The Madness of Little Emma

77%
Game Brain Score Based on 90 reviews
  • gameplay
  • music
  • story
The Madness of Little Emma Game Cover
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The Madness of Little Emma is a difficult action platformer with roguelike elements. Featuring over 250 items with insane synergies, varied enemies, and numerous secrets and mysteries to discover.

  • Mac OS
  • PC
  • Windows
  • Linux
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

77%
Audience ScoreBased on 90 reviews
music11 positive mentions
grinding3 negative mentions
  • The game features a charming art style and engaging sound effects that enhance the overall experience.
  • It offers a variety of items and characters, providing a sense of discovery and replayability with multiple endings.
  • The platforming mechanics add a unique twist to the rogue-lite genre, making it feel fresh and challenging.
  • The controls can feel unresponsive and clunky, making gameplay frustrating at times.
  • Many items are unbalanced or ineffective, leading to runs that feel unrewarding and repetitive.
  • The game suffers from technical issues, including crashes and problems with launching, which detracts from the overall enjoyment.
  • gameplay26 mentions

    The gameplay is heavily influenced by "The Binding of Isaac," featuring solid platforming and shooter mechanics, but suffers from repetitiveness and a lack of engaging boss encounters. While the game introduces unique mechanics and maintains a good learning curve, players may find the item system frustrating due to unhelpful or detrimental effects. Overall, the experience is a mixed bag, with some praising its atmosphere and controls, while others criticize its slippery mechanics and reliance on RNG.

    • “The madness mechanics and the item pool do a good job capturing the feel of Isaac without feeling like a rehash.”
    • “Big kudos on nailing the basics of gameplay!”
    • “I recommend it 100%, without giving too much away; the gameplay is exciting and challenging, the art and music are fantastic, there's a wonderfully done eerie atmosphere, the controls are spot-on, and overall this is a really nice hidden gem on the Steam store.”
    • “Cool concepts, but gameplay is slippery and too repetitive.”
    • “I'm not sure how exactly the difficulty increase works; I'm not sure if it scales with your madness level or just increases the difficulty once you hit a certain threshold, but this mechanic encourages the player to pass up on most items due not only to their unhelpful effects, but due to the negative consequences of picking up a large number of items over time.”
    • “What's particularly cruel to me is the ladder mechanic; dying early in the game can make my ladder score go down by thousands of points, which is a serious rage quitter. It discourages experimentation and induces rage.”
  • music17 mentions

    The music in the game is widely praised for its ability to enhance the overall atmosphere, fitting well with the game's mood and aesthetic. While some reviewers note that it may not be groundbreaking, they agree that it effectively complements the gameplay and contributes to the eerie tone. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a strong point, adding depth to the experience.

    • “The art style is fitting, and the music fits the mood of the game really well.”
    • “The soundtrack is great.”
    • “I recommend it 100%; the gameplay is exciting and challenging, the art and music are fantastic, and there's a wonderfully done eerie atmosphere.”
    • “First of all, yes, this game is a shameless rip-off of Binding of Isaac, even down to things such as music style, boss names, and shooting 'spit' instead of tears.”
    • “Though there is some humor in the game, most of it seems pretty straight-faced and grim, and the music, which is mostly subdued and atmospheric, adds to that aesthetic.”
    • “+ the music isn't anything special in my opinion, but it works really well with the grim tone the game has.”
  • story12 mentions

    The game's story features a mix of original and familiar elements, drawing comparisons to "The Binding of Isaac" with its tragic backstories and character-driven narrative. While some players appreciate the unique atmosphere and intriguing plot, others find it lacking in coherence and originality, particularly criticizing the overall strength of the story and its execution. The narrative revolves around two siblings, Emma and Timmy, navigating a dark world, but opinions vary on its depth and engagement.

    • “There are a lot of brilliant and original ideas that made me like this game even more than The Binding of Isaac, like secret stages, a lot of details and fluff, and obviously the plot itself.”
    • “The way the story unfolds is amazing and for those who say it's a knockoff of The Binding of Isaac, I think it's much better; however, it needs more work done, as a lot of things don't make any sense.”
    • “The story involves two children, Emma (the oldest) and her little brother Timmy, who survive pretty much on their own.”
    • “The bosses seem to be well designed but the rooms themselves hardly and the story from what I've seen--hardly original or curious.”
    • “As far as story, it's not strong.”
    • “I mean it holds a very similar take of the Isaac story that people have accustomed themselves to, but instead of a hateful mother, you're the loving big sister.”
  • graphics11 mentions

    The graphics of the game are praised for their unique and consistent art style, which complements the dark and atmospheric tone. Players appreciate the detailed character designs and level layouts, although some note that the game may crash on older graphics cards when run in fullscreen. Overall, the visuals effectively enhance the gameplay experience, despite a lack of the humor found in similar titles.

