Litil Divil

Having just beat this game as I type this review, there are two huge issues with Litil Divil: really stiff controls and unfair traps/puzzles. The game controls alright for the most part, but precise movement and positioning are almost nigh impossible because Mutt acts like he's stuck in molasses before he actually moves. The traps, especially the pits, seem to activate at random and there's no telltale sign when they do. I lost count of how many times I lost because of this. I'll admit some of the puzzles were actually pretty decent (which is why this got 2 stars instead of 1), but they are either uninspired or are REALLY unfair (looking at you tennis battle and Really Dark Room puzzle). I really can't recommend this game unless you're either masochistic or morbidly curious (which I was, btw), and even then I still can't in good faith say I didn't warn you.

Litil Divil is a really odd title. It's a combination of a puzzle game, exploration game, platformer and a... fighting game. How does that work out you can ask? It just does. The game resolves around our hero, Mutt that tries to venture through all of the dungeons, defeating their guardians and solving the devious puzzles. The said puzzles can range from jumping from bubble to bubble, defeating a spider with a can of insecticide (previously bought in a shop), fighting a combatant with a deadly tool (sickle, pin...), playing a game of "Simon says..." The game is insanely frustrating and insanely hard. But its rewarding! These amazing cartoon graphics just bring a smile to the face and the dark, sometimes violent humor is just charming. The game was originally released for Amigas and that's where I played it first. The PC version that I later tried suffers from a bit of a control problem (Keyboard just doesn't cut it!), so I advise using a gamepad or a joystick for this one!!! If you're looking for a real mind-bender and want to exercise your thumbs, this is an A+ title for this. If you lack patience and despise hard challenges, pass on this title.

I really hate to rate this with one star, but I must due to its unplayability. I owned Litil Divil back in the day (still have the Amiga32 CD!) and remember it with great fondness. :) What story it had was all in the manual. The dungeoncrawl was a mix of exploration and interconnecting puzzles, and I never got all the way to the end. But it was fun and it was challenging, and I enjoyed it. I bought it here on GoG thinking maybe I'd try again and get all the way through...but unfortunately it's impossible to play, at least with a keyboard. I suspect some controls are missing, or at least so obscure I haven't found them, and the ones that aren't missing are fickle. For instance, pit traps that I remember you being able to jump over are now impassable, as far as I can tell, making the entire first level impossible to finish. Long and the short is, while I loved this game on the Amiga, you're better off not wasting your money getting it now unless you're a sucker for punishment. :/

Mind was blown upon seeing this on gog, played this back on my uncle's amiga 32 cd. Game's more or less same as I remember it, initial nostalgia rush is tempered by remembering that even back then I found the controls a bit tricky sometimes, gamepad helps. Gameplay is all about exploring a maze and finding a way to the next level, putting the souls of those who have gone before you as optional objectives. As you stroll down the corridors leaning how to avoid traps after likely getting hit by a few, picking up items, exploring and picking up gold which you'll need to buy stuff from the shop, you'll come across rooms which will likely contain challenges. You never know what you might need for a challenge, what the controls do or what your objective is. One minute you might be fighting a sumo wrestler before finding yourself brewing potions followed by finding yourself in a room with a dragon and its treasure or even have to do some platforming whilst avoiding obstacles or play in some weird kind of chess game. Variety is one of the game's strength and is old skol in that it's hard but rewarding kind of hard when you beat a room open up a new section of the maze to explore. Don't worry about exploring new rooms you fear are unprepared for, failure doesn't mean gameover, you have a healthy lifebar upon which failure takes a small chunk out of. Save rooms restore your health so you can try again or just go off exploring somewhere else, which is a good thing as you REALLY don't want to die in this game and will be treated to a game over sequence where you're tortured in a different manner per level. The overseer getting interested or bored in your progress is a constant reminder of this fate if you fail. Amongst the factors that make the game charming, it's worth mentioning the music is good and doesn't get repetitive which is handy as you will be hearing the main theme quite often. Visuals are functional, cartoony style visuals tend to age better then early 3d games so shouldn't be too much of an eyesore for modern gamers. If a game of exploration and variety appeals to you then considerpicking this up, game is worth giving a go and will grow on you as you keep exploring the maze and work toward the noble goal of retrieving what must be the most delicious pizza ever.