Lil Gator Game

Genre: Open-World Action-RPG / 3D Platformer

Players: 1

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Review:

Lil Gator Game, released on PC and Nintendo Switch in 2022, is a game that combines Open-World Action-RPG and 3D Platformer elements for an experience that’s vaguely like a larger-scope take on A Short Hike, or an extremely family-friendly take on The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. However, what this game is more than anything else is absolutely adorable.

I don’t think I ever stopped smiling while playing this game. Players take the role of a young anthropomorphic alligator wanting to have fun and play, pretending to be on a big Zelda-style adventure with all of their friends, but above all wanting to get their big sister to join in the fun like they both used to when they were younger. To do so, they’ll have to travel all around their islands performing odd jobs for various friends and other kids (all anthropomorphic animals) hanging out around the island all with their own stuff going on.

This game’s characters and well-written dialogue are so endearing and lovably innocent that it’s hard not to delight in each character and their silly eccentricities, with the game’s protagonist being the most delightful of all, with seemingly boundless enthusiasm, a healthy amount of ignorance, and an impressively short attention span. He’s quick to grow bored with his friends’ varying interests, and then just as quick to recontextualize them into a way that fits within his game. One of this game’s great joys is watching him try to reimagine everything he encounters to fit within the context of the great quest he’s pretending to embark on.

The rest of the presentation is fairly endearing too, with simple and relatively low-poly cel-shaded 3D visuals that work well with the game’s theme of childlike innocence, backed by a simple, lighthearted instrumental soundtrack. On a technical level this game is far from impressive, with an orange haze obscuring everything the farther away you look out from where you are, and even then there’s some noticeable pop-in going on, but everything is colorful and stylized in a way that it all kinda’ works for the game’s childish tone.

The gameplay here is quite good too, with your character’s movement being particularly fluid and fun. Shortly into the game you get a few fun tools to make traversal even more interesting, and you’ll continue to gain new tools as you progress. There’s a direct line you can trace back to Breath of the Wild here – you have climbing on any surface that’s tied to a circular stamina meter, a glider you can pop out at any time, and even the ability to surf on your shield. However, you’ll gain other abilities here too, like bubble gum you can use to float up a bit higher while jumping.

The game puts these abilities to good use, too, with players given a variety of tasks to accomplish for each friend you want to win over. Some require “combat” (involving the destruction of harmless inanimate cardboard monsters with scribbled-on faces), some will require seeking out objects in the environment, and some will involve other fun or unique tasks, such as one that’s a parody of… dang it, I need to stop, or else I’ll start spoiling things.

For everything this game does that’s fun and joyous, it does have some problems. While the game’s area does have recognizable landmarks, they’re fairly spread apart, to the point where you generally can’t see from one to another to plot a proper course to where you want to go. The rest is all fairly samey-looking woods and mountains. As if this didn’t make navigation hard enough as it is, the game doesn’t provide players with a map, and the only thing along those lines are posted signs seen here and there around the island, but these are so lacking in detail that they often don’t help you to get your bearings.

I’ll also note that this game doesn’t provide players with nearly as much to do as the others I named in the opening paragraph, beyond the tasks to recruit your friends. Zelda had shrines and Koroks, A Short Hike had golden feathers you would work towards getting, but Lil Gator Game’s only analog to this is bracelets you can purchase to improve your stamina… however, the shopkeeper who sells these is not easy to find, and disappears after a single purchase.

Still, while Lil Gator Game isn’t as deep and rewarding as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and it doesn’t pack a lot of content into a small package like A Short Hike, what’s here is still great fun, and this game may have more delightful personality than both of those games put together. If you’re looking for a more lighthearted Open-World RPG, or perhaps something in the genre that younger kids can enjoy, I highly recommend Lil Gator Game. I found this game to be a wonderful surprise in a way that few games manage to be.

tl;dr – Lil Gator Game is a family-friendly game that combines Open-World Action-Adventure and 3D Platformer elements, with gameplay that feels like a very kid-friendly take on the sort of gameplay we saw in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. While nowhere near as deep or rewarding as that game, Lil Gator Game is absolutely full to bursting with adorable, endearing, charming personality as players take on the role of a young anthropomorphic alligator trying to rally their friends to join them in their make-believe game that casts them as the epic hero. While not without its flaws (particularly, repetitive scenery and no map), this is still a wonderful entry in the genre well worth playing.

Grade: A-

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