Little Inferno review

Little inferno is BIG on surprise!

Review written by
Rob Sparacino

December 6th, 2012

Little Inferno, a downloadable title from the collaborative minds behind such gems as World of Goo and Henry Hatsworth is a game that has easily been lost in the sea of content since the Wii U's launch. About two dozen games have come out in the Wii U's short existence and this title along with the other downloadable games available have not even been in my crosshairs. With the bevy of ports, Wii U exclusives and downloadable games, can something so different, so... mesmerizing become successful on the Wii U?

Little Inferno started as a small flame, but the more I played, the more I fell in love with with this game.

Little Inferno has to be the most surprising title to come into my grasp in quite some time. The things I have heard about the game were minimal and what I did hear seemed to be mixed. I figured I would just forget everything I heard and give Little Inferno a chance. I started playing and within ten minutes I had lost interest and decided to give it another go after dinner. That was a good decision on my part because four hours had passed in no time as the credits rolled and I was left with a smile on my face. I would have missed dinner for sure.

Little Inferno is and isn't a game. There is a story... sort of, there is gameplay... sort of and there is a unique experience to be had... definitely! The game starts with an empty fire place. You are then asked to burn objects. That's pretty much it. You start with a few objects to burn and you earn money by burning each new item which then in turn earns you more items. There are also books that hold the items. There are about 20 items in each book and about six books. This all seems very basic and simplistic and yes, it is. That is where a unique combo system comes into play. You pair items with each other to create a combo, such as a packet of flower seeds and an alarm clock to create a budding garden. It's in this combination system that allows some excellent creativity on the developers part. I feel like if I explain any more I would be giving too much away that really needs to be experienced without a hint of any spoilers. There is a story that, although minimal is quite engaging, especially near the end.

The game can be played with either the Wii Remote and Nunchuk combination or the Wii U GamePad. Either way, the game plays, sounds and looks great. As simple as Little Inferno is, the visuals and audio are exceptional. The objects animate with a fun, cutesy style that I am very pleased with and the fire effects are quite convincing and simply beautiful. The audio experience however, is what really gave the game an emotional feel. During certain points in the game, story driven or informational sequences would appear and the musical tone would change completely. Every time I heard this music I couldn't help but think of the amazing soundtracks of the current Deus Ex game or Christopher Nolan's Batman movies. It had that much of an impact to me during my play time. The crackling of the fire, the noises that each item makes, everything is just handled with such care.

For everything that I love about Little Inferno, the one thing that may drive people away is the length of the game paired with the high price of entry. I felt completely satisfied with the price and the length because everything came together and concluded in a way that resonated with me. The story really kicked into high gear towards the end and kept me glued to my screen. As soon as I felt that the gimmick of lighting everything on fire was about to lose its luster, an amusing story kept me hooked until the end. After the credits roll, you can continue burning items and creating combos to your heart's content. This game may have started out as a little flame, but after spending some time with it, Little Inferno grew into a beautifully crafted, entertaining game that won't quickly be doused.