Gloomy Eyes Brings Macabre Magic to Consoles And PC in 2025
A dark fairytale with a heart of gold is heading to players in 2025. Titled Gloomy Eyes, this cozy horror adventure has officially been announced for PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch. Developed by Fishing Cactus in collaboration with Untold Tales, Atlas V, 3DAR, and ARTE France, the game blends horror, humor, and heartfelt storytelling into a beautifully bizarre journey.
Originally conceived as a virtual reality experience that wowed international film festivals, Gloomy Eyes is now being reimagined as a full-length video game. Its roots in visual storytelling and surreal aesthetics have carried over, offering a new kind of solo experience that invites players into a tender and twisted world.
“Gloomy Eyes is a single-player “self-coop” cozy horror adventure. Players will alternate between controlling two unique characters as they embark on a journey to bring sunlight back to a world plunged into nasty, bitter darkness,” the studios said in a joint press release.
At the center of the game is a mysterious absence – the sun itself has abandoned the Earth, leaving behind a bleak, bitter world. That disappearance sets the stage for one of the more unusual partnerships in recent game history.
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A Zombie And a Girl Walk Into The Darkness
The protagonists of Gloomy Eyes are Gloomy, a gentle-hearted zombie boy, and Nena, a rebellious human girl. Together, they break the unspoken rules of their broken world. Their goal is to bring back the sun, but the journey is just as important as the destination.
Players switch between both characters in what the developers call a “self-coop” mechanic. Though it’s a single-player experience, success depends on using both characters’ unique abilities in tandem. Puzzle-solving, environmental interaction, and exploration are all designed around this dual-character approach.
The contrast between Nena’s reckless bravery and Gloomy’s undead awkwardness forms the emotional core of the story. It’s a dynamic that makes the darkness feel just a little less cold.
From VR Darling to Full-Fledged Adventure
Gloomy Eyes began life in 2019 as a virtual reality short film narrated by Colin Farrell. Developed by 3DAR and Atlas V, it earned accolades at film festivals such as Sundance, SXSW, Venice, and Raindance for its blend of innovative visuals and emotional storytelling.
The full game retains the original’s distinctive visual style, deeply inspired by the works of Tim Burton. Think Corpse Bride meets The Nightmare Before Christmas – only this time, players are the ones guiding the characters through their eerie world.
Each level in the game is structured like a handcrafted diorama, with the player able to rotate and explore from multiple angles. These miniature worlds are dense with secrets and storytelling details, making exploration as rewarding as puzzle-solving.
Horror Without The Heart Attacks
Despite its spooky setting and undead lead, Gloomy Eyes is not out to scare players senseless. The game’s horror is of the cozy kind – no gore, no jump scares, just a melancholic world full of charm and strange beauty.
The narrative is framed as a tragic fairytale told by an old gravekeeper, offering players a tale of forbidden companionship between two outcasts. It’s a love story told through rot and ruin, but with warmth underneath the cobwebs.
This lighter tone, paired with emotionally grounded characters and elegant visual storytelling, positions Gloomy Eyes as an adventure that’s likely to appeal to players of all ages, especially those looking for something more heartfelt than horrifying.
How Gloomy Eyes Stands Out Among Genre Peers
In the world of puzzle-platformers and atmospheric adventures, Gloomy Eyes joins a crowded field, but does so with a clear identity. Where games like Limbo or Inside thrive on minimalist storytelling and stark brutality, Gloomy Eyes injects a dose of quirky tenderness. It trades existential dread for playful melancholy.
It also distinguishes itself from titles like Unravel or Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, which similarly explore cooperative mechanics through two characters. In contrast, Gloomy Eyes introduces the “self-coop” approach, asking the player to embody both characters in solo play without turning the experience into a precision platformer or emotionally exhausting challenge.
Its handcrafted diorama levels also recall the toybox aesthetics of games like Vokabulantis or The Almost Gone, but with more visual whimsy and fantasy flair. That combination of style, narrative, and gameplay gives Gloomy Eyes a unique flavor that blends indie charm with artistic ambition.
A Love Letter to The Undead And Unloved
With its 2025 launch on all major platforms, Gloomy Eyes is shaping up to be a memorable journey through gloom, grit, and giddy affection. It promises to be a game that wraps players in a blanket of haunting warmth – a story about light told through shadows.
For fans of artful adventures, story-driven puzzlers, and charmingly macabre worlds, Gloomy Eyes may well become one of the year’s most quietly compelling titles. As the undead boy and his living friend search for the sun, it might just shine a little light into the genre itself.
