Little Goody Two Shoes
- November 7, 2023
- AstralShift
- 3h median play time
It's wickedly creepy, romantic, and stylish, and it should have any lovers of narrative games under its spell.
"Little Goody Two Shoes" is a bundle consisting of two horror adventure games: "Pocket Mirror ~ GoldenerTraum" and "Little Goody Two Shoes." In "Pocket Mirror," players navigate a young girl's dreamy and frightening journey of self-discovery, while in "Little Goody Two Shoes," players follow an ambitious girl's attempt to escape her humble life, encountering a dark twist along the way. The Deluxe Edition of "Little Goody Two Shoes" includes the game's soundtrack. Players can expect narrative-driven gameplay, puzzles, and multiple endings based on their choices.
Reviews
- The game features stunning visuals and a beautiful art style reminiscent of 90s anime.
- The soundtrack is exceptional, enhancing the atmosphere and emotional impact of the story.
- The characters are well-developed and engaging, with meaningful romantic options and a compelling narrative.
- Some puzzles can be frustratingly obtuse, leading to trial-and-error gameplay that may frustrate players.
- The save system lacks autosave, requiring players to manually save often, which can be tedious.
- Certain dialogue and cutscenes cannot be skipped, making replaying for different endings a chore.
- story766 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 1 % negative mentions
The story of "Little Goody Two Shoes" is a captivating blend of dark fairy tale elements and psychological horror, featuring a richly illustrated narrative that explores themes of desire, social isolation, and the complexities of personal relationships. Players are drawn into the life of Elise, a young woman navigating a quaint yet sinister village, with multiple endings that encourage exploration and replayability. While the storytelling is immersive and emotionally engaging, some players noted occasional confusion and pacing issues, but overall, the narrative is praised for its depth, character development, and beautiful art style.
“The story is captivating, well constructed and... disturbing.”
“The story is so addicting and the characters are both lovable and hate-able, which rarely happens for me.”
“The story is dark and fascinating and full of mystery.”
“The plot starts out well, starts petering out after the halfway point and just kinda 'ends' without much in the way of closure.”
“Sometimes the plot could lose me at points; not helped when I was trying to juggle so many events, overcome my anxiety at the horror segments, and figure out if I was getting all the right things for the 'true' ending (spoilers: there is no singular true ending).”
“However, the unskippable dialogues and the easily missable key-story events/items in the game make it sometimes frustrating - I had to redo an hour's worth of gameplay due to missing an item.”
- graphics556 mentions
- 52 % positive mentions
- 48 % neutral mentions
- 1 % negative mentions
The graphics of "Little Goody Two Shoes" have received widespread acclaim for their stunning visuals and unique art style, heavily inspired by 90s anime aesthetics. Players appreciate the vibrant colors, intricate character designs, and the seamless blend of various artistic styles, which enhance the game's fairy-tale atmosphere and horror elements. While the visuals are often described as breathtaking and meticulously crafted, some users noted that the focus on aesthetics can occasionally hinder gameplay clarity.
“The art style goes crazy, too: basically everything in the game has a consistent and vibrant style with beautiful colors and shading.”
“The visuals, soundtrack, and art style are amazing and I can't wait to play more of it; I'm enjoying it a lot.”
“The game is an absolute masterclass in its various art styles, and I personally believe it's worth playing just for the art.”
“The game is gorgeous, though on occasion it can be so focused on its aesthetics that it's hard to tell what directions you can go in and what counts as an entrance/exit.”
“Sometimes the visuals seem to clash with the story (it's strange to hear Elise's cynicism about such an idyllic town, and that sure is a girly dress for someone who has been working and barely scraping by for 8 years Elise), but if you keep in mind it's meant to be treated more as a fairy tale, I think that dissonance is easy enough to get used to.”
“It's clear that some real talent went into this product, especially in the visuals, but unfortunately, the whole is not greater than the sum of its parts.”
- music479 mentions
- 58 % positive mentions
- 41 % neutral mentions
- 1 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers praising its beauty, emotional depth, and ability to enhance the overall experience. The soundtrack features a diverse range of tracks that perfectly match the game's whimsical and eerie atmosphere, often evoking nostalgia for 90s anime. Additionally, the inclusion of musical numbers and vocal performances adds a unique charm, making the music a standout element that many players find memorable and enjoyable.
“The music is also phenomenal, solidifying every beautiful and emotional scene.”
“The soundtrack is beautiful (so many good songs), and the pixel art + 90s anime art style is striking and filled with creative touches particularly in the night scenes.”
“The music fits every scene and the voice acting both in Japanese and English is great.”
