It’s not always easy to explain the feelings that come with growing up with siblings, especially if you didn’t have them. That’s why all sorts of media try to tell stories to convey them. One such story is the new game by Playtonic called Lil Gator Game. It’s a game about a little gator who wants to play a game of imagination with his sister and friends. In this game, you explore a 3D world created by kids and brought to life by imagination. The extra bit of imagination has to come from you, as you continue to play and learn about the deeper feelings behind the game and its players.
What Is Lil Gator Game?
When it comes to imagination, a story can be about anything and kids are very open-minded about content and progression. You get to see this for yourself as you play Lil Gator Game. It follows a pair of gator siblings who grew up playing games of fantasy and adventure together.
A few years pass, and now the older gator sibling has gone to college and come back home to visit only to be swamped by work. The younger sibling wants her to play, and gets the idea to turn the whole area into an expanded fantasy world with the help of friends and plywood. It’s up to you to help the game grow to a point where hopefully the older sibling can’t help but join in.
Fun With Lil Gator Game
Some games are just so wholesome that the charm can pierce through your very core. Lil Gator Game is that kind of game, and it’s downright lovely. The experience is light and warm, taking you back to your younger years when you had all the time in the world to play. Although this world is clearly decorated with fake monsters and obstacles, the characters make it feel so real that you end up getting sucked in. I guess this is what they call the power of childlike wonder.
To add to that, the game is very open-ended, which makes a lot of sense. When thinking about games based on imagination, rules and other elements can change on a whim, and you just have to go with it. There is an overall goal, sure, but yours is not the only game that’s happening in the area. You’ve got your main friends each doing their own activities, other kids playing their own games, kids who are having trouble, and even adults who are also roaming around. Choose a random direction to wander and you’re guaranteed to find activities or cool stuff to collect.
There’s also fun to be had in collecting as much gear as possible. A lot of it just changes the visual look of something like your weapon and shield, while others alternate, letting you navigate terrain in different ways. The more you get, the more options you have to explore and interact with the world of the game and the real world.
Lil Gator Game Fumbles
There’s nothing wrong with basing a game around kids’ imagination, but there are limitations. The main limitation here is that there’s almost no challenge to Lil Gator Game. Almost every quest that you come across can be beaten in a matter of minutes if not seconds.
There’s also a lack of variety, since many quests revolve around doing the same things. Namely, going back and forth talking to people or breaking a set number of plywood creations (sometimes with a time limit). The main challenge is trying to get around the area, since there’s a fair amount of climbing, but the game is quite generous with the aforementioned gear as well as ways to improve your stamina.
This game is more on the level of Animal Crossing, where you sort of need to make your own fun. However, the thing about Animal Crossing is that you have so many options in terms of activities, collecting, building, and interacting. This game offers a huge world with a decent number of characters, but you’re just doing slight variations of the same activities over and over again. In some ways, that makes the game light and relaxing, but in others it just makes it boring.
Lil Gator Game Playtime
Lil Gator Game is a 3D lighthearted fantasy adventure game about playing in a constructed fantasy world with animal friends. It’s innocent, charming, and colorful with plenty of activities to keep you busy. The issue is that a lot of what will keep you busy is repetition, and there’s only so much that you can do in the world that’s provided. Even so, it’s effective in taking you back to the mind of a kid where you’re more than happy to play a fantasy game with a lil’ gator.
Lil Gator Game was played on Switch with a code provided by the publisher. It’s also available on PC, PlayStation, and Xbox.
