Little Orpheus Critic Reviews

Little Orpheus is a neat, little game with a fun story, quirky characters and a whole lot of atmosphere. A handful of patchable offences aside, if you're keen to find out what ever happened to Ivan and Little Orpeheus on a Soviet subterranean mission gone wrong, then def jump in!

A former Apple Arcade exclusive, Little Orpheus successfully brings its cinematic platformer action to Nintendo Switch. This throwback to pulp movie serials works well on the TV screen, and the gameplay is better suited to Joy-Con controls than a touchscreen. The sense of wonder does slowly wear off, but it’s a quick, casual adventure worth completing.

Little Orpheus has some bright points - like its atmosphere and soundtrack - but it could have given more with its gameplay.

It’s an absurd tale featuring dinosaurs, monsters, and lost civilizations, and the voiceovers of the two characters are enough to make it enjoyable. In other words, Little Orpheus’ two strong points are the same as the strong points from The Chinese Room’s other two games. The thing is, here they’ve added a third element – platforming – that’s not nearly as compelling, and it’s enough to make the game a far cry from their previous standard.

For all the wonderful writing and gorgeous world-building, Little Orpheus fails on a fundamental level to create anything engaging in the platforming and puzzles. There's a lot worth seeing, but it is sadly buried under monotonous gameplay.

Although very enjoyable, Little Orpheus fails to become a big hit. It is simple and classic, which is great if that’s what you’re looking for.

As much as we adored the charming back-and-forth between Ivan and the General, we also began to lose interest in Ivan’s predicament near the end. There’s no narrative payoff here, no greater meaning or memorable conclusion that sticks with you. In Little Orpheus, The Chinese Room flirts with providing a more engaging experience that never quite materialises, made all the more apparent by the lack of puzzles intuitive enough to give us the barest hint of a dopamine-laced ‘aha!’ moment or a chase sequence or two with enough challenge to make us sit up on our sofa. That aside, the richly detailed worlds and superb presentation provide just enough reason to see Ivan's tall tale through to the end, but we ended up wishing there was more on both the puzzling and narrative fronts.

But when it comes to gameplay its fine but not anything to write home about. A nice game but not a great game.

Little Orpheus weaves an epic tale through its short runtime. Unfortunately, the gameplay just doesn’t live up to the same standard. But if you’re after an experience that’s nonetheless engaging, this is the game for you.