena.

Gloomy Eyes visual
Image: Creators, Production Team, Design Group, Game Company

Engaging Level Design

These challenges remind me a little of The Gardens Between, in the fashion the levels are hovering, miniature structures that the view rotates in conjunction with your characters. Gloomy Eyes’ environments are quite fun, guiding the friends around a amusement park and through a spooky mansion, amid other locations. The game includes a “diorama view” feature that enables you to zoom out and turn the stages, simultaneously to appreciate the visuals and hunt for paths that may not have been apparent.

Minor Issues and Overall Gameplay

And that’s one of the sole difficulties with Gloomy Eyes. Like other titles with a fixed perspective, sometimes it's unclear where the protagonists are able to move. Players might have to simply collide with a multiple different objects to discover which ones are usable, as it’s not always intuitive.

Nonetheless, those small obstacles don't obstruct of a eerie-adorable good time. Gloomy Eyes has a compact length, with approximately a few sessions worth of challenges. Subsequent stages integrate subtle hidden movement and action elements with the puzzle solving, as Gloomy Eyes marches toward a rewarding — and slightly unexpected — finale.

Accessibility and Summary

Players steering clear of the scares of fear-inducing titles should definitely try Gloomy Eyes. You can find it on Switch console, PlayStation 5, PC, and Microsoft console, and is available at a reduced price for a discount on game marketplaces.

Gloomy Eyes is available on various systems and provides a enjoyable alternative for players in search of Halloween fun without terrifying moments.

About the author

Kelly Casey

Tech enthusiast and digital lifestyle blogger with a passion for reviewing gadgets and sharing practical tech tips.

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