Do you ever wish you could go back to the simpler times of being a kid playing make-believe? The times when your imagination was bigger and brighter than it is now? That’s where Lil Gator Game comes in.
Lil Gator Game is a short action-adventure game developed by MegaWobble and published by Playtonic Friends. You play as the titular protagonist (who can go by whatever name you like) who is determined to spend time with their older sister, who is home for uni break.
What’s the deal with Lil Gator Game?
The purpose of your journey is a noble one: Your older sister is busy working on a boring uni assignment and can’t play with you. You must have lots of fun being the imaginary hero with your friends to convince her to play with you. If she sees how much fun you’re having, she’ll have to join, right?
Throughout Lil Gator Game, you’ll come across many friends that you’ll complete tasks for in order to get them to join the ultimate game of make-believe. Some of them are baby geniuses that require you to convince them that their academic skills would be vital to the game. Some of them are cool kids that are desperate to break out of the constraints of looking cool.
Every character you meet has their own unique personality and needs, and they are all very, very cute. The character designs feel very akin to the smoothed-out versions of A Short Hike‘s characters, albeit with a little more variety and detail. The enemies are not really enemies, but rather cardboard cut-outs of enemies which leans into the silly fun of it all.
Every piece of equipment is unique
Over the course of Lil Gator Game, you’ll be collecting all sorts of weapons, ‘shields’, and headwear. There are plenty of nods to other video games and media here, all of which are very tongue-in-cheek. Each weapon provides a different animation which felt like such a small but endearing detail. I found myself constantly going back to the fairy princess wand.
The shields in particular are basically traversal tools, which makes getting around a lot easier. You’ll be doing a lot of exploring, so getting around quickly is a must. Lemme tell ya, jumping, flying, and sliding around this world is just a treat. Not to mention, sliding down a hill through a line of ‘enemies’ is a lot of fun.
For the majority of the time, Lil Gator Game doesn’t take itself too seriously at all. It’s very silly and goofy the entire way through until it isn’t. You get to a point where you start to realise why your older sister can’t play with you, and it goes from being a silly game about a young kid’s bursting imagination to a heartwarming (and heartwrenching) story of siblinghood.
Lil Gator Game is a bittersweet adventure
As you go around the islands, you’ll find these kinds of mementos that represent the games that you and your sister used to play together. It starts to dawn on you that while you haven’t come close to growing up, your older sister has. I don’t want to give much more away in the hopes that you’ll give it a go, but this is definitely the kind of game that will make you want to give your brother/sister/sibling a call.
I really loved Lil Gator Game in every aspect. From the visuals to the music, and the gameplay to the dialogue. There is so much to love about this tale of sibling love and the power of imagination. It doesn’t overstay its welcome, and it’s bound to make you smile (or cry).
Lil Gator Game is available now on PC and Nintendo Switch.
Leave a Reply