Game: Allogloom
Developer: Galactic Ghosty (solo dev, New Zealand)
Publisher: Iceberg Interactive
Genre: Macabre Point & Click Adventure
Released: October 13, 2026
Price: $14.99 · $13.49 until October 27
Platform: PC
Playtime: 5.6 hours
🦋 How we reviewed it: we played Allogloom on PC for 5.6 hours. Our take also draws on the experiences of other players since launch, and it currently sits at Very Positive on Steam.
8Chapters
5–8Hours
24Achievements
1Solo Developer
$13.49Launch Price
🌙 Know this first: it’s short, sweet, and creepy-cosy. Expect roughly 5–8 hours across 8 chapters: we finished in 5.6, and one player took 7–8. There’s no hint system or clue journal, so keep a notepad (or your phone camera) handy. It’s 10% off ($13.49) until October 27, and there’s a free demo if you want a taste first.
🦋 Welcome to Gruesome Grove
You play as Nora, a girl getting ready for a ceremony in her home of Gruesome Grove, a fog-shrouded town whose people revere (and fear) its ravenous golden moths. Then something starts abducting the residents, and her own family goes missing.
With a note pointing somewhere forbidden as her only clue, Nora has to piece together what happened and why, before there’s no one left to save. To bring her town back, she’ll have to break every rule standing in her way.
Moths, moons, and the macabre.
Allogloom is the work of a solo developer, Kate, as Galactic Ghosty, who hand-painted its world in an art nouveau-inspired style, and it’s published by Iceberg Interactive, the publisher of Strange Horticulture. If Fran Bow, Little Misfortune or Sally Face ever got their hooks into you, this is the game for you. That comparison came up again and again among players, and more than one says Allogloom is as good as Fran Bow, if not better.
Our verdict: “Allogloom is a charming point-and-click adventure that nails atmospheric storytelling through quirky characters and satisfying puzzle design.”
Creepy Yet Cozy, or Cozy Yet Creepy?
One player couldn’t quite put their (severed) finger on it, and that’s the magic of Allogloom: it’s both at once. This isn’t a horror game that relies on cheap jumpscares. It’s built on creeping dread, that constant sense that something just isn’t right, wrapped in whimsy and dark humour. Players have compared it to a Grimm’s fairy tale, to Tim Burton, and to a cross between The Addams Family and Brigadoon, and all of them fit.
🎨 Art Nouveau Gloom
Every lush, detailed scene is hand-painted. One player spent ages just taking screenshots.
👹 Adorable Monsters
Monster designs are as adorable as they are unsettling. One player wanted to adopt them all.
🐦 Hopper
Nora’s little bird companion, and one player’s favourite animal sidekick in any game.
🎵 Kim Miller’s Score
An original soundtrack that captures the curious but deadly nature of the world.
The story is what keeps people clicking. One player who normally skips dialogue says they needed the lore here. Another, entranced since the demo, found the story deceptively simple at first, with much more beneath the surface. The world-building is the standout for almost everyone, including a more critical player, who calls it the best part of the whole package. As one review put it simply: “I demand to know more about this universe.”
Puzzles in the Sweet Spot
🧩 No Moon Logic Here
It’s classic point-and-click: collect items, combine them in your backpack, and negotiate with people and monsters alike. Players agree the difficulty lands in a sweet spot. One says you always feel like you’re using your brain, but you’re never stopped by missing information or outright moon logic. A few puzzles actually stumped another player, and a third, more critical, player calls some of them great templates for what point-and-click puzzles should be. When a missing piece clicks into place, it all falls like dominoes.
A few puzzles will be no-brainers if you’re familiar with old tech rituals, but overall it’s well balanced, and fair enough that newcomers to the genre won’t be lost for long.
💡 Tips From the Grove
• Talk to everyone and everything: some items are locked behind dialogue
• Walk to both edges of every scene: you can sometimes keep going left or right, and it isn’t always obvious
• Stuck? Talk to people again for new dialogue options, and re-click things you’ve already clicked
• Combine items in your backpack to make new ones
• Pay attention: there are hints all around, so take notes or photos of anything that looks like a clue
Where It Stumbles
⚠️ A Little Too Much Walking
1. Lots of backtracking. The most common complaint. A couple of players found themselves going from screen A to screen B, realising they’d forgotten a note, and walking all the way back again. A run button or quicker screen-to-screen travel would help a lot.
2. No hints, no journal. A couple of players wish there were a hint button for those “what do I do?” moments, and one had to snap phone photos and take notes because there’s no journal tracking clues and characters.
3. Emotion doesn’t always land. One more critical player felt the story’s emotional weight falls flat, with Nora’s reactions and facial expressions not selling some major events. They also found the sound design oddly missing at times, and another noticed awkward silences while the soundtrack loops back.
4. Short, and maybe too open-ended. Plenty of players simply wish there were more game. Opinions on the ending are split (see below).
⚠️ Mild ending impressions (no plot details): tap to reveal
• One player was thoroughly satisfied with the ending, even though they wish there were more to play.
• Another felt it falls flat and leaves too many plot threads open.
• A third says the story kept them guessing right to the end: they couldn’t wait to have their questions answered, but didn’t want it to end.
🏆 Completionists, Rejoice
Two players note the 24 achievements aren’t too difficult, making for an enjoyable 100% run. Allogloom also has Steam Trading Cards, Steam Cloud saves and full controller support. Content-wise, the developer lists cartoon blood, gore and mild references to alcoholism.
Things to Know
📋 Before You Buy
• $14.99, or $13.49 with the 10% launch discount until October 27
• A free demo is available, and the Original Soundtrack is $4.99. There’s also a Strange Gloom bundle with Strange Horticulture
• Single-player · roughly 5–8 hours · 8 languages (English, German, Spanish, Russian, Simplified Chinese and more)
• Light on hardware: Core i5, 8 GB RAM and a GeForce GT 640
• A bug-fix update landed one week after launch
The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly
| The Good |
The Bad |
The Ugly |
| Stunning Hand-Painted ArtArt nouveau gloom you’ll want to screenshot constantly. |
BacktrackingToo much walking between screens, and no run button. |
Flat Emotional BeatsOne player felt big moments don’t land. |
| World-BuildingA lore-rich town you’ll want to know everything about. |
No Hints or JournalBring a notepad. |
— |
| Balanced PuzzlesBrainy without moon logic. |
Soundtrack GapsOccasional silences while tracks loop. |
— |
| Creepy-Cozy AtmosphereDread and whimsy in perfect balance. |
Over Too SoonPlenty of players want more. |
— |
| Charming CastKooky humans, cute monsters, and Hopper. |
— |
— |
The Verdict
Allogloom is the kind of game point-and-click fans wait years for: a hand-painted, lore-rich, darkly funny fairy tale with puzzles that respect your intelligence without ever sinking into moon logic. That one person made it is genuinely remarkable, and it’s easy to see why players are already calling it a favourite of the year and one of the best modern point-and-clicks.
It isn’t perfect. Backtracking and the lack of a hint system or journal add some friction, and not every emotional beat or plot thread lands for everyone. But these are small blemishes on a gorgeous, memorable debut.
The honest read: if Fran Bow, Little Misfortune or Sally Face is anywhere on your list of favourites, buy Allogloom now and save it for a rainy October evening. Everyone else should at least try the free demo, because this is one of spooky season’s best surprises.
For more game reviews, check out our full reviews section.
Score Breakdown
World-Building & Lore9.0/10
Achievements & Completion8.5/10
Final Score
8.3/10
Allogloom — Galactic Ghosty
A gruesomely gorgeous debut. Bring a notepad, and maybe a moth net.
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