Little Misfortune PC Review

Underneath its cute exterior, Little Misfortune hides a layer of mystery and the occult. There’s a Walkman-donning fox with unclear intentions, a voice promising Eternal Happiness to all who complete its game, and a young girl with a rich imagination who gets caught in between it all. The mixture isn’t necessarily surprising, given developer Killmonday Games’ last title, Fran Bow. And yet, for a good portion, the title remains quite grounded, carefully inserting the unnatural in between the seemingly innocent adventures of an eight-year-old.

Things kick off in Misfortune Ramirez Hernandez’s unassuming room. A pile of toys lay strewn across the floor; a makeshift “secret place” hides a few more of her companions. The girl herself wears a cute little beret and uses glitter to give sad things a bit of whimsy, even if only temporary. Not long after, Little Misfortune enters the game of a polite, yet eerily suspicious, Mr. Voice, who promises the reward of Eternal Happiness provided she reaches the game’s end. It may sound like a gleeful adventure, however, it’s not long until signs appear suggesting that, perhaps, not all is as innocent as it appears.
 

Although likely joining the game because of her childish nature, Misfortune wants to gift Eternal Happiness to her mother, which is one of the first moments when the game’s darker undertones are revealed. The “juice” her mother drinks is wine and, as the game progresses, the girl reveals more and more details about her dysfunctional family, mostly without losing her cheerful attitude. There’s something that both breaks and warms the heart when you’re faced with the protagonist’s naïve yet strangely aware approach to dealing with her trauma.

The clear undertones of familial neglect and abuse in Little Misfortune don’t, however, take center stage very often. In fact, one of the game’s greatest achievements is how well it keeps everything framed as the imagination-fueled adventure of a young, naïve girl, while steadily inserting comedic and darker elements in a number of situations.
 

The writing also smoothly glides from these more serious or ominous topics to the relatively carefree attitude of the little girl. The exchanges between her and Mr. Voice are often a delight to listen to, its fatherly British voice contrasting the playful, accented voice of the protagonist. I can’t quite place Little Misfortune’s accent, but it’s easily one of the cutest and most endearing ones I’ve ever heard and one which also belongs to a character that’s hard to forget once you’ve met her.

Gameplay-wise, Little Misfortune takes the guise of a 2D side-scroller, revolving around moving Misfortune to the side of the screen. Actions like inspecting things result in unlocking the path forward and getting to hear extra dialogue, while the occasional puzzle keeps things fresh, asking you to piece a vase back together or use a slingshot to target things from afar. Occasionally, you’ll also have to deal with binary choices that do alter specific moments in the story and contribute to the game’s moderate amount of replayability.
 

Little Misfortune mixes a simple yet smooth cartoonish look with some seemingly older animation techniques in cutscenes. Both characters and the creatures you encounter have a lot of charm and, overall, it often felt like I was watching a cartoon that doesn’t shun from dealing with darker topics, even if doing so through the naïve lens of its young protagonist.

That being said, Little Misfortune could have handled its reveals slightly better. For the better part of the game, you get a clear impression that something’s not quite right and things aren’t exactly what they seem. When the true manner of things is revealed, not only is it a bit of a predictable twist, but it’s also done suddenly and without much impact. Similarly, the title’s ending feels like it leaves matters hanging, despite making complete sense with everything that’s learned along the way.
 

Cute and spooky, funny and sad, Little Misfortune has a lot of strange charm. Although it does have its missteps during its more critical moments, Misfortune’s adventure is choc-full of situations that effortlessly squeeze an emotional response from the player. Whether it’s laughing at one of Misfortune’s jokes, feeling sad when learning about her family or being unsettled at what could happen when entering a wolf’s cage, the sum of all these small moments add up to a wonderful adventure. Its short runtime of just four hours may put some off, but especially if you’re a fan of interactive stories and adventure games, Little Misfortune should be right up your alley.
 

Bogdan Robert,
Senior Editor, NoobFeed
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