Little Inferno

Blog Post: Surprisingly Emotional

Psychotope — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 22:04:00 GMT

As Reiner, and many others have said, this is not a game in the sense that you are given a clear objective or even really a goal. The game centers around simply burning things and seeing what comes from it.

The combos are fairly simple but there are some fairly complex ones, with the most interesting thing being how different things burn together within the fireplace. All of this is simply a discussion on gameplay though.

Where this game shines though is it's story and the way it is fed to the player through letters and even the items you are burning. This story concludes with what I can say is one of the most touching and thought provoking conclusion I have reached since Bastion.

The story can be interpreted many ways, it can be heartbreakingly sad or as I saw it a joyous and enlightening end. The music is heartfelt and perfectly timed, and I can promise this game will stir some emotion.

I would recommend this to anyone that can accept that this game is simple, almost like a tablet game, but that the story shines like that of a triple A title.

Blog Post: Little Inferno - Fire is Fun. Mostly

Nathan Powers — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 15:51:00 GMT

I had never heard of this game until I saw it on the eShop after getting my WiiU at launch. I watched the trailers for it which show nothing about the game other than you burn stuff. And it might be a little depressing and twisted. Once I read a couple reviews of the game I decided to give it a try, largely because it sounded so unique and because it was designed by an indie group of three guys called Tomorrow Corporation. I like unique, I like supporting the small guy, so even in that it was 15 dollars well spent.

When the game starts you're not really given any direction. You see a fireplace and a catalog and a little tab on the top right corner. After poking around you realize you buy stuff, burn stuff, and create combos based on clever, vague combo names. As you burn toys and such they turn into coins, which you use to buy more stuff. Amazingly if you spend 10 coins on a stuffed bear, when it burns you'll get 15 coins or something. If the real world behaved like this we'd be burning everything. The only challenge comes in trying to match the combos that are given, some of which seemed impossible to figure out, some where really easy and makes you feel like a genious when you get them right on the first go. If this already sounds boring to you this is not a game for you. If you're interested keep reading.

As you burn stuff you'll unlock more objects that you can order and burn. Keep setting these ablaze and new catalogs open with new toys and trickets and new combos. The become harder to figure out as time burns (hehe) on, and objects will start to have different attributes. For example there is a mini sun toward the end that has it's own gravitational pull and will immediately set things ablaze as they touch it. There's a manly electric shaver that goes crazy and destroys other objects once you put it in the inferno, causing you to think about how you'll put it in to make sure it doesn't destroy everything else causing you to buy it over again.

I truly enjoyed the artstyle of the game, largely when sifting through the catalogs. Each of the toys has a little description where they were clearly going through for humor. Also the picture to show what the object looks like is cute and sometimes humorous. It seems to go for a 50's style, while the game seems to take place in the 40's. For the combos you'll often need to review the names of each object, as well as the description to get hints as to what to use them for. Some of the objects will have to be bought and burned to get other hints. For example if you buy the camera and burn it, it flashes and a picture pops out. You need to know this because it will help with figuring out a combo.

Throughout this flaming playground letters will occasionally arrive from a few different people. The weather man reports how cold it is, Miss Nancy is the inventor of the Little Inferno and sends you random letters, and your neighbor, a light hearted little girl, will send touching little tidbits and sometimes gifts. These letters eventually lead up to a rather surprising event that sets place for a strange ending. Yes, this burning has an ending and it's not what was expected. I almost thought it was out of place at first, but in retrospect I appreciate what Tomorrow Corporation was trying to achieve with it. They tried for a rather deep and emotional trip with the ending, leaving you with a couple philisophical questions that are kind of ironic for video games. Judging by the atmosphere of the game I'm guessing they were going for that.

I'm giving this game 7 burning bunnies out of 10 because there's not really much of a game here. I didn't feel there was much content for 15 bucks, and to me figuring out the combos and awaiting the next letter kind of dragged on toward the end, but that's probably because I'm rather goal driven and there's a clear lack of goals here. With that if you want something unique, something like nothing else out there, don't pass this up. I don't regret my time or spending the money, even if I felt there could have been more.

Blog Post: Little Inferno: The flame burns, but how brightly is up to whoever is watching it.

