ITTLE DEW 2
AN ITTLE BIT OF ZELDA TO KEEP YOU GOING. $29.95 | PS4, XO, PC | www.ittledew.com
Ludosity has successfully ripped off Zelda’s winning formula of explore dungeon, solve puzzles, collect key item, defeat boss, collect 1/8th of mystical macguffin, repeat until true hero. Crucially, it’s also helped itself to inspired puzzle design. The water dungeon is a trek through someone’s waterlogged basement, there’s a disgusting garbage-themed tomb and the art gallery uses every exhibit as an opportunity to cram in some fun visual gags. We’re less enthralled with the script, though, which too often relies on meta jokes to excuse unfortunate lapses into cliché territory.
Combat is initially executed with Ittle’s surprisingly effective stick. Being able to tackle dungeons in any order is pleasingly freeing, even though we suspect they’re best tackled in the order the game suggests. A stick of dynamite is just your Zelda bombs in a thin red dress and all of them feel a tad overfamiliar.
Ittle’s more engaging when it breaks from Zelda’s more tired fallbacks, like its boss fights, which get surprisingly tough. Some are downright Dark Souls- esque in terms of how quickly they’ll tear down your health bar and demand perfect timing.
There’s tons of adventuring fun in Ittle’s brief runtime, even if it never hits those Zelda peaks. Comparing any game to the series that gave us
Majora’s Mask and Link’s Awakening feels cruel, yet Ittle Dew 2 is too similar to be treated otherwise. But it’s a charming cover version, with enough ideas to make the seemingly endless wait for that little bit more bearable. Breath Of The Wild