Lil Gator Game [Switch]

MegaWobble’s Lil Gator Game is a very relaxing adventure game, filled with childlike wonder. There’s no pressure to push you forward, you’re simply free to take things as slowly or as quickly as you please, exploring the world and organically discovering interesting sights, from cardboard cut-out enemies and other kids playing, to huge hills to climb and memories to encounter.

There are two Gators here, you and your big sister - thus making you the Lil Gator of this game. After brainstorming an idea for a very Legend of Zelda-esque fantasy game with your sister, spending your days exploring the world and having a blast, time passes and she has to go off for college, leaving you behind. When she finally returns for Fall Break, playing is no longer her priority - schoolwork is - but all you want is to live out the story that your sister crafted, so you’ll need to convince her to spend this time with you, after transforming the play park into a mesmerising castle fortress alongside all your newfound friends.

You can chop down grass with your little wooden sword, smash open pots you find, and of course defeat the ‘enemies’ spread out across the island; doing so will reward you with crafting materials that will come in handy later. You’ll make new friends, recruiting them to join your game - often having to complete quests for them in return. It’s surprisingly in-depth in terms of the activities and general stuff that you can do: skipping stones across the water, sliding down hills on your shield (and bouncing around to prolong this further), climbing every surface you find, and tossing shurikens to burst balloons and destroy out-of-reach enemies. Everything is full of charm, with each of the characters bursting with personality, lots of humour across the dialogue and a heart-warming story that tugs on your heart strings.

It is absolutely adorable, from the art style to the overall feel of the world and the tiny little details such as Lil Gator’s cute waddle when they walk, their goofy little face when you try to take a selfie and the flop as you ragdoll all over the place. You can play with the standard visuals, or if you like things a little * cronchy * then you can add a pixelated effect that also looks gorgeous and makes things even more reminiscent of A Short Hike, both with the general island exploration feel and the cute animal characters. The soundtrack is very relaxed yet adventurous, with a joyful little tune that changes as you explore, with a darker vibe when you come across a certain vampire-y lair.

Overall, I had a fantastic time with Lil Gator Game - its chilled out vibes and charming, fascinating world sucked me in and kept me totally invested in these cute, funny little characters and their adventures. There are collectible hats, weapons and other accessories that you will be able to unlock and craft as you complete tasks for various characters on the islands, and these all offer fun little changes to the gameplay, such as the Ninja headband allowing you to Naruto run around the island, and you’ll even have a t-shirt glider so you can peacefully float down from heights.

Available on the Switch eShop for £16.75, Lil Gator Game is a great price for how much enjoyment it offers - and we’d highly recommend everyone to give it a go. It’s not a terribly long game, coming in at somewhere between 4-6 hours depending on how much your pace yourself, but it means it finishes on a high and leaves you with a happy face and a happy heart - and I am for sure looking forward to whatever MegaWobble is working on next, especially if it follows the same relaxing premise as we have here.

In the end, we decided to give Lil Gator Game the Collecting Asylum rating of 10/10.

Are you interested in Lil Gator Game? What do you think of it?
Let us know in the comments below!

- V x

Thank you to Playtonic Friends for the Lil Gator Game Nintendo Switch review code!