SuperKingC77 — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 00:06:00 GMT

I find it rather difficult to refer to Little Inferno as a "game" in the contemporary sense. This interesting puzzle title, brought to us by developer Tomorrow Corporation, sets aside many of the mainstay elements of gaming in order to further a thematic narrative that feeds off the gameplay itself in a way that I have rarely seen in gaming. It forces nothing on the player, yet rewards those willing to think about and spend time with the game with a very engrossing intellectual experience.

As with most stories that involve setting toys on fire, Little Inferno proves to be fairly dark in its tone and delivery.

One could easily make the argument that Little Inferno is not truly a "game". It rid's itself of many aspects of the medium that many would consider rather integral to what makes a game a game; enemies, a chance of failure, and even required objectives. Rather than force the player to perform some task to advance in the experience (complete a level, kill a boss, solve a puzzle, etc.), Little Inferno chooses to present it's challenge in the form of optional puzzles to the player. There is absolutely nothing forcing the player to complete even a single one of these puzzles; a player can run through the entire story without ever completing a challenge. This will make the game very individual-based for its potential enjoyment factor: those who are completionist will probably find a lot of enjoyment in the game's clever riddles, while those who are less motivated to complete non-essential task will probably rush through the latter stages of the game, and therefor wind up with a shortened and incomplete experience.

Gameplay-wise, Little Inferno is extremely simplistic on the surface. You buy an item from the in-game catalog, wait for it to be delivered to you, burn it, collect the money that the item drops, and move on to the next item. If they so choose, a player can simply purchase and burn every item in the game, with no opposition, and watch the narrative unfold. The challenge of the game comes in the form of optional combo riddles: a short 1 or 2 word message that requires you to burn 2 or 3 items simultaneously. Completing said riddles rewards the player with a ticket that can be used to cut the wait time between ordering an item from the catalog and having it be delivered for burning. These riddles range from extremely easy in the earlier levels, when you only have one or 2 catalogs worth of items to chose from (for example, the hint might be "easter bunny", which would require you to simultaneously burn a toy rabbit and an egg in order to solve), to fairly difficult towards the endgame, when the 6th and 7th catalog are unlocked. The riddles can be fun and engaging for a while, and burning the items actually has a sort of calming nature to it, and many players will enjoy seeing all the unique and interesting effects each item has when burned: some items distort gravity, others freeze surrounding items solid, some explode(violently), some change the colors of the flames, some spawn other items, so on so forth. Though interesting and engaging for a bit, most players will probably tire of the game's lack of variety and challenge as they approach the end of the game.

Gameplay! Sorta...

Story-wise, the game excels by presenting itself as a thematic allegory. It uses the simplistic nature of the gameplay as a catalyst to drive home it's message, which ultimately proves to be a very interesting and thought-provoking endeavor, and personally forced me to consider said message with regards to myself. In this regards, the game can be compared to titles such as Journey: presenting subtle narrative messages and using the makeup of the game to weave them together into an impactful message, and also like Journey, it is in the narrative in which Little Inferno truly shines.

Any game should take being called "like Journey" as very high praise

In terms of visuals and sound design, the game looks good, but has a limited range of artistic designs available, nearly the entirety of the game takes place staring at a fireplace. The game also has quite a lack of music, but what is there is very good, so on the music and art front the only criticism I can make is "I wish there was more of it".

The game sports a unique blend of cartoony and realistic art styles that serve it's allegorical nature perfectly.

Unfortunately, this is where the similarities to Journey start to end, and the flaws start to appear. The majority of the game is spent staring into your fireplace, which only serves to increase the game's feeling of monotony and repetitiveness. The game is short (roughly 6 hours if every challenge is completed), and far too much of that time is spent waiting on packages to be delivered rather than burning things. This combination of monotony and extensive wait times only serve to exponentiate each other, and could easily make the experience feel too drawn-out and boring to many gamers: something a 6-hour game should never make it's audience feel. Interjections of some rather dark humor throughout the experience helps break up the otherwise monotonous tone of the experience, but overall the game's thematic usage of a simplistic game design serves to be a hamper on the game in terms of available variety.

You will be looking at this screen for nearly the entire game.

Overall, the level of enjoyment one can expect from Little Inferno will be completely dependent upon the individual playing the game. If you are looking for a title filled with non-stop action and varied environments, if you quickly tire of repetitive gameplay, if you have little appreciation for story beyond it's base entertainment value, or you are not intrinsically motivated to complete optional challenges, your money and your time would be far better spent on another title. However, if you are looking for a thought-provoking narrative piece with simplistic-yet-intriguing gameplay mechanics, you will probably find a good amount of enjoyment nestled within Little Inferno's clever riddles and deep, intelligent, and allegorical narrative.

