Little Misfortune has a distinct cartoon style, in muted autumnal and winter colour palettes. Misfortune explores the seedy hamster underworld. Similarly, the protagonist’s naivety and inability to grasp the significance of the things she says, add an uncomfortable air of nonchalance to some otherwise harrowing discoveries. Distressing revelations about Misfortune’s upbringing and surroundings are often revealed when least expected, after an assumed wholesome decision or during a particularly adorable moment, making them feel more poignant and adding some shock factor. Juxtaposed against a cute facade of sparkles and furry friends, the game explores sensitive and mature subjects including domestic abuse, alcoholism, drug use and death. This is reflective of the whole game in that everything is very sweet and twee on a surface level, yet it only takes a little digging to reveal much darker undertones. This is explained by Mr Voice, before he encourages her to play a game and informs her that the prize is eternal happiness! This character, whilst seemingly friendly, also raises misgivings and feelings of unease. NarrativeĪs the game begins, we are told of young Misfortune that “ today is the day she will die“. A selection of minigames from Little Misfortune. Additionally, there are two types of collectables and a selection of mini-games within Little Misfortune, these include fox bashing and a dance-off with a hamster stripper! Most of these sections are fairly easy to complete, but the mix of activities and engaging themes ensure that progress remains satisfying.

The game also incorporates environmental puzzles, often with multiple solutions, which the player must solve in order to progress. Making more important decisions in Little Misfortune! While this means it is possible to lose track of which items have been collected, the game will always present different choices based on inventory contents so it is not possible to miss item-related decisions. Certain objects can be picked up and will make different choices available to the player throughout the course of the game but they cannot be viewed or accessed in any other way. Unlike a lot of titles within this genre, including the developers’ previous title Fran Bow, Little Misfortune does not have an inventory system.

Choices range from the seemingly inane to critically important, however, the obvious cannot be considered so as results can be highly unpredictable and what may seem like a safe choice, often isn’t. Little Misfortune is primarily a point-and-click adventure, with a focus on choices and outcomes, with numerous decisions to make and branching consequence trees. Post-credits opening scene, a good reflection of what the game has in store for the player! Gameplay

Little misfortune xbox