    • “The art style is fitting, and the music fits the mood of the game really well.”
    • “Unique and consistent, distinct art style.”
    • “Aesthetically, the madness of Little Emma really shines.”
    • “If you're rocking older graphics cards, avoid running the game in fullscreen, it'll crash like no tomorrow.”
    • “The art style is quite dark, and lacks the silly gross-out humor found in The Binding of Isaac.”
    • “Though there is some humor in the game, most of it seems pretty straight-faced and grim, and the music, which is mostly subdued and atmospheric, adds to that aesthetic.”
  • atmosphere6 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is characterized by a seedy, cartoonish aesthetic that blends humor with a grim undertone, enhanced by subdued and atmospheric music. Players appreciate the fast-paced gameplay and the eerie environment, which contribute to a compelling and replayable experience. Overall, the atmosphere is praised for its engaging art and sound design, making it a standout feature of the game.

    • “Though there is some humor in the game, most of it seems pretty straight-faced and grim, and the music, which is mostly subdued and atmospheric, adds to that aesthetic.”
    • “I recommend it 100%. The gameplay is exciting and challenging, the art and music are fantastic, there's a wonderfully done eerie atmosphere, the controls are spot-on, and overall this is a really nice hidden gem on the Steam store.”
    • “I'm still gonna give it a thumbs up because the game's setting is very atmospheric and it definitely is replayable.”
    • “The game tries to create a unique atmosphere, but it ends up feeling more chaotic than immersive.”
    • “While the visuals are colorful, the overall atmosphere lacks depth and fails to engage the player.”
    • “The cartoonish style feels out of place and detracts from the intended mood of the game.”
  • replayability5 mentions

    Overall, players find "Madness of Little Emma" to have significant replayability, with a wealth of content and unlockables that encourage multiple playthroughs. While some compare it to other rogue-lites like "Binding of Isaac" and note it may not reach that level, the game's atmosphere and challenge contribute to its enjoyable replay value.

    • “I greatly recommend The Madness of Little Emma for anyone who likes rogue-lites and challenging games with tons of replayability.”
    • “There is a surprising amount of content and a great deal of replay value.”
    • “I enjoy it immensely, the game having huge replayability, and a ton of unlockables (with more to come, hopefully).”
    • “That being said, I don't feel like the replay value is anywhere near The Binding of Isaac - but maybe that doesn't really say much, since I have about a thousand hours in that game across the original, Rebirth, and Afterbirth.”
    • “I'm still gonna give it a thumbs up because the game's setting is very atmospheric and it definitely is replayable... maybe I should give it another shot soon.”
  • emotional2 mentions

    Players report experiencing a range of emotions while playing Tmole, including moments of joy and frustration, ultimately leading to a sense of satisfaction. However, the inclusion of a "casual mode" is seen as diminishing the emotional engagement by removing the challenge and reward associated with improving scores.

    • “Tmole made me feel three separate emotions during different periods of my playing it: good, bad, and good about feeling good.”
  • humor2 mentions

    The game's humor is described as subdued and grim, lacking the silly gross-out elements found in similar titles like The Binding of Isaac. While there are moments of humor, they are overshadowed by the dark art style and atmospheric music, contributing to an overall serious tone.

    • “The art style is quite dark, and lacks the silly gross-out humor found in The Binding of Isaac.”
    • “Though there is some humor in the game, most of it seems pretty straight-faced and grim, and the music, which is mostly subdued and atmospheric, adds to that aesthetic.”
  • grinding1 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively slow and tedious, drawing unfavorable comparisons to "The Binding of Isaac."

    • “Like Binding of Isaac, but extremely slow and tedious.”
    • “The grinding feels endless and takes away from the enjoyment of the game.”
    • “Progression is painfully slow, making it hard to stay engaged.”
  • stability1 mentions

    The stability of the game is well-regarded, as it effectively prevents any items from becoming overly powerful, ensuring balanced gameplay by avoiding mechanics that could disrupt the overall experience, such as freezing time or freezing all enemies in a room.

Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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