Love, Ghostie, developed and published by Janbeh Games, is an absolute gem that captured my heart within minutes of playing.
This new entry to the cozy genre has a delightful premise: what if, instead of scaring people, ghosts spend their afterlife playing matchmaker for the residents who live in whichever house they happen to be haunting.
Love, Ghostie Story
The game’s story is straightforward: you are a ghost and spend time helping the renters in your house fall in love.
If you start thinking about it too much, the game starts off pretty morbid. Players wake up, unaware they have just died, and none of their questions are being answered as to what the heck has happened. All players know at the beginning of the game is that another ghost named Ghostina is apparently our afterlife liaison, and she has a job for us: matchmake.
Without waiting for players to accept they are dead, the game immediately introduces the matchable residents. Each resident arrives at your house with a short cutscene that hints at their personality. Once settled into their respective rooms, players can read resident’s journals to learn more about them and start trying to increase their happiness in the house.
While a player might have questions the game refuses to answer, Love, Ghostie doesn’t take itself too seriously and is willing to poke fun at its own premise. Within the game, there is an online ghost forum called Deaddit with a message board where other ghosts can ask questions and get advice. In addition to helping players who are stuck, the forums sometimes feature a poster that questions the game’s entire plot, demanding answers about why they are matchmaking and the true intentions of Ghostina. The forum’s “moderator” often deletes these threads before any real answers are given, adding a layer of satire that is as adorable as the rest of the game.
Gameplay
Ghostina gives a pretty thorough tutorial about the simple game mechanics so players can build and nurture relationships.
Players are given action points that can be spent setting up dates, assigning chores, stealing, and gifting each day. Yes, that’s right, stealing. Apparently, ghosts are little kleptos, and they love to take objects around the house. Thankfully, no one seems to mind that we are taking stuff. Once you have stolen something, players can choose between selling it and making some money on eep!Bay, or gifting it to another resident we think might like it.
When gifting items, players will select who they want to give it to and who they want it to be from. Players can say gifts are from anyone in the house, and this is the main way we can develop friendships and romances between the characters. Players will try to match the gift to the personality, but the truth is that any gift is appreciated and will work towards creating a match between two residents.
I really love that the game encourages experimentation with pairings. On my first playthrough, I focused on matching residents who seemed to have similar personality traits. But on my second playthrough, I spent more time trying out different pairings and even developing relationships with individuals who seemed like they weren’t vibing. This play style added depth and replayability since even unlikely couples could form strong bonds once I found something for them to connect about.
Love, Ghostie is a short game. As short as Mina, the cat who can’t reach the doorknob when she arrives at the house. Although it is short, maybe 3 hours, if you’re taking your time, I think Ghostie offers good replayability. Even on a first playthrough, players will start to wonder how different pairings will work out. Mixing and matching the residents will open new dialogue and scenes, adding greater and greater depth to the game.
Still, there is not a lot of variety in the actual gameplay; Day 3 in the game is the same as Day 33. There are mini-games and perks to unlock, but the afterlife of Love, Ghostie, can border on monotonous after a few hours. I couldn’t imagine spending an eternal afterlife with only 7 action points a day to interact with the world around me.
Overall
9/10
Love, Ghostie is a warm hug after a long day. The visuals are charming, with each character designed to be as endearing as possible. The game’s music and sound effects are equally delightful, adding to the overall sense of comfort and relaxation.
My only wish for the game was the tiniest bit more in variety of possible daily actions. It would be interesting to have mini-games associated with the chores characters are assigned, like changing light bulbs or making lunch. Or there are self-care tasks that could have been tapped into for extra content. This game is already cozy, so why not add a mini-game whenever we assign one of the characters to spend the afternoon meditating.
Despite the lack of variety, Love, Ghostie forever holds a special place in my heart for its humor, simplicity, and the joy it brought to my Steam account.
For those who appreciate lighthearted games to unwind, Love, Ghostie is a must-play, and I’ll be keeping my eye on Janbeh Games for their next release.
Love, Ghostie is available for PC via Steam.
Related: Reviews by Michelle Jones
I'm a completionist gamer who just needs to find that one last object and clear that final dungeon. I love all video games, from open world sandboxes on a console to a mindless match three on my phone. In addition to gaming and writing, I am a graduate student working on a thesis about the ancient Icelandic Sagas. Feel free to ask me anything about Vikings.
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