REVIEW : Little Bug (XBOX Series X)
Little Bug is a brief platforming adventure that is both cute and frustrating. Despite its whimsical appearances and locations, some parts appear to be designed to test patience, and even though it only took me 90 minutes to complete, there were times when I felt like giving up. We’re controlling a young girl on her way home from school, and she’s letting her mind run wild, as kids sometimes do. However, what should be a routine walk turns into a vision of floating orbs, dead cats, and supernatural abilities. Her life is turned upside down after her mother scolds her for arriving late, and it is from here, we must return home.
One of them is Little Bug, a game with a very basic number of actions in its repertoire, but how you use them determines how well you master the game. Little Bug, you see, is always testing you, keeping you on your toes, and after you think you’ve figured it out, it’ll push your talents even farther. It would be a tragedy if you thought a constant test of that nature was too much because Little Bug is well worth protecting.
Where the challenge comes in is at the foundation of our movement. Our Little Bug can’t jump, so she’s accompanied by a bright ball that works as a lasso. With the left stick, we manoeuvre her and the orb with the right, then squeeze the trigger to latch on to her and propel her up and over obstacles. This mechanic was one of my favourites for a large chunk of the game. While there is a limit to how far or how long we may use the orb at once, the task was well-paced, and the desire to uncover the hidden treasures that she accumulated in her lunchbox along the route was strong. These might then be given to the deceased cat.
Little Bug’s narrative has a personal touch that can make or break how you feel about it. Nyah’s eccentricities and quarrels with her family feel like they’re centred on specifics that branch out into more broad subjects of isolation, imagination, and hatred for normalcy, as Buddy System has expressed in the past. We’re talking about childhood here, and the vulnerability is present but not fully explored. Nyah has a younger sibling, a newborn, on whom her mother is completely focused, and this interferes with her freedom, or possibly the attention she no longer receives. Is it appropriate for Nyah to be this way? The point is that, although being established early on, this conflict never appears as an entity in the game. At best, it adds tension to story beats that aren’t included in the whole game. It’s a shame because, given the right environment, this universe’s horror and mysterious aspect are well-represented. The long, slender revelation of neon hands and dark figures, ready to take Nyah away in a heartbeat if she gets too close, real-world concerns are associated with that concept, whether it’s being hurt by strangers or, worse, being abducted. Its execution breathes new life into a stale look, yet they are all just hints that the game fails to verify or confirm.
Swinging her across chasms or up and over cliffs was entertaining enough, but after Buddy System added moving hazards to the game, it became a whole new stress level. We must move LB around, but we must also manoeuvre the orb swiftly enough to fling her out of harm’s way while ghostly apparitions pursue her. One area had four to dodge in a row, and it was difficult, not in a fun sense, but in a ‘this is getting frustrating now’ kind of way. With no checkpoints in the middle, I must’ve spent almost as much time on this one area as I had on the entire game up to that moment.
After completing this, I became engrossed in what turned out to be the final challenge, in which they appeared to delight in making us repeat the same section repeatedly. We must guide her through not only a winding maze but also the orb while also placing both Bug and orb in the correct locations to assist the other in moving forward — all while being pursued by a screen-filling adversary. The difficulty was great, but I think I would have loved it more if we didn’t have to go on the same slow, plodding run every time before arriving at the puzzle part. And if we didn’t start sprinting right away when we restarted, the attackers would easily catch us.
After completing this, I became engrossed in what turned out to be the final challenge, in which they appeared to delight in making us repeat the same section repeatedly. We must guide her through not only a winding maze but also the orb while also placing both Bug and orb in the correct locations to assist the other in moving forward — all while being pursued by a screen-filling adversary. The difficulty was great, but I think I would have loved it more if we didn’t have to go on the same slow, plodding run every time before arriving at the puzzle part. And if we didn’t start sprinting right away when we restarted, the attackers would easily catch us.
While the tale lacks narrative beats, the gameplay and how you interact with the levels have received special attention. The sphere of light you control can attach a beam to Nyah, which is Little Bug’s unique selling point. It will then draw Nyah over to where it is now located, which might result in web-slinging across the levels to maintain speed or to carry Nyah entirely over obstacles to avoid danger. It’s thrilling gameplay that has some unexpectedly wide level design because of the collectables. Buddy System appears to be aware of how easy it would be to break the game with such a system, so the orb of light has a finite energy bank with which to carry Nyah. The game’s difficulty is also greater than similar games, restricting the orb’s seemingly limitless possibilities. The game emphasises time and precision, with a “go hard or go home” ethos that carries over into the bonus material. Some of the various treasures found around the game environment can also be used to unlock extra levels, which are cruel in their lack of checkpoints and the slew of obstacles that can be encountered. It’s a startling perspective to adopt. Little Bug is a one-of-a-kind game, particularly its basic gameplay mechanic and some innovative storytelling methods. It’s a game where the complexity can be draining, yet it barely manages to stay on the right side of delight rather than aggravation. It might use some more lenient checkpointing, but on the whole, the bundle is really good value for money, with excellent production values.
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