Goodnight Universe (NS2) Review

Gameplay

Graphics

Audio

Narrative

Summary: A delightfully quirky and heart-warming adventure that will keep you smiling long after the credits roll.

4

Look Who's Psychic

Goodnight Universe is a heartwarming tale about the power of empathy, family, and the finite nature of the human experience.

A follow-up of sorts to the equally poignant Before Your Eyes, Good Night Universe sees players step into the adorable booties of Isaac, a precocious six-month-old boy with a lot to ponder, an inner monologue that sounds an awful lot like Bruce Willis, and uh…Latent psychic abilities.

Despite his best attempts to hide his newfound and slightly confusing powers from his family, including his whip-smart and increasingly suspicious sister, Issc soon finds himself in the crosshairs of a crooked tech company that has been spying on their customers via numerous smart devices.

… and that’s all I’m going to say about the plot because I really don’t want to ruin it. In fact, I think as I’ve already said too much because Goodnight Universe is one of those games where it’s best to go in knowing as little as humanly possible. (Though admittedly that does make reviewing this narratively heavy title a little tricky.)

Let’s just say you’ll be thinking about this one for a fair few hours after the credits roll and then begging your friends to play it so you can have a proper discussion with them about it. It’s that kind of game.

I can talk about the graphics, though, right? They’re good. It has a similar style to Before Your Eyes, Pixar by way of Unity, although the writing and the family’s dynamic reminded me of The Mitchells vs.The Machines.

The cast is charming, and the world, though not particularly detailed, makes great use of colour and dead space to draw your eye, or ear, to the important parts of each scene. Just like Before Your Eyes, there are parts where the game encourages you to effectively close your eyes to better connect with what’s being said. As such, I would recommend grabbing your favourite pair of headphones and settling in before you play.

Though the fairly small cast all put on fantastic vocal performances, Lewis Pullman (Bad Times at the El Royale) steals the show as Isaac on every front. Not only is he cute as a button, but his inner monologue is also witty, wry, and suspiciously world-weary, as he attempts to comprehend the world around him, get a handle on his powers, and navigate a complex relationship with a cartoon goat named Gilbert. (Isaac hates that damn goat, but he can’t tear his eyes away from all the pretty colours)

Isaac’s telepathic powers are also used to great effect as a means of literally delving into the thoughts and feelings of his family. There are a couple of particularly touching scenes where he decides to find out what his parents are thinking while they read him a fairly monotonous bedtime story, and their own worries and conflicting feelings about parenthood are laid bare, but ultimately are batted back by their overwhelming love for their children.

Oddly enough, the weakest part of Goodnight Universe is the controls, which seems strange because most games involving psychic powers, where you use a controller or, even better, motion controls, to throw things around and create chaos, are usually the best part of the experience.

On PC, these include the ability to use a camera to track your eye movements, much like Before Your Eyes. However, these are currently absent from the console versions. Although the devs have said they are working on a patch to bring these to the Switch 2 in the future, personally, I would love a PSVR2 version to surface at some point as well.

For now, though, we’re left with using the right stick to look around, ZR to blink or close your eyes, and A to grab objects. It’s a very light touch, and sometimes the combination of inputs you need to make feels slightly counterintuitive. This leads to you often having to replay some of the more action-packed sequences towards the end multiple times because the controls simply can’t keep up with what you’re being asked to do on screen.

The telekinesis controls in particular make me long for a VR version where I can just bat my hands to toss objects across the room like an angry toddler with psychic powers, rather than having to use a combination of button presses and stick flicking that often feels very clunky. controls in particular make me long for a VR version where I can just bat my hands to toss objects across the room like an angry toddler with psychic powers, rather than having to use a combination of button presses and stick flicking that often feels very clunky.

Ultimately, though, this feels like a minor gripe considering how engaging the whole experience remains despite this.

Final Thoughts

Goodnight Universe is a delightful, memorable, and entertaining adventure packed full of heart.

Although it doesn’t have the eye-tracking tech that made Before Your Eyes so engaging, at launch anyway, it’s still well worth picking up for its wonderful narrative, incredible performances, and ability to keep you smiling long after the credits roll.

About the Author

Gareth Newnham

Goodnight Universe (NS2) Review