Gloomy Eyes

About

Gloomy Eyes is a single player casual platformer game with a mystery theme. It was developed by ARTE France and was released on September 12, 2025. It received very positive reviews from players.

A cozy horror, “self-coop”, adventure about two unlikely souls who forge a forbidden bond and journey together to find the sun. Explore eerie yet charming Tim Burton-esque levels, switch between two unique characters, and solve brain-teasing puzzles.

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93%

Audience ScoreBased on 117 reviews

story32 positive mentions

stability2 negative mentions

Beautiful and distinctive Tim Burton-inspired art style and atmosphere with cozy, spooky vibes.
Engaging and heartwarming story narrated excellently, enhancing immersion and emotional connection.
Clever, accessible puzzle design with smooth, intuitive controls and enjoyable self-coop gameplay mechanic.

Relatively short gameplay length, generally around 4-5 hours, with limited replay value except for achievement hunting.
Occasional bugs and glitches, including character getting stuck and forced camera angles causing frustration.
Some players found puzzles and gameplay repetitive with limited complexity and said the story feels incomplete or abrupt.

story
74 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
53%
4%
The game's story is widely praised for its charming, whimsical, and beautifully told narrative, featuring a heartfelt friendship between a zombie boy and a human girl in a gothic, cozy world. While the narration and art style deeply immerse players, some find the story a bit short or incomplete, wishing for more depth and development. Overall, it offers an engaging, emotionally resonant experience with a unique, atmospheric tone reminiscent of a dark fairy tale.
- “An excellent little puzzle game, with a beautiful art style and a cute gothic horror story about the friendship between a human girl and a zombie boy.”
- “The story is charming and heartfelt; a tale of love and light in a world of eternal night.”
- “The story flows really well, the gameplay is thought provoking and engaging.”
- “It's a charming little game but the story feels incomplete and is a bit too short and janky for the price point.”
- “The story felt a bit incomplete.”
- “It's such a shame, because this game has so much potential, if they just built on the story more, the characters, and introduced new elements as you progress.”
graphics
39 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
54%
38%
8%
The game features stunning, gothic-inspired graphics with a distinctive Tim Burton-esque art style that perfectly complements its eerie yet cozy atmosphere. The visuals are detailed, charming, and beautifully crafted, enhancing the storytelling and overall immersive experience. Many reviewers praise the art style as both unique and atmospheric, making it a must-play for fans of stylized, moody aesthetics.
- “The art style is both eerie and enchanting, weaving a visual story that perfectly complements the narrative.”
- “The animations, the graphics paired with the music really set a great ambience and it's been fun figuring out the puzzles and finding the gravekeeper and mementos in every level!”
- “What really surprised me is the level of detail in the visuals.”
- “It is also quite Tim Burton in its aesthetic which has been done quite a few times before.”
- “The narrative is okay but I would only recommend it for those who really love the art style / 'cozy' games, and even then only for $10.”
- “Graphics are cute but the game mechanics work well.”
gameplay
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
57%
11%
The gameplay is characterized by smooth, intuitive "self-coop" mechanics focused on switching between two characters to solve puzzles, offering a rewarding and intimate experience. While the puzzles are engaging and well-designed, they tend to be repetitive and the overall length is short, leading some players to feel it lacks depth and replayability. Despite minor issues and a relatively brief duration, the game delivers charming visuals and thought-provoking, enjoyable puzzle-solving.
- “Controlling both Gloomy and Nena in the clever 'self-coop' gameplay makes each puzzle feel rewarding and intimate, and the handcrafted dioramas are a visual treat.”
- “Gameplay comprises solving puzzles by switching between the two main characters through a total of 14 levels.”
- “A beautifully made game with compelling puzzles, fresh mechanics, great art direction, and fun progression.”
- “It's very short, there's like maybe three gameplay mechanics for each puzzle, which start to feel very repetitive, nothing really changes or develops apart from the mini 'boss fight' moments.”
- “Very average, boring gameplay, scenery similar all the way through, and not much of a storyline.”
- “It does have charm and style, but there isn't much to the actual gameplay and it wears thin very fast.”
music
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
22%
21%
