Fans of point-and-click adventure games have a lot to be thankful for these days. Thanks largely to Telltale Games, console gamers finally realized that a point-and-click, story driven game, doesn’t automatically mean bad and/or boring. As the genre has become more popular, we’re lucky enough to see games like The Little Acre, from Pewter Games, come to Xbox One. I was able to go hands-on with the first half of this game over the holiday.
In The Little Acre, you get to play as two characters, Aidan and his young daughter Lily, as they both embark on a journey to find their dads. The plural there is on purpose. Soon after Aidan takes off looking for his father Arthor, Lily becomes aware that Aidan has gone off without her and wants to know where he has gone, so she starts out on an adventure of her own.
The Little Acre is set between two worlds: ours and Clonfira, a strange and unique world where everything, including you, is different. Aidan believes his father Arthur has gone to Clonfira and is determined to find him and bring him back. Lily, on the other hand, ends up there more so on a whimsical, child-curiosity fueled adventure. Not knowing what the future holds for these two other than puzzles and mystery, we have a good start to a quirky adventure.
I simply adore this game so far. It has been bright and fun and made everyone in my family laugh several times. Each puzzle that I have encountered has been challenging, but not overly impossible. I never once activated headdesk mode, but if you do feel it’s a bit tough, have no fear as they have a hint and separate solution option in the menu. I found having two tiers of support is a great way to approach it because sometimes all you need is a little nudge.
I did, however, forget to mention their dog Dougal, who so far has played a great role as both a helper to Aidan and protector to Lily. His interaction with both characters is fun and entertaining. He is definitely a good first support character to meet and gives me hope to additional characters we may meet along the way . He is just a dog, yet he is funny and has tons of personality, making me feel that plenty of time was spent thinking about and hashing out everyone you will meet and the role they will play in your story.
So far, The Little Acre has been a very enjoyable experience, and I can’t wait to get to play the rest of it. Sadly, it doesn’t come out until December 13, so a little waiting is required. Make sure to check back as we will have the full review up by then. If you are interested in purchasing The Little Acre, you can preorder it at a discounted price here.