“The music is peak.”
“Don't get me started on the soundtracks.”
“Eh, not really, but it doesn't need it, because the art and music carry everything.”
- gameplay425 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is a mixed bag, featuring a blend of engaging mechanics and frustrating elements. While many players appreciate the diverse puzzles and unique mini-games, they often find the overall experience marred by clunky controls, unclear mechanics, and a steep learning curve that can lead to repetitive deaths and tedious backtracking. Despite its beautiful aesthetics and intriguing narrative, the gameplay can feel laborious and may not appeal to everyone, particularly those seeking a more streamlined experience.
“Gameplay-wise, the puzzles are fantastic and diverse.”
“Beautiful art, intriguing story, charming characters, and a challenging gameplay.”
“The gameplay itself is simple yet rich: you have to keep Elise well fed, sane, and unsuspected throughout the 6 day phases.”
“It's a beautiful game with good aesthetics, but it's a shame that the quality of life mechanics and gameplay let it down, making it really laborious and unenjoyable to play no matter how much I want to see what happens next.”
“However, even if the gameplay ideas and the whole concept are appealing, the overall clunkiness (bad hitboxes, backtracking multiple times between screens, some slow and repetitive parts) make it a one-playthrough game.”
“This makes the game irritating to go through, having to run back and forth to your house; it just gets sluggish and tanks the gameplay and feel of the game.”
- atmosphere100 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 36 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its unique blend of cozy charm and eerie tension, effectively capturing a whimsical yet haunting fairy-tale aesthetic. Players appreciate the stunning art, immersive soundtrack, and the emotional depth conveyed through character interactions and environmental storytelling, making it a standout experience. Overall, the game is recommended for those who enjoy atmospheric narratives that balance light-heartedness with darker themes.
“The atmosphere is a flawless blend of cozy-cute and pants-shittingly terrifying.”
“The horror elements are heightened by the atmospheric storytelling, with the mansion's creaking floorboards and flickering lights adding layers of suspense.”
“The atmosphere, the music, and the visuals go hand in hand and deliver quite a thrilling adventure.”
“Very appealing art with phenomenal hand-painted environments, leading-class soundtrack, and high contrast between the fairy tale joyful day and grim, cruel, and nightmarish night makes this game exceptional in atmosphere.”
“The atmosphere and vibe of the night sections are perfect, with lots of variety in environments.”
“I appreciate the horror relying more on atmosphere than jumpscares, which are annoyingly common in this genre of horror.”
- emotional72 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its deeply emotional narrative, featuring a blend of heartwarming and heartbreaking moments that resonate strongly with players. Many reviewers highlight the impactful storytelling, memorable characters, and a soundtrack that enhances the emotional experience, leading to feelings of happiness, sadness, and even soul-crushing regret. The representation of LGBTQ+ characters and the ability to form genuine connections with them further enrich the emotional depth, making it a standout title that leaves a lasting impression.
“This is the most heartbreaking game I have ever played in my life.”
“Overall, it's a special game in many ways with a strong emotional story that carries it to the end.”
“What sets Little Goody Two Shoes apart is its ability to create an emotional connection between players and the characters.”
- grinding50 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, particularly due to the lack of quality-of-life features like fast travel and the inability to skip certain puzzles or cutscenes. While some appreciate the slow-burn authenticity and emotional depth, many express frustration with the excessive back-and-forth travel and the overall grind required to achieve full completion, which detracts from the enjoyment of the game.
“The only reason I won’t replay this (I managed to get 5/10 endings in one go) is the lack of fast travel — all the running and hopping from place to place gets a little bit tedious.”
“I can't address any of the good in this game (of which there is plenty) because of how tedious this poor design choice makes the rest of the game.”
“There are so many times where I'd die in a certain area or I would have to replay the entire game again to get certain achievements or endings, and it just made the game feel tedious.”
- character development30 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is praised for its stunning and diverse character designs, which blend German fairy-tale aesthetics with '90s/'00s anime influences, creating a whimsical and immersive experience. While the storytelling and representation are strong, some reviewers noted that pacing issues occasionally detract from deeper character exploration. Overall, the art and character designs are celebrated as a labor of love, contributing significantly to the game's charm and appeal.
“The character designs are on point, the background art captures the fairytale feeling, and the scene CGs show how fragile yet lively the cast is.”
“This game has gorgeous hand-drawn, German fairy-tale-inspired art with character design inspired by '90s/'00s anime (e.g., Rozen Maiden), amazing music, and a spooky vibe.”
“Just the right amount of spooks and weirdness with just the right amount of character development.”
