Little Misfortune – Nindie Spotlight – Do You Want to Play a Game?
Never have I felt more tricked into a false sense of security while playing a game than I did while playing Little Misfortune. Starting off by introducing you to the cute and colourful point-and-click world of young protagonist Misfortune’s bedroom, the game slowly descends into creepy madness that never failed to shock and disturb me.
I am TheNeverYak, and this is your Nindie Spotlight for today: Little Misfortune!
Little Misfortune and Mr Voice
The story begins with Misfortune, a “wonderful girl from a not so wonderful family”, playing in her bedroom. Suddenly, a voice, who she will fittingly name Mr Voice, speaks to her asking if she wants to play a game. The aim? To find eternal happiness. Of course Misfortune agrees, and so the twisted tale begins.
Above all else, Little Misfortune excels at dark humour. The game is constantly witty, and great voice acting from both Misfortune and Mr Voice really adds so much depth to the experience. I especially loved it when Mr Voice would speak directly to the player leaving Misfortune out of the conversation. This not only made for some really nice foreshadowing but also really kept me tied in with the deeper and more cryptic undertones of the game.
So yes, on the surface Little Misfortune is about a little girl on an adventure to find the promised lie of eternal happiness, but the game also plays into much darker themes. As the player, you’ll be given multiple choices for how Misfortune speaks and acts, that start off innocent but progressively build up to have greater significance. The way such disturbing concepts are masked with childish innocence and humour is really just what makes Little Misfortune shine.
A Little Lady
As far as gameplay goes Little Misfortune is fairly simple in its design. You’ll complete basic point-and-click puzzle tasks and choose dialogue options to progress through the game. All the puzzles feel very relevant to the story, and are packed with enticing characters and tons of the game’s twisted charm.
It’s a short game but one that always has you feeling like you’re learning something new about the story and its characters. Each puzzle and scene where Misfortune and Mr Voice talk to one another helps create a distinct and rewarding sense of progression, so I was always eager to keep playing.
There are also collectibles in the form of things for Misfortune to throw her seemingly endless stash of glitter on, and how many you manage to find will effect the ending to the game.
Let’s Play
Little Misfortune has such a nice overall aesthetic, especially portrayed in the art and sound design. All these creepy little artistic details are dotted throughout the game, such as the creepy masks worn by pedestrians on the streets and countless missing children posters pinned on the walls.
The fact that these are present for the player to pick up on but are rarely brought to the attention of Misfortune brings an even further sense of her childish perspective in the way she simply doesn’t notice all the horrible things surrounding her.
Warm, soft colours in an almost picturebook-like art style and the gentle, playful feel of the music I always found adding further to the feeling that all of this is a game to Misfortune, despite the player progressively picking up that it is so much more.
Little Misfortune is the absolute perfect game for anyone looking for something short and dark. It has such a strong, enticing story that made it feel impossible to turn off, and coupled with the previously mentioned gorgeous art and music.
Misfortune’s world is one I felt honoured to experience, even if it was kind of creepy. The way that the haunting nature of this world is progressively edged into the player’s vision foreshadowing a dramatic and intense climax is such a great way to keep the player guessing and creating theories on the lore.
Little Misfortune is the perfect blend of childhood innocence and a cruel world, of safety and insanity, and of good and bad.
There is your Nindie Spotlight on Little Misfortune. Check back again next time for a look into another great Nindie title. What are some of your favorite indie games? Let us know in the comments below! Thank you for visiting Nintendo Link. Happy gaming, everyone.
