Goodnight Universe Review: A Stunning Follow-Up from Before Your Eyes
▼ Summary
– The narrator reflects on having less lifetime with their third child due to being older, prompting thoughts on making their remaining time meaningful.
– Goodnight Universe is a game where players control a telekinetic baby named Issac, using camera tracking for supernatural actions like mind-reading and object manipulation.
– The game features emotionally rich storytelling with authentic family dynamics and dialogue, exploring themes of time and relationships.
– It expands on camera-based mechanics from Before Your Eyes but includes some frustrating sequences that can disrupt immersion.
– Ultimately, the story delivers a bittersweet, impactful finale that shifts player perspectives on life and memories.
The arrival of a new baby often sparks deep reflection on the passage of time and the finite nature of our days with loved ones. Goodnight Universe, the latest narrative adventure from many of the creators behind the acclaimed Before Your Eyes, tackles these profound themes with remarkable emotional depth. Players step into the tiny shoes of Issac, experiencing his life from infancy through a first-person perspective enhanced by optional camera controls.
From the earliest moments, you encounter Issac’s family, his parents, sister, grandfather, and others who shape his world. Guided by Issac’s adult narration, you relive his memories: banging on a highchair tray, chewing on teething rings, and becoming captivated by a cartoon called Gilbert the Goat. But Issac quickly reveals he was no ordinary baby. He could think clearly, solve problems, and even possessed telekinetic abilities, moving objects or reading minds. Using either a standard controller or more immersive camera tracking, you perform these supernatural actions yourself.
Just when you think you know where the story is headed, it swerves in unexpected directions.
During a bedtime scene, Issac senses his father’s stress about money and time. After his dad leaves, you help tidy the room, closing your eyes to hear blocks swirl into neat stacks, swiping a hand to shut cabinet doors, or blinking to switch on a night light. These mechanics expand on the blink-based time jumps of Before Your Eyes, adding involvement while keeping interactions intuitive.
Mind-reading stands out as the most compelling ability, not for snooping but for how creatively it portrays inner worlds. When Issac’s sister meets a frustrating college recruiter, her polite smile hides a chaotic punk-rock soundtrack in her mind, a hilarious, radio-drama-like glimpse into her true feelings. These richly designed moments pull you completely into the experience, whether lighthearted or deeply poignant.
While Before Your Eyes followed a linear coming-of-age arc, Goodnight Universe largely stays with the baby premise, though it ventures into more fantastical territory. At times, the plot grows so wild you might wonder if it can maintain its emotional footing. Fans of bittersweet stories will find their expectations challenged, then ultimately rewarded. Over its roughly four-hour runtime, the narrative builds to a finale that recaptures the team’s signature emotional impact.
Beyond its inventive controls, the game’s greatest strength lies in its authentic, beautifully written characters. Issac’s family is flawed yet deeply loving, wounded but hopeful. Nice Dream Games demonstrates a rare talent for loading every line of dialogue with meaning, much of which only fully resonates in hindsight or on a second playthrough.
Voice acting is superb throughout, elevating the already nuanced script. Many players, especially parents, will relate to the depiction of family life, the struggles, the small acts of devotion, the absence of glamor. Goodnight Universe presents a believable household dealing with real issues, just with the added twist of a telekinetic child.
Oliver Lewin’s original score, including a stunning end-credits track with Tanukichan, perfectly complements the story’s shifting tones, playful during witty moments, intense during action sequences, and piercingly emotional when it counts most.
Though the narrative isn’t branching, you can personalize key scenes through minor choices. Early on, Issac describes a baby as either “a kind of deity” or “a torture device.” Later, you shape his apologies or reactions by smiling or frowning for the camera. These are small touches, but they let you imprint your own tone on pivotal interactions.
A recurring theme is time, how we use it, lose it, and long to reclaim it. Like its predecessor, the game grapples with uneasy questions, but through a fresh lens. While Before Your Eyes centered on Benjamin, Goodnight Universe uses Issac as a window into the lives around him. It invites reflection on early memories, formative moments, and the subtle shifts from infant reflexes to genuine emotion. For all its fantasy elements, the story feels emotionally true, life is messy, and even a baby understands that.
Some gameplay sequences demand precise eye or hand movements, leading to occasional frustration and checkpoint restarts. In a story-driven experience, these moments can briefly disrupt immersion, slightly affecting pacing compared to the previous game.
Many players will share the reviewer’s journey, thinking they know what to expect, then being surprised, before everything circles back to a bittersweet, heart-wrenching conclusion. Goodnight Universe uses familiar techniques but takes greater risks, building toward a finale that is messy, loving, and powerfully moving.
Life is imperfect, and it’s in exploring this universal truth that Nice Dream Games has created another unforgettable experience. Mechanically simple yet emotionally layered, Goodnight Universe may appear to be a story about a baby, but it’s truly about the time we have, the people we share it with, and what remains when our time runs out.
(Source: GameSpot)
