Little Survivors Review (PC, Linux, & macOS)

I have yet to play a game as cute as Little Survivors, although, in retrospect, the title alone should have given me enough of a hint that my heart was about to melt. I mean, playing through comic books, with the pages flipping over right before your eyes, ah, I feel already sold. But regardless of how charming the art style is, you still have to know that your time here will be worth it. 

Granted, this isn’t at all a Triple-A or even Double-A title. Rather, it’s a very small, very short game that you will probably beat in under a few hours. And to make up for your relatively short playthrough, the developer has been kind enough to set the price tag at a measly $6.29 until October 8, 2024, that is, at which point the price will jump back up to $6.99. 

But still, it’s a fair price, if not a steal, for a quick in-and-out spree that will leave you with a cheeky smile on your face. So, what’s this game all about? Should you play it? Well, let’s find out in our deep-dive Little Survivors review.

Free Animals Trapped in Cages

As the developer phrases it, Little Survivors is a “short and accessible” romp with action and roguelite elements. It has “simple but satisfying” gameplay that will have you smiting all kinds of monsters. These monsters are some vile Glurks creatures that want your head on a stake. And you can’t shy away from taking them head-on because the game also has cute animals that need you to rescue them. 

And that’s pretty much the story, at least the parts that matter. It’s the premise that gives you a reason to head out into battle and free all kinds of animals. Listen, I wasn’t expecting the most profound tale here. The present premise does a good enough job of setting the stage. Plus, there isn’t really any voice acting or narration to warrant creating an actual story.

Still, perhaps some doodles on the comic books would have helped to add more immersion. At present, the comic book pages are spread out on the screen, and your character spawns on them. Your character can move on the pages as the Glurks also spawn and begin to track him down. You’ll see trees and pillars, some of which are breakable. And the animals trapped in cages that need rescuing, of course. 

And that’s pretty much it. Perhaps if there were texts that added more detail to the story or some sort of update on how your efforts are making an impact on the world, they would have added to a much more engaging playthrough.

Help Me, Pet Dog, and Bird

So, the gameplay is actually pretty simple. Marco and Eva move about the comic books. Their movement triggers the evil Glurks, who charge at you with flailing swords. Now, the cute part of the game is that you have a pet: a dog for Marco and a bird for Eva. And anytime you press the respective action button for each character, your pet comes to your rescue.

More specifically, Marco whistles to his dog, and he comes charging toward you, maiming any Glurks in its way. Similarly, Eva squeezes her bed, and she lays explosive eggs, destroying any evil Glurks wanting to kill you. Your pets can also break the pillars that obstruct your way to rescue a trapped animal, for instance.

As the game’s description implies, the gameplay is really quite simple. However, as much as all the action you need is relayed via the press of a single button, it can feel pretty satisfying to watch your pet slay the Glurks or destroy objects. Even more so because of the somewhat gory animation that splatters blood after each kill. 

Sometimes, your pet can charge through multiple Glurks and clear them all in one go. However, there’s also some strategy as you need to ensure the Glurks are currently on the path your pet will take to charge toward you. The Glurks are always moving, as is your character, so perfect timing is key. 

Recruit Freed Animals to Your Service

Eventually, when you unlock higher levels, you’ll begin to encounter more complex scenarios. You’ll have levels with multiple pillars obstructing your way, for instance. Or you can have Glurks that are spread out too far away from one another so as to require multiple charges from your pets to clear them all. Or the Glurks may simply be too many for your pet to take on alone. 

Fortunately, you have the option of recruiting more animals to your service. As you play, you’ll come across big question marks that your pet can charge into and unlock animals like bees to help you in battle. Alternatively, you may come across animals trapped in cages that, once you rescue them, can join your mission to wipe out Glurks. 

Vorelian has made it intentionally simple for the animals you unlock and the ones you free to kill the Glurks automatically. Still, the other animals help you in random ways, which means that you still have to be on your toes to avoid the Glurks draining all your health. With six secondary animals to unlock, your playthrough will grow varied enough across its short runtime.

Collect As Many Heart As You Can

While you play, you also want to collect as many hearts as possible. They’ll be randomly placed on the comic book pages. These will allow you to survive for longer, even as the Glurks remain consistently hot on your tail. Being a roguelite, though, you do redo runs when you die, albeit with the resources you managed to pick up.

Overall, though, Little Survivors runs across four chapters. Mind you, the chapters procedurally generate, ensuring your playthrough remains refreshing. This comes in handy in the infinite mode, which lets you play as many levels as you want non-stop. 

At its most intense, you can easily find yourself making rash choices that can drastically influence how you play. You may find yourself needing to weigh whether to rescue an animal or collect a heart, even as the environment crumbles down around you and the Glurks’ movements become more and more unpredictable.

All that is to say that there is more than meets the eye in Little Survivors. What starts off as a simple game easily grows into a more complex venture that requires paying attention and strategizing your next move. You even run into bosses at points, like a giant owl that needs multiple takedowns by your pet to finally go down. 

Presentation

As for the visuals, Little Survivors looks absolutely charming and cute. It’s hand-drawn cartoons that burst with color and spice. Each comic book page has clean details, and the animations are smooth and fluid. In the same breath, the audio is excellent, with immersive sound effects from the buzzing of the bees to the funny Glurks noises. You also get varying intonations in the soundtrack, with moments of calm when the stakes are low to increasing panic mode as the Glurks head closer toward you. 

Eva’s bit with the explosive eggs can be a little loud, although you can reduce the noise in the settings. The mechanic is also not quite as exciting as Marco’s bit: a pet charging through multiple Glurks beats a massive egg floating over the comic book and explodes to kill the Glurk that passes by it. Mind you, Eva might need to squeeze her pet bird multiple times to lay multiple eggs to kill all the Glurks in the book. And sometimes, it’s a hit or miss. 

Also, the Glurks turn into black ink on impact, hardly as exciting as gory blood. It can be white paint, too, which may take away the fun from those who like the scarlet burst of color.

Verdict

It’s incredible that Little Survivors is the product of a one-man development team called Vorelian. That’s because it’s a genuinely fun game to pass a few hours or so with. Anyone can jump into the gameplay without prior expertise, with only one action button to move the game forward. And yet, even with a single action button, the gameplay still manages to grow intense as the levels progress. 

You’ll soon unlock more challenging levels that test perfect timing and endurance. You may even have to take a breather to return with a fresh mind. Still, every moment you spend in the game proves worthwhile and satisfying. The sound effects and soundtrack are immersive throughout, with pretty funny and intense sections. The music intensifies as the Glurks draw closer to killing you.

Meanwhile, the art style is the cutest thing, with its colorful and clean hand-drawn cartoons and animation. The only drawback is that the game is pretty short. More content couldn’t hurt, especially on the story front, which can feel lacking. You have no voice acting or text storytelling, for that matter, but those could easily be geared toward a sequel, if possible.