Goodnight Universe stands apart with an engrossing sci-fi story about family drama and our place in the world, while giving us a taste of the super-powered fantasy of a young child. It delivers on both those prompts, giving me a gaming experience I wouldn’t put down until I rolled credits. In a year of grand stories, unforgettable characters, and new personal favorite games, Goodnight Universe cements itself alongside the year’s best titles.
Undusted: Letters from the Past is a satisfying mix of what it presents to the player, a lo-fi cozy cleaning game that leaves me wanting to clean things perfectly over and over, while also presenting a narrative about family that pulls at the heart. I enjoyed myself so much that I played it entirely in one session, about two hours in total, finding myself enraptured in the art, music, story, and gameplay of this fantastic game about cleaning up old things.
Cozy gaming is not my main genre of gaming, but Is This Seat Taken? gives me that good brain feeling as I perfected each scenario. While I found the story not entirely interesting, the gameplay loop kept me more than intrigued as I kept passengers happy across its many levels. If doing a few levels before bed had a poster child, I could see this game contending for that prize.