The music in the game is widely praised for its atmospheric and well-composed soundtrack, perfectly complementing the art style and enhancing the overall ambience. While some note that certain loops feel a bit short, the soundtrack consistently adds emotional depth and fits the game's tone beautifully.
- “The animations and graphics paired with the music really set a great ambience; it’s been fun figuring out the puzzles and finding the gravekeeper and mementos in every level!”
- “The music and sound effects fit perfectly, adding just the right touch of atmosphere.”
- “The music deserves its own spotlight.”
- “The soundtrack is very atmospheric, although I found the loops in some levels a bit too short.”
- “There is a well-composed soundtrack with a decent main theme here as well.”
- “Love the art and music also!!!”
atmosphere
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
55%
45%
The game’s atmosphere is widely praised for its stunning design, perfectly fitting soundtrack, and spooky yet cozy vibe that avoids cheap jump scares. Its charming, immersive world combines art, sound, and narrative to create a captivating and balanced experience that draws players in from the start.
- “From the moment I stepped into its world, I was immediately struck by the stunning design and atmosphere.”
- “It’s spooky without ever relying on cheap jump scares, making it a rare indie gem that balances atmosphere, puzzles, and narrative perfectly.”
- “Every moment in the game is full of atmosphere and charm like a pop-up book come to life; I can't help but zoom out and find all the nooks and crannies it has to hide (the game even lets you look around like a diorama).”
emotional
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Gloomy Eyes delivers a uniquely emotional experience by blending beautiful visuals with a heartfelt, morbidly wholesome story about an unlikely bond between a zombie boy and a human girl. The game combines spooky yet cozy atmospheres with light puzzles, creating a charming, immersive adventure that evokes both warmth and melancholy. Overall, it’s praised for its emotional storytelling and comforting, spooky vibe.
- “The realism is this: there is no other game out there that blends this level of visual beauty, emotional storytelling, and immersive design quite like Gloomy Eyes.”
- “The story is charming and heartfelt; a tale of love and light in a world of eternal night.”
- “A short but charmingly spooky adventure that mixes cozy vibes, light puzzles, and heartwarming feels.”
character development
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
80%
20%
The game features charming and beautifully designed characters, with particular praise for Nena's yellow raincoat. Players appreciate the strong character development and engaging storyline, which enhance the overall atmosphere and emotional connection to the characters.
- “The best part of this game is the character development and the storyline!”
- “The character design is beautiful and you can't help but fall in love with each character.”
- “The character design is absolutely adorable, especially Nena's yellow raincoat.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
75%
The game offers limited replayability, mainly appealing to achievement hunters, but its short length, fixed camera angles, and lack of flexible gameplay reduce its incentive for multiple playthroughs. Overall, replay value is minimal beyond completing achievements.
- “Definitely replayable for all the achievements, especially if you are an achievement hunter.”
- “Replayability is mainly driven by achievement hunting, adding value beyond the initial playthrough.”
- “While the core gameplay is short, the pursuit of achievements provides motivation for replay.”
- “Really short, with zero replay value.”
- “The fixed camera angles can be a pain, there is a ton of blur for such a slow moving game, there's no flexibility to play and I can't imagine any replay value.”
- “But I paid 20€ on discount for a total of 3 hours of gameplay without replayability unless you want to hunt achievements, and that's just sad.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
Stability is generally solid with mostly minor glitches, but some users have encountered blocking bugs that cause characters to get stuck and prevent progress. While these issues are relatively rare, they do detract from an otherwise polished experience.
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is subtle yet charming, enhanced by the engaging voice-over and amusing zombie characters. Its quirky, Tim Burton-esque setting adds a whimsical and enjoyable comedic tone.
- “This is a beautiful little self-coop adventure with a gorgeous art style, cute characters, a somehow funny setting, and—as many have pointed out already—Tim Burton-esque visuals.”
- “The voice-over is so engaging, and the zombies around are funny to watch.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is well-optimized, running smoothly on the Steam Deck with minimal issues, encountering only a rare soft lock that can be resolved by resetting to the last checkpoint.
- “It runs smoothly on Steam Deck, and I only encountered one soft lock between objects. Dying off the edge resets me, but there is a reset to last checkpoint option.”