Little Inferno PC Game Reviews
Posted by in PC Game Reviews, PC Reviews
Gameplay 7
Graphics 7
Sound 7

While Little Inferno is not a game in the strictest sense of the word, it does provide a very interesting experience. There isn’t much of a challenge beyond finding the correct combination of things to burn, but the eerie story and polished visuals might just suck you in. Perfect for those cold winter evenings.

Gameplay: Simple but strangely relaxing.

Graphics: Stylish and polished.

Sound: Very eerie

Summary 7.0 Good
Gameplay 0
Graphics 0
Sound 0
Summary rating from user's marks. You can set own marks for this article - just click on stars above and press "Accept".
Accept
Summary 0.0 Terrible

Little Inferno

Developer: Tomorrow Corporation | Publisher: Tomorrow Corporation | Release Date: 2012 | Genre: Adventure / Indie / Casual | Website: Official Website | Purchase: Steam

As anyone that has sat around a campfire can attest, there is something hypnotic about the flickering of flames. Little Inferno is a game that taps into that pyromaniac vein in all of us by providing a virtual fireplace and catalogs filled with stuff to burn. There are no monsters to defeat, bad guys to shoot or high scores to chase. There aren’t even any time limits and failure is pretty much impossible, so it is not surprising that the game was met with confusion upon its first release.

The game has you facing your “Little Inferno Entertainment Fireplace” with a small shelf below it from where you can drag and drop things into the hearth. New items to burn are ordered from a catalogue using cash you get from burning the previous items. The game has been called everything from a glorified screensaver to a pointless waste of time, but there is just something about it that can suck you in.

I was fortunate enough to play the game with the perfect conditions. It was raining outside and I was snug in front of my computer with the heat turned up high. This definitely added to the atmosphere and made the whole experience more enjoyable. The items that you can burn range from homage’s to other titles and products right down to some very surreal objects. Everything is well animated, slightly creepy and has all kinds of moving parts that dangle realistically as you plop it down in the fireplace. They all react differently when burned as well. Some toys will just stare at you in silent accusation as the flames consume them while others explode or even freak out and run around screaming. Eventually the realistic flames reduce everything to ash, leaving you with the cash to buy some more objects to burn.

You have to purchase everything in a catalog to unlock the next one, but latter ones require a set amount of combos before they become available. Combos are sets of two or three objects sharing some sort of link that are burned together. The game gives you the names of these combos which serve as clues to what you must burn.

There are ninety nine of those combos to discover ranging from the fairly obvious to the rather clever and very obscure. You don’t have to find all the combos to complete the game, but since the whole experience last for little more than three hours it would be a waste not to try.

Some objects and combos also earn you coupons which are vital for later in the game. Initially objects are delivered almost instantly, but once you reach the final catalog you are looking at waiting times of almost five minutes. Unless you want to sit staring into the flames for that long, you can use coupons to reduce the wait times. Your limited shelf can also be expanded using cash so that you have more things to burn while waiting for the new arrivals.

While ninety percent of your time in Little Inferno involves mindlessly burning stuff, there is also a story. This is conveyed through letters from your neighbor Sugar Plumps and occasional weather reports from the weather man floating above the city in his balloon. The game has a wonderfully eerie atmosphere which is helped by the brilliant soundtrack and unique art style. For a game that is created by only three people it definitely doesn’t disappoint in the audio and visual department. The creators were involved with titles such as World Of Goo as well as Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure, so I guess it is no surprise.

Little Inferno is probably not a game for everyone and many people will fail to see the appeal. I quite enjoyed the sandbox style gameplay even though I understood the message that the game was trying to convey. It also has a very satisfying conclusion so it is worth sticking around to the end to see how it all pans out. The game is rather pricey for what you get but then again, what else is out there that allows you to burn stuffed animals, household products and even planets in your fireplace?

*Review originally published November 2013.

