This is my least favorite of all the FMV Tex games, so I'm really puzzled by all the glowing reviews. It has a very cliche UFO/government conspiracy plot that didn't grab me at all. You spend most of the game trying to put together the mysterious Pandora device, but when you finally find out what it does it's laughable. The humor which is Tex's trademark in the other games is massively toned down, which is a huge disappointment. You'll spend a good chunk of the game wandering around chandler avenue, where your interactions are pretty much a dull rehash of Under a Killing Moon. You'll visit a number of other locations, but none of them are very impressive compared to beautiful locations in the other Tex games. Although the game introduces one or two good characters, for the most part the new characters are pointless, bland, and don't appear long enough for you to really get to know them. The control scheme is as bad as Under a Killing Moon, except there are a lot more timed puzzles that require precise, rapid movement. Many have praised the adaptive storyline, but all that means is that unless you closely follow a walkthrough you will get an unsatisfying ending. The worst part is that the game is much longer than Under a Killing Moon without the content to really sustain that length, making for a long, boring slog. Overseer, Under a Killing Moon and Tesla Effect are much better than this game, with my favorite being Overseer.
I bought Litil Divil because of the beautiful pixel art in the screenshots and the glowing reviews praising the mix of gameplay styles. However, having given it a try, I would warn others against buying this game. My first surprise was the complete lack of any story, at least at the start of the game. You simply see Divil dancing around and then are presented with the first challenge. No intro, no text, nothing to give me any motivation to play the game further. Also, the controls are finicky and unintuitive, as you will discover as you spend countless frustrating minutes trying to get past the first monster. As you are pummeled by him you will notice how the low-quality, jerky animation contrasts with the high quality art. Next, you will move into a drab, featureless maze. The camera control here is really bad, and you will often be looking through a wall at your character, or not be able to see more than 2 feet in front of yourself. How could they mess this up in a 2D game? There are only 4 possible camera positions! You will find yourself constantly frustrated by huge damage dealt by tiny splotches on the ground of the maze and unavoidable traps littered everywhere. When you finally make it into a room, you are presented with a super-difficult challenge, which you have no idea if it's even possible to complete at this point in the game, as many challenges require equipment to be bought first. If you leave the room or are killed, your character is dealt massive, permanent damage. If your health runs out, you have to restart the game. I guess saving is theoretically a possibility, but only if you are able to find the hidden room somewhere deep in the maze where saving is possible. So in short this game is terribly difficult, poorly designed, and has no redeeming qualities except for some nice static art pieces. Don't listen to the other reviews, save your money and buy a better game.
