Goodnight, Lily

About

Goodnight, Lily is a single player action game. It was developed by Something Edgy and was released on September 17, 2020. It received positive reviews from players.

Escape the dark by navigating through nightmares made reality. Follow the light and find your way home as you are hounded by your worst fears.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

81%

Audience ScoreBased on 52 reviews

graphics6 positive mentions

story3 negative mentions

Beautiful and unique art style reminiscent of children's book illustrations that creates a cozy yet eerie atmosphere.
Engaging and emotional story about a girl named Lily navigating a nightmare world, enhanced by fitting music and sound design.
Interesting light and shadow mechanics integrated well with platforming gameplay; game is short and manageable with frequent checkpoints.

Controls are often unresponsive, stiff, and suffer from input lag, making jumps and other actions frustrating and sometimes unfair.
Lack of controller support and inability to remap keys diminishes accessibility and player comfort, especially in a platformer genre.
Some design issues include occasional unavoidable hazards, inconsistent enemy hitboxes, and the game feeling like a short demo or student project rather than a polished product.

graphics
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35%
47%
18%
The game's graphics receive consistent praise for their atmospheric, cohesive art style that effectively complements the gameplay and enhances the eerie, dreamlike mood. While some animations are slightly janky, this stylistic choice contributes to the unique aesthetic rather than detracts from it. Overall, the visuals stand out as a key strength, setting the game apart from typical free platformers.
- “The artwork is quite good here, no lazy retro pixel graphics, there's a nice theme and art style that's consistent throughout the game.”
- “Both Lilly and the various monsters have a somewhat janky animation somewhat reminiscent of paper puppets in the way that they are rigged but this actually helps the dreamlike aesthetic rather than hindering the game.”
- “It could be said that overall this is the game's strongest point as it certainly stands out amongst other free games of its type due to its visuals and presentation.”
- “Developed by something edgy & published by Digipen Institute of Technology, Goodnight Lilly is a short platforming game that will take most people between 20 to 40 minutes to complete. Whilst aesthetic, it does have the feel of a junior team practice project due to several design choices and the lack of controller support or display options.”
- “Both Lilly and the various monsters have somewhat janky animation, somewhat reminiscent of paper puppets in the way that they are rigged. This actually helps the dreamlike aesthetic rather than hindering the game.”
- “There's a lot of free to play games, many of which do have 3D graphics and high resolution support and remappable controls.”
gameplay
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
60%
20%
The gameplay is a classic platformer featuring familiar mechanics like timed obstacles and trial-and-error checkpoints, enhanced by a unique light-switching mechanic involving a fuel-based lantern that interacts with the environment. While the level design is basic and unoriginal, the mechanics integrate well with the game's artistic theme, providing a fun and aesthetically pleasing experience. Overall, it offers accessible, gradual challenges with unlimited lives and frequent checkpoints.
- “Great art, great idea, great design, great music, very interesting light switch mechanic.”
- “Very good little platformer with a gorgeous art style and fun mechanics.”
- “What the game does introduce is the light mechanics in the form of the lantern; it requires fuel which slowly burns down but can be refuelled at various points, and its main use is to burn away web barriers and activate certain platforms.”
- “The majority of the gameplay is the usual platform jumping and avoiding timed obstacles, and there's a lot of die-back-to-checkpoint trial and error stuff.”
- “The level design is rather basic and nothing is particularly unique; all the gameplay mechanics in the game have been done before.”
- “While this hinders gameplay, I feel the game was easy enough overall that it does not completely muddy the experience.”
atmosphere
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
44%
The game is praised for its atmospheric experience, characterized by a dark, eerie, and visually striking art style paired with a fitting soundtrack. Players appreciate its blend of creepy and beautiful elements reminiscent of titles like Limbo and Hollow Knight, creating a compelling and immersive environment despite a shorter, simpler gameplay. Some frustration with controls was noted but did not overshadow the overall strong atmospheric appeal.
- “It's an atmospheric short (about 20 min) challenging game.”
- “I really like the art style and soundtrack; it's very atmospheric.”
- “It's like a small sweet mix between Hollow Knight and Limbo, sharing both the dark eerie atmosphere of Limbo and the nightmarish insects, and then sharing the beautiful vibrant caverns of Hollow Knight.”
story
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
45%
33%
The story is minimal and largely abstract, primarily conveyed through a brief intro about a girl named Lilly facing her fears in a dream-like setting. It serves more as atmospheric backdrop than a detailed narrative, with many players noting the game feels short and lacks a traditional storyline.
- “The game's story is very abstract and the only storytelling present is the short intro that is also presented in the trailer. From what I could gather, you are in the role of Lilly, a young girl with a fear of the dark (as well as insects and spiders), trying to escape the nightmares in your dreams with your lantern for comfort.”
- “It's a basic platformer, doesn't really have a storyline, but the mechanics mesh well with the theme.”
- “Not much story but atmospheric. I don't know if my keyboard was not responding, I think it's a bug on stage 3; space is not responding. I was frustrated because I kept repeating the stage, so I did not finish the game.”
- “It is very short (about 30 minutes for me) and it feels like the first part of a larger story, but it's also free.”
- “There isn't any other story, and whoever tagged this game as similar to Hollow Knight either didn't play this, Hollow Knight, or both.”
music
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
43%
The music is widely praised for being atmospheric and fitting the game's tone, effectively enhancing tension and complementing the visuals. It features gentle, well-designed soundtracks that support the setting and mood, adding depth to the overall experience.
- “Great art, great idea, great design, great music, very interesting light switch mechanic.”
- “Imo it's an okay game, I really like the art style and soundtrack, it's very atmospheric.”
- “The game is visually attractive setting the tone with its good use of light and shadow in its visual design which is then further supported by the quiet music and appropriate sound effects.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game has notable stability issues, including buggy controls and occasional crashes, which can hamper the experience. However, some players find it enjoyable enough to overlook these flaws for casual play.
- “Wonderful buggy crashy memories”
- “I don't recommend it because of the buggy controls, but I think if you can overlook all these then it's a pretty okay game to pass time with :)”
- “It's a good game, if a bit buggy.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from poor optimization, leading to negative experiences for many users, though some issues may also be influenced by individual hardware. Controls are reported as subpar, potentially linked to optimization problems.
- “A Digipen classic, 9 out of 10 times they release utterly unoptimized games, ultimately leading to a negative experience.”
- “However, I don't know if it's just my non-optimized computer, but the controls are not that good.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Grinding in the game is somewhat repetitive but balanced, being long enough to stay engaging without becoming overly tedious.
- “The gameplay was a little tedious and repetitive.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor is appreciated for being genuinely funny and engaging, adding an enjoyable element to the experience. Users find it thoughtfully crafted and effective in eliciting positive reactions.