System Requirements

    • OS: Win 7, Vista and XP
    • Processor:1.5 Ghz
    • RAM: 1GB
    • Hard Drive: 200 MB
    • Video Card: You will need a graphics card that supports Shader Model 2.0 or greater and DirectX 9.0c.
    • OS: OSX 10.6 or later
    • Processor:1.5 Ghz
    • RAM: 1GB
    • Hard Drive: 200 MB
    • Video Card: You will need a graphics card that supports OpenGL 2.1 or greater.
    • Processor: 1.5Ghz CPU
    • Memory: 1 GB RAM
    • Hard Disk Space: 200 MB
    • Video Card: graphics card that supports OpenGL 2.1

Also On The Site

Tags: Adventure, Casual, Indie, PC, Review

About author

Related posts

Contrast PC Game Reviews

Contrast

The visual style drew us to Contrast, but the clever puzzles and wonderful atmosphere kept us playing. Each new location was genuinely interesting to explore, and the concept of switching between 3D and 2D planes means you have to think out of the box sometimes. After release, the game also received a major patch that fixed most of the launch issues, resulting in an entertaining and memorable experience. Gameplay: Switching between 3D and 2D to solve puzzles is a unique and interesting twist. Graphics: The locations are larger than life and very memorable. Sound: The game features great voice acting and a stellar soundtrack.

Clockwork Tales: Of Glass and Ink PC Game Reviews

Clockwork Tales: Of Glass and Ink

Clockwork Tales lacks a compelling plot, but makes up for it with a unique steam-punk setting and some lovely hand-drawn visuals. It also veers a little too close to being short and easy for our taste, but it is certainly entertaining while it lasts. Anyone looking for a change of pace from all the supernatural themed hidden object games will definitely enjoy this game. Clockwork Tales is also very newcomers friendly, so if you are unfamiliar with the genre, it is a great place to start. Gameplay: A nice gentle introduction to the genre with relatively easy puzzles and mini-games. Graphics: The same high quality hand-drawn artwork that we have come to expect from Artifex Mundi. Sound: The voice acting is decent enough and the music is rather good.

The Binding of Isaac PC Game Reviews

The Binding of Isaac

Very simple to play, but the difficulty varies greatly depending on your luck. There is reason for multiple playthroughs which, along with the random elements, give this game some longevity. It's a good game, but definitely won't be suited to everyone's tastes. Gameplay: Randomly generated dungeons, tons of enemies and loads of loot gives this a lot of replay value. Graphics: Cute in a sick, twisted kind of way. Sound: Nice soundtrack and disturbing effects.

Fictorum PC Game Reviews

Fictorum

While there are plenty of games that allow you to play as a magic user, Fictorum is one of the few that makes you feel truly powerful right from the start. With an impressive arsenal of spells at your disposal and the ability to shatter buildings, it is definitely not lacking in excitement initially. Unfortunately, once the novelty wears off the game can become quite repetitive and doesn’t offer you much to do beyond blowing up the same enemies and buildings. The game also lacks some polish in terms of visuals and audio, but as long as you don’t expect too much there is still fun to be had. Gameplay: Fictorum is quite exciting initially, but once the novelty of blowing up buildings wears off it can become a little repetitive. Graphics: The destruction is impressive, but the overall visual style a little bland. Sound: Decent enough sound effects, but repetitive music and no voice acting.

Pinball FX3 – Williams™ Pinball: Volume 5 PC Game Reviews

Pinball FX3 - Williams™ Pinball: Volume 5

Pinball FX3 - Williams™ Pinball: Volume 5 offers faithful digital recreations of Tales of the Arabian Nights, Cirqus Voltaire, as well as No Good Gofers. In addition to playing these tables just like the original hardware, you can also experience them in remastered form with updated visuals, no animated characters as well as other features that bring them to life. No pinball fan will want to miss out on these three tables and combined they offer many hours of fun. Gameplay: Great recreations of awesome pinball tables. Graphics: The tables look great, especially when playing the remastered versions. Sound: Very faithful to the original tables.

T.E.C. 3001 PC Game Reviews

T.E.C. 3001

T.E.C 3001 is a game where you learn the ropes within a few levels but can spend hours perfecting the moves. The game's speed is exhilarating, and while there is some trial-and-error involved, it is also very addictive. If you are looking for a game where you can just jump in and get the adrenaline flowing without bothering with storylines or cut scenes, then T.E.C 3001 is a great option, especially for its price. Gameplay: The game is a fast-paced and challenging runner that can become quite addictive. Graphics: The visuals are simple but striking without interfering with the gameplay. Sound: The audio features some fitting tracks and sound effects, but nothing really memorable.

Leave a comment

9 + 14 =