This is a game review for my dad <3
There is always the thing game reviewers miss. People who review games will always come up with a lot of reasons why you should play and why you will enjoy certain games. These reasons will most likely be elements legitimately worthy of praise and you can’t fault them for mentioning them: they could tell you about the great story, the charming characters or the amazing graphics, and all of these could be and probably will be true.
But if we’re being real here, just because a game has all of these elements doesn’t automatically make it a good game or mean you’ll actually remember it once you’ve put down the controller or switched off your PC. The thing that makes a game really special, the thing that can’t be thrown into a generic category along with everything else, is spirit. Spirit is that strange, undefinable thing that lets even the most simple game, without all of the trimmings, without all of the giant studios backing them and without all of the polish, truly stand out and leave you with a lasting impression for weeks after you’ve finished it, and spirit is something The Little Acre is full of.
Simply put The Little Acre is a game about a dad and his daughter… and their dog.
Dads are these larger than life, they’re magical beings. Well, at least mine is. I speak a lot about the influence my mom has had in my love for gaming – something I am so very grateful for but the bits of the story I don’t often talk about is that when I was just a wee little girl it was my dad who built me my first ever computer. It wasn’t fancy or powerful like pcs are today, but at the time it was amazing, and it was mine. Then as I got older it was my dad who bought me my first ever copy of NAG magazine, who always made sure that my tears were short-lived every time something broke on my pc and I was convinced that this was it! I would never game again! Despite the tears and trauma he was there, always helping me to figure out what was wrong and show me how we could fix it, every time. My dad and I share a very close relationship that’s only sometimes strained by the somewhat unfortunate fact that we are carbon copies of each other: from the way our feet look, to our nerdy laughs and love for technology to our unlimited stubbornness… which leads me to The Little Acre:
Without giving away too much, set in 1950s Ireland, The Little Acre is a heartwarming point and click adventure brought to us by Pewter Games for PC, PS4 and Xbox One that tells a story about a single dad and his daughter who share their own healthy dose of stubbornness.
After the mysterious and sudden disappearance of his dad, the game starts us off in a comfy little house where Aidan and his young daughter Lily live alone with their dog. You control Aidan who is trying to find out what happened to his dad, if not for himself, for his little girl who wants her grandad back more than anything in the world, and all Aidan wants is for her to be safe and happy. While poking and prodding around for clues, Aidan inadvertently finds himself in the same place that took his father, without any way to get back. You then play as his daughter Lily who, teamed up with her furry companion for safety, sets off to find out what happened to her dad and grandad and bring them home – regardless of the perils she faces along the way.
The game features voice-acting that makes you feel like you’re literally in Ireland, interesting settings and characters as well as charming hand-drawn animation and a whole lot of heart.
The Little Acre is by no means the best point and click game I’ve played, it’s really short (about 2 hours long) and some of the puzzles are really easy and then some of them are simply INFURIATING, hell it’s probably not even the best point and click I’ve played in the last 6 months, but, it doesn’t have to be.
Sometimes in life you will play a game, read a book, or hear a song that somehow makes you understand a little bit more about yourself. It will speak to your very core and once it does its like this version of your heart that’s outside in the world you can always look at, read or listen to.
It’s not something you can explain, it’s something you feel, and for me, that is The Little Acre.
The Little Acre had me thinking of my dad and the love we have for each other, from the moment I started playing until way after I had removed it from my PC. It spoke to my soul. It made me smile and feel happy, and that is something I think that people who review games need to speak about more often, sometimes it’s not about getting everything just right – it’s about having that one special thing that’s just, right.
If you’re looking for a game that you can sit down and play along with your kids that will be interesting and fun for all of you, or just something that you can snuggle up and play on your own one stormy day, The Little Acre would be right on the top of my recommended list.
If you’ll excuse me, I need to go give my dad a hug.
