Little Inferno
Developer: Tomorrow Corporation
Publisher: Tomorrow Corporation
Platform : iOS, PC (reviewed), Wii U, OS X, Linux
Genre : Puzzle
Video games industry has matured a lot and games are no longer seen as entertainment for kids but rather as an Visual and interactive entertainment media. There are many examples like Dear ester and The path which focus on the exploration aspect of the medium. Then there are games like little inferno. The game focus more towards the visual power of gaming technology and full of symbolism and metaphor rather than exploration and interaction with others.
You are a boy in a town you got the little inferno fireplace as a gift and the objective of the game is simple, burn stuff. You are provided with a catalogue which you can use to order more stuff to burn. There is no challenge and no fail mode, it is feels more like an interactive screensaver rather than a game. That may be good or bad depending on what you are looking for in a game. The only progressing lies in finding certain combination that the catalogue asks for in order to get starts which allow you to unlock the next catalogue. The is a time delay for items once you order them which I felt was an un necessary delay and annoyed me to great extent only to realise later that it was put in place only so that one would not spam orders and let them burn together to find combos and instead think for each one adding an ever so slight sense of planning. But it was something that even though I understood but did not enjoy.
It is definitely a single player’s game. Where the entertainment factor comes from the humour provided in the description and the behaviour of toys and objects that you burn. Such passive fun factor is something that you have to lookout for and is not directly delivered to you, making this a game that would be enjoyed by a more mature audience despite its initial appearances.
There is no story for the majority of the game and then you start to receive subtle references that let you create an image of the world the player is in and as the game progresses the game’s world gets more and more clear, giving it a sense of discovery and exploration without leaving the fireplace with just a few letters and pictures. This in my opinion is something very difficult to do and is something that has to be appreciated. With an especially great ending that provides a more that satisfactory conclusion to the entire game making me feel rewarded for finishing it.
But I did felt that the major aspect of the game which is burning catalogue toys and watching them react to it is a stark contrast to the overall maturity that the game provides. I do understand that in the game the fireplace is meant for a small kid and it makes sense but when you ask me to burn stuff for hours it kinda feels silly. The game lasts about 4 hours. Which can be more if you take upon you to find more combos and less if you just jump through to the end.
Overall it is a very unique game and one which does something completely different to differentiate itself. Even thought it was an experience I would definitely like to come back to the game something again this winter just to maybe throw a few colourful bugs in it and enjoy the ambiance, and given the game is priced so cheap it would be a great pick for anyone with a few hours to kill who enjoys a good virtual fireplace.
Note – You can get the Official Soundtrack for free here.
*This game was reviewed on a Windows 8 PC with GeForce GTX 680
