Skip to main content

Little Orpheus

Little Orpheus ends up feeling incredibly shallow and the recycling of some set-pieces makes the experience seem a lot cheaper than the stunning imagery would suggest.
Little Orpheus Game Cover
66%Game Brain Score
Most mentioned positive aspects:story, gameplay
Most mentioned negative aspects:stability, grinding
68% User Score Based on 314 reviews
Critic Score 58%Based on 2 reviews

Platforms

Nintendo SwitchPlaystation 5Playstation 4XboxiPhoneWindowsPlayStationXbox Series X|SPCTabletMac OSPhoneXbox OneiPadMobile Platform
Little Orpheus Game Cover

About Little Orpheus

Little Orpheus is a single player casual platformer game with fantasy, kids and science fiction themes. It was developed by The Chinese Room and was released on September 13, 2022. It received neutral reviews from critics and mostly positive reviews from players.

This definitive edition of the multiple-award-winning hit by master storytellers The Chinese Room is remastered and includes all bonus content of the original. Little Orpheus is a technicolor side-scrolling adventure game inspired by classic movies like Flash Gordon, Sinbad and The Land that Time Forgot. Join our bold yet hapless hero Comrade Ivan Ivanovich as he explores lost civilizations, u…

Skip Games Like Little Orpheus

Games Like Little Orpheus

Looking for games like Little Orpheus? Here are top casual platformer recommendations with a fantasy, kids and science fiction focus, selected from player-similarity data — start with American Arcadia, Planet of Lana or PLANET ALPHA.

Skip User Reviews

Reviews

68%Audience ScoreBased on 314 reviews
story123 positive mentions
stability14 negative mentions

  • Beautiful, colorful, and visually stunning art style with rich and varied environments.
  • Engaging, humorous, and well-acted narrative that appeals to both children and adults.
  • Relaxed, accessible, and straightforward gameplay suitable for casual players and families, including children.
  • Gameplay is extremely simplistic, often described as a walking simulator with minimal platforming and puzzles.
  • Repetitive level design with linear progression and mandatory replay to collect items, which reduces replay value and frustrates some players.
  • Bugs and glitches, especially in later chapters causing death loops and forcing game restarts, with lack of fixes from developers.
  • story

    290 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    42% positive mentions, 52% neutral mentions, 6% negative mentions

    Little Orpheus offers a visually stunning and humor-filled narrative centered around a Soviet cosmonaut's fantastical journey to the earth's core, featuring witty voice acting and an imaginative, episodic structure. While many praise its charming and quirky story, atmosphere, and presentation, the pacing can drag, and the ending is often seen as abrupt or unsatisfying, leaving some narrative threads unresolved. Overall, it is best enjoyed by players who prioritize story and mood over gameplay depth or complexity.

    • “Orpheus is a visually stunning project with a creative and hilariously funny story that had me chuckling in my chair on several occasions.”
    • “The story follows a daring Soviet cosmonaut named Ivan, who gets lost deep beneath the earth’s surface in a mysterious world full of strange creatures, ancient secrets, and unexpected twists.”
    • “The dialogue is witty, the characters are endearing, and the plot twists are expertly timed, keeping you on the edge of your seat while still making you laugh.”
    • “The story is unfinished, and at the end it feels like it is entirely pointless, no meaning.”
    • “One the ending of the story, which is basically the entire focus of the game, is very weak and makes me want to get back the 11 hours I spent 100%ing this game and two, there is a debilitating glitch that the Chinese Room, the developers of this game, neglected to fix on the final level which makes doing a playthrough almost impossible unless you find a workaround yourself.”
    • “The whole thing is a shaggy dog story, where each episode feels pointless and is dropped as soon as the next starts.”
  • gameplay

    128 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    23% positive mentions, 61% neutral mentions, 16% negative mentions

    The gameplay in Little Orpheus is simple, easy, and largely unchallenging, focusing mainly on light platforming, puzzles, stealth, and chase sequences. While the mechanics are straightforward and sometimes repetitive, the game's strength lies in its storytelling, visuals, and atmosphere rather than in-depth or engaging gameplay. Players seeking challenging or innovative gameplay may find it lacking, but those interested in a narrative-driven, visually appealing experience may still enjoy it.

