Little Misfortune — Not What You Expect, More Than You Bargain For
I don’t know how to properly start talking about Little Misfortune. Are you looking for a game? There are gamey elements, yes. Are you looking for a story? I’d say there’s a pretty good one in here. Are you the kind of person who finds amusement, however mild, as you screech, “Oh, no!” as a funky little eight-year-old has the weirdest day of her life? Boy howdy have I got a recommendation for you, but not any children in the house.
Little Misfortune, by Killmonday Games, follows a day in the life of Misfortune (yes, that is her name), the aforementioned eight-year-old. Misfortune begins her story hearing a new voice in her head that she christens Mr. Voice. From here, she begins a quest for a fabulous prize, encountering all manner of obstacles and either overcoming them or showering them with glitter. And, yes, there is a designated “Glitter” button. It was my favorite. I also must reiterate: do not let children play this game.
The gameplay loop is relatively simple: go left or right, examine items, throw glitter, and make choices, all while Misfortune and Mr. Voice carry on myriad conversations. Compared to Killmonday Games’s last entry, Fran Bow, Little Misfortune is a much more linear experience. There are far fewer puzzles to contend with, and when they do pop up, they feel easier so as to not derail the narrative too harshly. As someone who struggles with most video game adventure puzzles, but loves a good story, this was a fine tradeoff for me. There isn’t much by way of mechanical challenge, save for a scant few button-mashing sections, but Little Misfortune leans more heavily into its story first; gameplay elements are few and far between. This could turn people off who might’ve enjoyed Fran Bow, but I for one was thrilled with the shift.
The art style carries its own in the strange, subversive nature of Little Misfortune: it is both “paper dolls” and “children’s story.” By way of paper dolls, the characters move as though designed that way: one part at a time, independent of others. Limbs fold and cross over each other in strange ways that fit the aesthetic, but still ping something in our minds of “something might be wrong.” All around that pervades the overarching art style: “creepy children’s story that shouldn’t have been published, but was somehow tricked past the publisher.” Just…characters’ faces, their look, their movement (or lack thereof), let alone while it’s all superimposed by Misfortune’s glitter bombs. The art and design is fifty shades of unsettling, but enough on the cute side to make players say “Aww,” instead of “AHH” when…things happen.
I would argue that the voice acting carries a huge chunk of the experience. The two main characters are the only ones with voices, and their dynamics bouncing off each other are lovely. Mr. Voice is sonorous, occasionally curt, with hints of pity for Misfortune; a good fit for a narrator. Misfortune, on the other hand, is squeaky, nasally, and unabashedly childlike, peppering in the youthful speech mannerisms of a kid with the boundary-pushing sass of…a kid. Their individual dynamics are perfect, and when smashed together (as they often are), the contrast helps to further accentuate their polarizing characters.
As Mr. Voice mentions pretty early on, the game is about choices and consequences. The game is short enough to let you see and recall the impact of different choices you make, and varied enough to warrant more than one playthrough to see just how different things could have gone. The game recognizes the gravity of these choices, too, mundane though they seem, and actively freezes the game world to let you overthink and decide every single choice! How considerate!
In general conclusion, anyone who enjoys weirdly subversive, darkly humorous, yet somehow sweet stories would do well to pick up Little Misfortune. In specific conclusion, I leave you with a series of thoughts I had, as verbatim as I could jot them down, while playing the game:
“WHY DID THEY DO THAT TO THE DOG?” “Hehe, funny birds.” “GET OUT OF THAT HOUSE.” “Oh my god, is the glitter a coping mechanism?” “Aw, cows oh NOOO, COWS!” “I’m sorry, where did that shovel come from?” “This kid is absolutely traumatized, and this go***mn adventure is doing her NO FAVORS.” “…yikes forever…”
All images captured in-game.
