Platforms: Linux, Mac PlayStation 4 (reviewed), Windows, and Xbox One
The Little Acre is a point-and-click adventure that tells the story of Aiden and his daughter Lily. As the game begins, Aiden gets a lead on his missing father and ends up stumbling into a bizarre new world in hopes of finding him. Once Lily, an adventurer at heart, learns that her father has gone looking for her grandpa, she sets out on her greatest quest yet looking to bring both back.
The first thing that will probably strike you about The Little Acre are the beautiful hand drawn graphics and animations. This is probably the strongest aspect of the game. In a lot of ways, it reminded me of old Disney films and each new environment and character was a delight to behold. The voice acting, music, and sound design are all also top notch, adding even more life to the already lively animations. One thing that did baffle me was the final cutscene because all the polish was completely thrown out the window for some reason. This scene has some rough animations and was completely out of sync with the sound by a good second or two. With the rest of the game being so expertly crafted, this was a jarring finale that spoiled the ending for me a bit.
Most of the gameplay will come in the form of solving puzzles. If you’ve ever played a point-and-click adventure you’ll be familiar with the formula here as most involve finding certain items that will interact with other items which will in turn allow you to proceed with the story. The puzzles are all rather simple, so if you’re looking for a challenge, you’re not going to find much of one here. That being said, with Lily’s grandfather being an inventor, there are some rather inventive items that you’ll get to interact with and that adds uniqueness and charm to the puzzles.
While the story is charming and the characters are endearing, The Little Acre’s run time may be a bit of a sore spot for some people. You’ll be able to get through it in just a little over an hour without much hassle. Once you’ve seen it through to the end there’s little reason to go back unless you truly fell in love with it. So whether or not you’ll get your money’s worth depends a lot on how much you think you’d enjoy what I described above. Personally, I think if you’re willing to spend $10 to $15 to go see a Disney film then this is well worth picking up.
As with most games, The Little Acre isn’t going to be for everyone. It’s a short experience that isn’t going to challenge you, but its beautiful animations, fantastic voice work, and charming story just might win you over. If you’re looking for something different to break up the monotony of constantly shooting things in games, then The Little Acre is worth the price of admission.