    • “The gameplay itself is wonderfully paced, with simple yet satisfying mechanics that make the exploration feel effortless.”
    • “The platforming mechanics are accessible, making the game suitable for a wide audience.”
    • “Simple game mechanics, a lovely story, and a soundtrack that often reminded me of the Indiana Jones movies by Spielberg, 'Little Orpheus' shows that games don't need over-complicated concepts to be considered good.”
    • “Gameplay: it's terrible and bugged beyond belief.”
    • “The gameplay mechanics seem to be hardcoded instead of engine physics which creates a lot of failed expectations.”
    • “Visually stunning with spectacular scenery, graphics and oodles of style, but the lacklustre gameplay makes for a short, rote and unchallenging experience.”
  • graphics

    87 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    54% positive mentions, 43% neutral mentions, 3% negative mentions

    The game is widely praised for its beautiful, vibrant, and artistically rich graphics that effectively complement its quirky, story-driven experience. Visuals are detailed, colorful, and evoke a strong sense of atmosphere and nostalgia, though some note the cartoonish style may not engage everyone. Overall, the graphics stand out as a key strength, often compensating for the simpler, less challenging gameplay.

    • “The environments range from lush jungles to ancient ruins, all rendered in a painterly, hand-crafted art style that evokes a sense of wonder and nostalgia.”
    • “The artstyle itself was vibrant and detailed, and I loved seeing just how much every scene varied from one another.”
    • “The graphics are beautiful, the music and sounds great and the overarching humorous narrative and voice acting ties everything neatly together.”
    • “Replaying the levels for unlocks does let you appreciate the artwork a second time but is poorly implemented with each collectable on the main path.”
    • “At least, not with these graphics running at the deck’s lower resolution.”
    • “The graphics are obviously inexpensive but the artistic style is a perfect match for the game.”
  • humor

    76 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    97% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 3% negative mentions

    The humor in the game is widely praised for its quirky, witty, and sometimes absurdly funny storytelling, complemented by entertaining banter between characters and strong voice acting. While the comedic style may not appeal to everyone due to its dry, childish, or farcical tone, many players found it amusing and a key part of the game's charm. However, some reviewers felt the jokes occasionally fell flat or were overshadowed by other game elements.

    • “Orpheus is a visually stunning project with a creative and hilariously funny story that had me chuckling in my chair on several occasions.”
    • “The story is wonderfully crafted, filled with exciting and several funny moments.”
    • “The amazing humor, the driven plot, the way the game keeps you involved in the story, makes the time just fly by.”
    • “It's supposed to be funny - and perhaps to some degree it is, but it was mostly annoying and because of that I have actually lost interest in the story and was praying for this guy to finally shut up.”
    • “You can't even skip past the unfunny video clips.”
  • music

    48 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    69% positive mentions, 31% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The music in the game is widely praised for its high quality, often described as outstanding, captivating, and perfectly complementing the game's tone and visuals. Composed by Jessica Curry, the soundtrack is noted for its orchestral depth, dynamic reaction to gameplay, and ability to enhance the whimsical, comedic, and atmospheric storytelling. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature and a major reason to experience the game.

    • “The music really brings it all together, reacting to the events with perfect timing, and the constant narration is humorous and entertaining and the main driver towards some new, exciting and awe-inspiring discovery.”
    • “Music - it's just excellent, delivered by orchestra; each biome has a distinct tune and tempo depending on what is happening on screen, simply perfect.”
    • “The soundtrack is perfect, Jessica Curry once again nailing it.”
  • stability

    14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions

    The game suffers from frequent bugs and glitches, especially in later chapters like 7 and 8, causing freezes and forced restarts that disrupt gameplay. While the save system helps minimize progress loss, stability issues remain a significant frustration for many players. Patches are needed to improve the overall experience.

    • “Towards the end of the game (particularly episode 8), I experienced a lot of glitches and bugs which forced me to shut the game down and restart in order to resolve.”
    • “A series of bugs and glitches crop up from episode 8 onwards that forced me to quit and restart the game in order to progress.”
    • “-100 for the glitches that made me restart from chapter 1 as if getting through 3 chapters wasn't torturous enough.”
  • atmosphere

    14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    36% positive mentions, 43% neutral mentions, 21% negative mentions

    The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its rich visuals, smart writing, immersive audio design, and strong storytelling, creating a compelling and engaging world. While gameplay is simple and less challenging, the emphasis on mood, music, and narrative sets it apart, appealing especially to players who value story and ambiance over complex mechanics.

