Goodnight Universe
A first-person adventure starring a psychic baby.
Goodnight Universe is an adventure game from developer Nice Dream and publisher Skybound Games. The player takes the role of Isaac, a six-month-old baby who begins to realize he has psychic powers. Lewis Pullman provides Isaac’s voice. The game includes an optional eye-tracking system that uses the player’s camera: instead of blinking to advance, players can move and manipulate objects with their eyes and head, and use facial expressions to affect in-game decisions. This mechanic builds on the work Nice Dream’s founders did on *Before Your Eyes* while at GoodbyeWorld Games.
Nice Dream is an American studio formed by Graham Parkes and Oliver Lewin, both veterans of *Before Your Eyes*. The cast also features Kerri Kenney-Silver, Al Madrigal, Tessa Espinola, Timothy Simons, and Sarah Burns. The game was announced in April 2024 and released for Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S on November 11, 2025, with a Nintendo Switch version following on December 18, 2025.
Critics received the game well. On Metacritic, it earned a “generally favorable” rating, and OpenCritic reported that 94% of critics recommended it. *Game Informer*’s Eric Van Allen praised the story, voice acting, and camera use, though he noted minor detection issues with the emotion mechanic. *Gamekult*’s Kelmazad liked the plot, tone, dialogue, and camera implementation, but observed that skipping the camera feature could diminish the experience. *GameSpot*’s Mark Delaney commended the story, characters, soundtrack, and creative camera use, while pointing out a few pacing problems caused by frustrating sections.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Goodnight Universe
- Developer
- Nice Dream
- Publisher
- Skybound Games
- Engine
- Unity
- Platforms
- Nintendo Switch 2 · PlayStation 5 · Windows · Xbox Series X/S · Nintendo Switch
- Released
- Switch 2, PS5, Win, XSX/S · November 11, 2025 · Switch · December 18, 2025
- Genre
- Adventure
- Modes
- Single-player
- Director
- Graham Parkes · Oliver Lewin
- Producer
- Oliver Lewin
- Designer
- Bela Messex
- Programmer
- Bela Messex · Kenny Park
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Goodnight Universe is a first-person adventure game where the player controls 6-month-old Isaac as he discovers his psychic abilities. The game features optional eye-tracking using the player's camera, similar to Before Your Eyes, the game Nice Dream founders worked on while at GoodbyeWorld Games. Instead of blinking to progress, Goodnight Universe allows the player to move and manipulate objects with their eyes and head, as well as using facial expressions to make in-game choices. The game was made by American developer Nice Dream, a studio formed by Graham Parkes and Oliver Lewin, who worked on Before Your Eyes. The main character, Isaac, is voiced by actor Lewis Pullman, and other cast members include Kerri Kenney-Silver, Al Madrigal, Tessa Espinola, Timothy Simons, and Sarah Burns. The game was announced in April 2024 and released for Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S on November 11, 2025, followed by a Nintendo Switch version on December 18, 2025.
Reader's Guide
Goodnight Universe was received 'generally favorable' by critics, according to review aggregator website Metacritic. OpenCritic determined that 94% of critics recommended the game. Game Informer's Eric Van Allen praised the game's story, voice acting, and use of camera, but noted some small detection issues with the camera in relation to the emotion mechanic. Gamekult's Kelmazad enjoyed the plot, tone, dialogue, and use of the camera, but mentioned that since the camera function is completely optional, the experience could be lessened by those who don't use the feature. GameSpot's Mark Delaney lauded the game's story, characters, soundtrack, and creative use of the camera, but noted a few moments of the game's pacing being weighed down by frustrating areas. The game's significance lies in its innovative use of eye-tracking and facial expression mechanics, building on the foundation of Before Your Eyes, while offering a fully optional camera experience that may affect player engagement.
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