The flame beckons, but not all will appreciate the light it cast.

P.S. If you like burning things, ignore everything else written and go buy this game. It's like a pyromaniac's dream come true.

100% Pyro-approved

Score:

For the blood/guts/action game crowd: 2/10

For the artsy/intellectual/indy game fan crowd: 9/10

For pyromaniacs: You can light a mini-nuke on fire/10

Overall: 8/10

Wiki: Little Inferno Guides

Anonymous — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 01:17:00 GMT

Guides for Little Inferno

Blog Post: The Emotional Flame

Andrew Reiner — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 19:47:00 GMT

Little Inferno has a soul that burns bright, igniting emotions as a sad story is told in the cinders of a fireplace designed to spark the imagination of children. Fake in-game advertising for the Little Inferno Entertainment Fireplace asks kids a disturbing question: “Do you know what’s more fun than playing with toys? Setting them on fire!” The ad goes on to show happy, singing children tossing their most beloved toys and possessions into the Little Inferno. They look on in awe as these objects are engulfed in flames.

You play the role of one of these children. He burns television sets, Kitty Poo Poo Plushies, building blocks, toy zombies, handheld gaming systems, and the most dangerous toys of all: mini nukes and dwarf suns. When it comes to gameplay, that’s all that Little Inferno offers. You put an object in a fireplace, light it on fire, and move it around as it burns.

Some people may say that Tomorrow Corporation's Little Inferno isn’t a game at all, but more of an interactive fireplace. Since it never penalizes the player or puts time restrictions on any action, it’s certainly one of the most relaxing gaming experiences I’ve encountered. But it is still a game – a puzzle game, to be precise. And it’s a damn good one to boot.

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Challenge comes in creating combos consisting of two or more objects at once. The player can complete 99 unique combinations based on cryptic clues. For instance, to complete the Yellow Brick Road challenge, the player must throw a Kitty Kitty Poo Poo Plushie, a scarecrow, and a Transhumanist action figure into the fire and burn them all at once. For the Cold War challenge, a Russian nesting doll must be incinerated with an Uncle Sam Blam Blam action figure. It’s a fun game of match two (or three) with a dark sense of humor.

New items unlock after you achieve a specific number of combos, and additional challenges become available. With a larger base of items to work with, the difficulty grows.

Most of the items burn in different ways, making the sure act of starting something on fire fun. If a miniature moon is thrown into the fire, it generates its own gravity, pulling other items into its orbit. If a stuffed caterpillar is set ablaze, butterflies emerge from its charged stuffing. Classic video game items turn the flames into pixels. I was impressed by this attention to detail, not to mention the great physics that accompany all of the items and flames.

The one major drawback to this simple experience is the arbitrary countdowns tied to items being delivered to your fireplace. You end up sitting around for no real reason as you wait for your objects to become available. You can cash in stamps to make items appear instantly, but you have a limited number of them (which replenishes), and have to pick and choose which item deliveries are expedited.

Your character isn’t alone in this world. He’s exchanging letters with mysterious people. Their messages range from heartfelt to crazy, each increasing your desire to meet the people behind the words. You wouldn’t think that a game like this would lead up to an emotional conclusion, but for reasons I can’t even hint at, the narrative leads to final moments that are as intense as they are sad. In these moments, the score hits all of the right notes, the imagery matches the mood, and the story succeeds.

Little Inferno is unlike any game I’ve played. It has a big heart that blends perfectly with its dark tones and simple gameplay scope. Days removed from playing it, I’m still thinking about it. I’m recommending it to my friends who love Braid, Unfinished Swan, and Journey. I’m telling my coworkers it’s one of the nicest surprises of the year. It’s one of those games that breaks free from standard video game conventions. Play it, discuss it, and enjoy it. I sure did.

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Andrew Reiner — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 19:33:00 GMT

Little Inferno Review Screens

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Andrew Reiner — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 19:33:00 GMT

Little Inferno Review Screens

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Andrew Reiner — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 19:33:00 GMT

Little Inferno Review Screens

Group: Little Inferno