Simply unique

It isn’t often that a game comes along that really feels unique in its execution. Little Goody Two Shoes borrows a lot from multiple genres of games but mixes them together to create its own flavor and style. It is one part simulation, one part romance, and equal parts mini-games and survival horror. Toss in the minimal survival mechanics and you have a game that doesn’t slot into any one particular genre. While it meshes all these things together it does have a few drawbacks and I can see it not connecting with everyone who plays it, but for those that buy into what it is selling, you will definitely have a unique experience.

The story feels familiar as it also borrows from fairy tales and other myths. Players take on the role of Elise who is a simple girl living her life doing chores around the town and genuinely just helping anyone in need. One day she discovers a unique pair of shoes in her garden along with meeting a new character named Rozenmarine, who works for an unknown entity claimed to be able to grant wishes. Elise obviously must set out to figure out who this is and get her wishes granted, thus begins our journey.

MSRP: $19.99
Platforms: Xbox (reviewed), PlayStation, Switch, PC
Price I’d Pay: $19.99

The game is broken up into various sections for each day. The first is to travel to the town of Kieferberg where she will spend the next few segments doing odd jobs around the town for various villagers all while earning money. Each of these tasks is essentially a mini-game and sadly there are not a lot of them. I had seen most of them by the end of the third day. Performance dictates how much money is earned, which is important as currency is the best way to buy new items that are necessary for the other time periods.

Elise’s life bar is a hunger meter and when it depletes it is game over. This means buying up plenty of consumables along the way to replenish your health. During the day you can also opt into the romance options, which allows Elise to spend time with their partner, which is actually more fleshed out than I thought it would be. As I said, this game mixes all sorts of genres into one basket for a truly unique experience.

Once night comes that is when horror comes into play. Elise is tasked with making her way back home and along the way Elise will be tasked with solving an array of puzzles before being able to end the day. These are complex and the game recommends saving often as you will certainly fail a few times. It almost feels like playing 4-5 uniquely different games depending on which segment of the day is occurring. The tone compliments that with each section feeling less and less like the last. There are so many layers to this game and honestly my first time playing I was put off by the way it pivots from one style to the next.

The art style reminds me of late 90s anime, most specifically something like Magic Night Rayearth. The characters are long in cut scenes, but when in-game they more resemble models from the recent HD-2D remakes Square has been putting out. The designs are good, and the music is equally as diverse as the game play. It switches up each time the mood changes and really showcases the diversity of the entire package. Like I said if this clicks you, there is a lot to love and appreciate about how this game has been put together.

There really isn’t anything like Little Goody Two Shoes. That can be a help or a hindrance. Some people will fall off immediately, while others will no doubt be talking about this game for years to come. It is always cool to see a game that really surprise me with its structure in this day and age, and developer AstralShift has delivered a unique experience that does a great job setting itself apart from the pack. These are the kinds of games I love to see coming out of the Square-Enix Collective.

Review copy of game provided by publisher.