In the modern age of media, so many franchises or classic titles are given remakes. Occasionally, a masterpiece beyond the realms of the original will be forged and embed an already established legacy that much further into creative history.
Disappointingly, Little Big Adventure – Twinsen’s Quest is not one of these anomalies.
The original title was a staple of 90s gaming; a worldwide success. Many remember the game fondly and vividly with good memories, yet it began falling out of the public consciousness. To combat this, a remake with overhauled graphics, gameplay and brand new music by original composer Philippe Vachey was developed.
Little Big Adventure tells the story of Twinsen and his sister Luna. Both being model citizens, horror strikes when Twinsen is captured and imprisoned by the scientist Dr. FunFrock who has invented teleportation and cloning. With just a magic ball at his disposal, Twinsen must escape and try to save his sister. The story contains themes on societal expectations, government control and family relationships.
I appreciate the message the story attempts to tell, along with the rich, deep themes subdued into the underlying narrative, however, I feel as though a lot of this is lost as a result of the game’s constant yo-yoing between family comedy and government bashing. A more impressive aspect of the plot is the world building. The devs have done a great job of creating a lived in world and evoking that immersive feeling as though you’ve entered another realm through vibrant characters and a childish charm.
Moving onto gameplay, Little Big Adventure – Twinsen’s Quest falls drastically short of expectations. One would assume that in just under 30 years the gameplay would have had a huge overhaul and fit modern standards, yet it still plays like a 90s game. To many this may not be an issue, but for me personally I want a modern game to feel modern, otherwise, why not just play the original? And that question of “why not just play the original?”, was a sentiment I shared for the duration of my playthrough. Not enough has changed to warrant a remake leaving Little Big Adventure feeling more like a cash grab, rather than the love letter to a classic that it should be.
The main issues with the gameplay come from a lack of polish. The only thing that feels magic about Twinsen’s magic ball (his main weapon) is how it magically answers to a different form of physics each time it’s thrown.
The lack of polish shines through not only due to this, but also in the animations which play like a prototype, the constant bugs occurring – one of which even crashed my game after an important event which I had to complete again – and finally, a broken enemy system which can lock you into a chain of constant hits with the player being unable to move and inevitably dying.
During Twinsen’s Quest, players must search the planetoid of Twinsun for clues, items and missions that will help with the overarching story. It plays much like a 90s RPG/action-adventure, with a hint of puzzles sprinkled in at times. The problem I face with these design choices is, modern gaming doesn’t revolve around seemingly outdated gameplay such as this anymore. Not only does this leave the game unapproachable and unappealing to many, but in turn means there is not enough besides graphics to differentiate this remake from the original released in 1994. If the gameplay proved to be enjoyable and fitting then that wouldn’t be a problem however, seeing the game with its graphical overhaul still playing like the 1994 original, makes me want to get an old copy out and play that instead.
To summarise the gameplay, a lack of focus on a particular genre leaves Little Big Adventure feeling like it lacks an identity, and the demo-like animations are the icing on top of the unpolished cake. It feels as though just another year or two could’ve rearranged Little Big Adventure from a broken jigsaw, into a stunning crafted tapestry.
A story about dictatorship and the dangers of machinery, Little Big Adventure – Twinsen’s Quest can’t decide what it wants to be. At certain points it tries to be a puzzle game, yet later down the line will morph into an action-adventure title. Truth be told there is something good kicking around in here, but to find it you’ll need to be able to stomach the long intro and clear flaws.
I’m sure many, especially those who grew up with the original, will be able to find some fun in Little Big Adventure – Twinsen’s Quest, but a lack of polish may put others off.
Little Big Adventure – Twinsen’s Quest: Modern Gameplay, Classic Charm – https://www.thexboxhub.com/little-big-adventure-twinsens-quest-modern-gameplay-classic-charm/
Little Big Adventure – Twinsen’s Quest remakes the 90’s cult classic – https://www.thexboxhub.com/little-big-adventure-twinsens-quest-remakes-the-90s-cult-classic/
Buy from the Xbox Store – https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/games/store/little-big-adventure-twinsens-quest/9n9t1n3cwlh7
Also the music is very disappointing. Its sounds an awful lot like the LBA Symphonic Suite that was kickstarted a year before Covid hit. But in all the press materials they claim the music is all new.
I agree with the review. I played it and platinumed it for PS5 but it could have been more. I’m shocked how one to one of a remake it is. Baldino becomes a main character in the sequel so its surprising here they didn’t retcon in a better bond between Twinsen and him.