Compelling-ish
Knowing nothing about the game before I booted it up, it took only seconds of that Kyle Gabler sound for me to realize this game was made by those World of Goo guys. I've gone on record on more than one occasion to say that.. those guys are alright in my book. Little Inferno, broken down to its simplest form, is nothing more than a fireplace simulator. Here are these things, burn them! And those expecting a proper (World of Goo) game will definitely leave the charred ruins of your house disappointed. But if ever there was an example of a game that pushed gameplay aside in favor of atmosphere and character AND made it work, this is it.
This game takes place roughly in the same expertly crafted universe as World of Goo. And more-so than its predecessor, there is a profound bleakness to it all that I absolutely love. The Little Inferno fireplace is the only bastion of warmth in an ever colder, dying city. The sun hasn't been seen in quite some time. So we continue to burn our possessions in hope that one day the city will emerge from this darkness. And that is the primary compulsion to keep playing this game.. to see what happens next. After a while, burning things will lose its novelty. Fortunately, the game's "puzzler" side provides riddles, combinations of items to burn together and the source of all the game's challenge. I'm not really convinced that side of the game is very compelling. But Little Inferno, like any good or great indie game, knows not to outstay its welcome. You can easily finish this game in anywhere from 2-4 hours. And in the end, I think you'll appreciate Little Inferno for how unlike it is to anything else.