    • “The world is remarkably animated, the music keeps it exciting (and sometimes the music is tied directly to what you're doing!), and the atmosphere created in these worlds gives a feel of really being involved.”
    • “What you 100% can expect from The Chinese Room's games is great storytelling and atmosphere, smart writing, great voice acting, solid audio design and very good music.”
    • “Its emphasis on atmosphere and storytelling over complex gameplay mechanics sets it apart from traditional platformers.”
    • “I really liked the atmosphere and the story was okay, but there wasn't much to do except to hold d.”
    • “While the focus on storytelling and atmosphere is evident, the lack of depth in gameplay mechanics may leave some seeking more engagement.”
    • “The presentation is great with lots of little touches which add to the atmosphere, although the episodic TV show format does seem a bit superfluous.”
  • grinding

    9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    0% positive mentions, 11% neutral mentions, 89% negative mentions

    Grinding in the game is widely described as tedious and repetitive, often leading to boredom and a lack of engagement. While some gameplay elements like chase sequences and stealth segments provide occasional relief, the overall experience is seen as a tedious walking simulator with little satisfying challenge.

    • “Good graphics, nice music, an excellent narrative, great voice acting, but utterly tedious gameplay.”
    • “Despite easy gameplay, some levels get quite tedious and repetitive at times - but thankfully the game is interspersed with chase sequences, and stealth segments; enough of it to keep you going until the end of the story.”
    • “The contained story here was very generic, the main 'antagonist' was boring and the final section was tedious with no checkpoints.”
  • replayability

    8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    38% positive mentions, 24% neutral mentions, 38% negative mentions

    The game offers limited replayability, primarily through unlockable costumes and achievements, but the unchanged story and levels reduce its long-term appeal. While some players find it enjoyable, it lacks the depth and complexity that enhance replay value in similar titles.

    • “Infinitely replayable”
    • “Some replayability”
    • “Oh replayability, well, there is some.”
    • “In a poor effort to add replay value, there are costumes that can be unlocked by getting collectibles.”
    • “The story and levels don't change, so no replay value outside of the achievements.”
    • “Some have expressed that while the game offers an enjoyable experience, it lacks the complexity and replayability of other titles in the genre.”
  • emotional

    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    75% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 25% negative mentions

    The game evokes strong emotional connections through its immersive intro and well-written characters, creating a sense of personal involvement and heartfelt moments. While the story and gameplay may feel slow to some, its emotional depth and beautiful presentation stand out.

    • “One of my favorite things about the game was the little intro the developers designed to play at the beginning of every episode, and it made me feel like I was a part of a TV show of sorts.”
    • “Omsk/Tomsk mixing up was especially heartwarming for me as I live around these two.”
    • “Egttr is beautiful, intriguing, has a big cast of well-written characters, and has some devastating emotional moments.”
  • optimization

    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    0% positive mentions, 100% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    Users indicate that the game's optimization may be problematic, potentially due to issues with Unity, leading to performance and bug-related incidents.

  • monetization

    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions

    The monetization of Little Orpheus is seen as fair and not aggressive, with users appreciating that it remains a genuine product rather than a market-driven cash grab.

Skip Critic Reviews
Skip Game Offers

Buy Little Orpheus

Some of these are affiliate links — if you buy through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Play Times

7h Median play time
8h Average play time
4-15h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 4 analyzed playthroughs
Skip Videos

Videos

Skip FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Little Orpheus is a casual platformer game with fantasy, kids and science fiction themes. Common tags for Little Orpheus include science, indie, alternate history, 2d, dinosaurs and others.

Little Orpheus is available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, iPhone and others.

On average players spend around 8 hours playing Little Orpheus.

Little Orpheus was released on September 13, 2022.

Little Orpheus was developed by The Chinese Room.

Little Orpheus has received neutral reviews from players and neutral reviews from critics. Most players liked Little Orpheus for its story but disliked it for its stability.

Little Orpheus is a single player game.

Similar games include American Arcadia, Planet of Lana, PLANET ALPHA, Deliver Us The Moon, Lifeless Planet and others.