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Friday, October 16, 2026
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This Spooky-Cute Puzzler Functions as the Excellent Alternative to Spooky Scares

Not every spooky season adventure needs to frighten players. From beloved classics for example Scooby-Doo to endearing shows such as Over the Garden Wall, plenty of spooky-season favorites offer entertainment without requiring causing fear. Additionally, a growing library of spooky-cute games including autumn atmosphere, though lacking the keep-you-awake degree of fear. Gloomy Eyes was released in September, and serves as an superb comfortable alternative to the deeply scary releases of this year.

Gloomy Eyes image
Visual: ARTE France, Studio, Design Group, Publishers

An Original Collaborative Solo Adventure

Known as a single-player cooperative puzzle game, Gloomy Eyes teams up a undead youth called Gloomy and a mortal child called Nena as they start an quest to restore sunlight to their dark, dark realm. They look evokes collectible figures combined with the characters from a animated feature. The pale-skinned and heavy-lidded aesthetic draws inspiration from the look of Tim Burton’s films, and the story is a archetypal family-friendly journey. The pair builds an unbreakable bond over the course of the game’s multiple stages as Nena tries to prove to her religious guardian that, look, maybe the undead aren’t half bad.

Creative Gameplay Systems

The “self-coop” label originates from the game’s environmental puzzles. Once Gloomy and Nena encounter each other, gamers switch amidst the recent allies to complete challenges and progress through the levels. Since he's not alive, Gloomy is unable to traverse through the light of a lamppost, while Nena will get snatched up by idle zombies without a light is directed on them.

They must collaborate effectively — well, gamers operate them together — to advance through areas. Nena might relocate or briefly disable lamps to create passages for Gloomy, while the intellectually curious character will utilize his supernatural ability to shift around objects in the world, opening up paths for Nena.

The game screenshot
Image: Developers, Production Team, Design Group, Publishers

Engaging Environment Creation

The puzzles evoke memories a bit of The Gardens Between, in the fashion the areas are floating, miniature structures that the view moves across in sync with your heroes. Gloomy Eyes’ worlds are highly entertaining, guiding the duo around a amusement park and through a haunted house, including other locales. There’s a “diorama view” feature that enables you to zoom out and rotate the levels, simultaneously to appreciate the visuals and search for ways that may not have been obvious.

Slight Issues and Overall Adventure

This represents one of the few difficulties with Gloomy Eyes. Similar to other games with a fixed perspective, it’s not always clear where the protagonists can and cannot go. You may need to simply collide with a few random objects to discover which ones are interactable, as the game doesn't always indicate.

Nonetheless, those slight obstacles don't obstruct of a ghostly-charming good time. Gloomy Eyes is relatively brief, with approximately several hours worth of brain-teasers. Advanced areas integrate light hidden movement and exciting moments with the challenge completion, as Gloomy Eyes advances to a rewarding — and somewhat surprising — conclusion.

Availability and Summary

Gamers shying away from the scares of fear-inducing games ought to experience Gloomy Eyes. It’s available on Nintendo platform, PS5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X, and is currently on sale for a discount on online stores.

Gloomy Eyes is available on various systems and offers a enjoyable alternative for players looking for spooky entertainment minus the terrifying moments.

About the author

Kelly Thomas

Lena is a certified mindfulness coach and writer passionate about helping others find inner peace.

ZenConnect Studio

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