Little Inferno

During the Christmas holiday season have you ever watched “The Holiday Yule Log” on TV and think “Hey, that would make a fantastic game”?  I didn’t think so, but Tomorrow Corporation saw potential for fun in those flickering flames.  Surprisingly they have developed something truly special in a game called Little Inferno.  Tomorrow Corporation is a three-person team, who have previously worked on great puzzle games such as World of Goo and Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure, and they have combined their talents and brought us something very unique with the new Wii U eShop game that brin...

Little Inferno is one of those unorthodox creations that is hard to not like. It’s got a style of its own, an air of mystery, and an engaging gameplay loop that is only weighed down by the odd tinge of repetition, a perhaps unnecessary delivery mechanic and a definitive end to the core experience. These issues will undoubtedly put some gamers off, but if you’re the patient type who longs for something unequivocally different to play on the Nintendo Switch, Little Inferno certainly delivers the goods.

Although rare, the concept of an anti-game is definitely intriguing. Little Inferno may be more than initially meets the eye but is it a worthwhile gaming experience or will you be better off lighting your credit card on fire?

Initially it’s a pleasure to burn every item I receive in Little Inferno. The flash that signals ignition, the way items respond to being incinerated – it all activates some primal part of my brain that can sit in front of a camp fire for hours, sinking deep into my head as I watch the fingers of the flames. The vague story and uninspired puzzles weren’t special enough to keep my attention after that initial sense of awe waned, though, and when viewed alongside some annoying constraints that make the gameplay feel unnecessarily constrained, Little Inferno’s few great ideas fall apart like so m...

In life we are given many lessons, one of the strongest is that you should never play with fire. Fire is dangerous, it is wild, it can hurt you and cost you more than some can even imagine. In life you should never play with fire, but in case you have an inner pyromaniac you might want to find a healthy way to set it free and Little Inferno is that perfect way. This game allows you to unleash your inner Firestarter and set a multitude of varying items alight as we see them burn then slowly turn to ash in the bottom of our fireplace.