“And the weirdest nitpick is I just wish the character design experimented with the body types of the main girls' sprite art. I understand it's part of the stereotypical anime art style, but I just got bored of the sprites after a while. Maybe I'm just not a fan of the sprite art style, though, to be honest.”
“While the game excels in its storytelling and representation, it does face some challenges in pacing, occasionally sacrificing the horror elements for character development.”
“I am not even close to finished with the game, so it is difficult for me to form critical opinions of the narrative plot or character development, but I will say that I wish the game could become fully voiced.”
- replayability16 mentions
- 69 % positive mentions
- 13 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is mixed; while some players find it limited due to repetitive gameplay and a lack of significant changes in subsequent playthroughs, others appreciate the ten different endings that offer diverse stories and choices, enhancing the overall experience. The engrossing narrative and unique character interactions contribute to a decent replay value, particularly for those who enjoy exploring various outcomes and the atmospheric elements of the game.
“Lots of replayability with 10 endings, so I look forward to seeing all the possible outcomes.”
“The story is engrossing and the various options make for a good replay value in and of themselves.”
“I'm gonna be real, this game does not have the greatest replay value. Besides the new CGs when you date a new love interest, most of the game stays the same, so I'd play it once and then watch a YouTube video on the rest.”
“There are multiple endings, ten in total, that offer loads of different stories and options for replayability.”
“[Although built on bare ground, the visual and sound design of the title is exceptionally well done and fits well with its theme. Replay value is quite high as you might find yourself taking a different route and steering the character to be either good or bad. The horror element is implemented well enough to show something is not quite right in the game, inviting you to investigate further and drawing you into the story. The characters are lovely, especially the love interests, who are unique from each other, allowing you to pick the one you find the closest and build your relationship with them.]”
- stability14 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability has received mixed feedback, with some players encountering occasional bugs and glitches, including game-breaking issues and freezing during cutscenes. However, many users noted that these problems were infrequent and did not significantly detract from their overall enjoyment, especially considering the game's indie status. Overall, while there are stability concerns, they appear to be manageable for most players.
“There were also a couple of buggy areas and some control functionality that caused some issues, but for an indie work like this, it's been wonderful and I'm happy for what it turned out to be, even if I'd prefer if there were fixes and some warning that there would be missable content the next go-around.”
“A little buggy at times, but in my three runs of this game, they were few and far between and only one was game-breaking.”
“There are also a few bugs like getting hit right as a cut scene plays that just makes the game confused and freezes it.”
- humor14 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its humor, particularly through the quirky character of Elise and her amusing interactions, which contribute to a lighthearted atmosphere. Players find the comedic elements, such as a funny plush character and the absence of male suitors, to be delightful and entertaining. However, some minigames may pose a challenge for those with slower reaction times, potentially detracting from the overall enjoyment.
“There is a very funny looking plush of Elise during a song that does a 360 and winks at you, and it's extremely stupid and funny looking, immediately giving this game a 10/10.”
“I love Elise, she's so funny and cheeky and such a good protagonist, and her relationship with the girls is soooo cute (Freya's route gave me literal diabetes).”
“Also, can I just add how funny it is that there are no male suitors?”
- optimization8 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is generally smooth, with players reporting minimal lag and only occasional minor issues, such as a puzzle glitch that resolves itself. However, performance in minigames significantly impacts earnings, which can be frustrating if players are not careful, as their success directly influences their financial rewards.
“I've only had an issue at a part of a puzzle, but it was fixed after I died - other than that, my game has run smoothly with no lag.”
“Performance in minigames affects the money you earn; this can screw you over if you aren't being careful.”
“Your performance will be reflected in your letter rank and accompanying payment.”
“Working involves playing a short minigame; performance determines how much you earn, and they can be fun.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Reviewers appreciate the game's pricing model, highlighting that at $20 USD, it offers a polished experience amidst a landscape of excessive monetization in anime-themed content. This pricing is seen as a refreshing change.
“In the age of abject monetization of 'anime' themed content, $20 USD for a polished game is a much-needed breath of fresh air.”
Critic Reviews
Little Goody Two Shoes
It's wickedly creepy, romantic, and stylish, and it should have any lovers of narrative games under its spell.
95%Little Goody Two Shoes
A hallmark of excellence. There may be flaws, but they are negligible and won't cause massive damage.
90%Little Goody Two Shoes review – Lovely horror
With a compelling, troubling, and disturbing story and art style, Little Goody Two Shoes is a must for anyone that is familiar with or new to the genre - in this case, a multitude of genres. Creepy, beautiful, dramatic, and memorable.
90%