Game Reviews

Little Things Forever

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Little Things Forever

Let's clear something up right away: if you've played the first Little Things game on iOS, you're already intimately familiar with this newest offering.

There is, by and large, very little discernible difference between the two. But despite being a rather unambitious stab at a sequel, Little Things Forever strikes gold simply because it’s an elegant formula that still feels utterly fresh a second time around.

At its heart, Little Things Forever is a hidden object game. You're presented with a series of charmingly stylised collages - each overflowing with beautifully drawn, randomly generated bric-a-brac - and given a list of items to find. It's a refreshingly unhurried experience, with the emphasis firmly on playing at your own pace.

Take it easy

Occasionally, time comes into play as you work against the clock to find as many objects as possible, but there’s never a fail state - just an affirmative end-of-stage assessment as to whether you've done well or exceptionally well.

That Little Things Forever is confident enough in the strength of its foundation to keep gameplay contrivances to a minimum speaks volumes. It doesn't construct arbitrary goals to deliver an artificial sense of achievement.

Part of the joy of playing comes from the game's incredibly intuitive interface, which combines standard iOS gestures to scroll and zoom around stages. Its transparency places the focus on the simple joy of discovery and it works a treat.

In fact, beyond a spot of jigsaw puzzling to open up more elaborate vignettes, you’ll have a handle on the entire game within minutes.

Simple Pleasures

It's an object lesson in less-is-more game design, proving so consistently satisfying at a minute-by-minute level that it really is hard to criticise the game's lack of expansion for this sequel.

Where it's improved the most is in the smaller details - with a host of lovingly crafted new items to find, universal support, and beautiful iPad retina visuals. There are even accessibility features, including the ability to hear written words spoken aloud and a subtle new hint system, both of which make it a great option for kids.

Admittedly, if hidden object games do little for you then you're unlikely to be swayed by anything on offer here. For everyone else, though, Little Things Forever offers a package that's appealingly understated, sublimely presented, and consistently engrossing in its focus and purity.

Developer KlickTock is promising regular puzzle updates, too, meaning that - while it’s not likely to stay fresh forever - Little Things Forever should keep you entertained for a very long time.

Little Things Forever

A sublimely understated hidden object game that shows that, sometimes, subtle improvements to a strong foundation are all a sequel needs
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Matt Wales
Matt Wales
Following a lifetime of adventure on the high seas, swabbing the editorial decks of the good ship IGN and singing freelance shanties across far-flung corners of the gaming press, Matt hung up his pirate hat and turned his surf-seared gaze toward the murky mysteries of the handheld gaming world. He lives to sound the siren on the best mobile games out there, and he can't wait to get kraken.