Game: My Little Universe
Genre: Adventure, Simulation, Action, Multiplayer
System: Nintendo Switch (also on Steam (Windows), iOS & Google Play)
Developers | Publishers: Estoty | Saygames
Age Rating: US 10+ | EU 7+
Price: US $14.99 | UK £13.49 | EU €14,99
Release Date: October 5th, 2023
Review code used, with many thanks to Stride PR.
My Little Universe was originally released as a mobile game and has proven very popular, with over 30 million mobile downloads. It’s a worldbuilding sandbox adventure developed by Estoty and published by SayGames, and it has now been redeveloped for up to 1-4 players and released for Nintendo Switch and Steam.
You play as a generic character with no distinguishable features, whom I nicknamed Orangey. Orangey has crash-landed his spaceship on a small island on an unknown planet.
Build the Universe
Our little orange character must find a way to fix his spaceship. However, before he does that, he must build the planet; armed with only an axe, a pickaxe and a sword, he will gather resources explore and fight enemies, including abominable snowmen and alien fungal foes, to name a few.
You’ll explore nine mythical worlds and 65+ dungeons in My Little Universe. Your task is to collect resources and create the procedurally generated land hexes. You will build it from a tiny island made of a few hexagons to a sprawling planet rich with resources and enemies. The further you build, the more resources each section will require.
Swing that Axe
At the beginning of the game, you can set the characters’ actions to automatic. So once you approach a pile of resources, the little orange man will automatically begin chopping trees or breaking rocks. Also, the automatic setting can be turned off at any time in the game settings menu.
Orangey swings his tools back and forth until the resource is fully depleted. Furthermore, all the resources respawn in seconds, leaving you with an endless supply of rocks, wood and various gems to collect throughout the different biomes.
Watching him automatically collect resources is delightful; he is such a hard-working chap. However, you can take control whenever you wish. You can also change what tool he is wielding by pressing the X button on the Nintendo Switch, which is very handy when approaching enemies. Additionally, holding the B button will boost the power of our hero’s swing, meaning he can collect more resources at once.
Also, there is infinite storage for the resources, and as Orangey stands on a hex to build the next hex, the resources automatically fly out of what I presume is his pocket. It is very neat how building the hexes is implemented in My Little Universe; I could watch Orangey working for hours.
Complete Challenges
As you progress through My Little Universe and build the universe one hex at a time, you’ll collect orbs and complete challenges.
With each planet comes new challenges, so you must stay prepared by upgrading to the newest and sharpest tools and gear. Each universe has a central hub where you can upgrade all your tools and gear in exchange for resources and some gold. Upgrading your tools and sword will always keep you one step ahead of the enemies, as just like the resources that respawn in seconds, so do the enemies.
Combat
The combat in My Little Universe is pretty simple. Orangey is limited in his fighting skills to waving his sword. He can’t dodge or doesn’t have any special moves; the most he can do is run away.
During fights with enemies and bosses, I took control. While watching him try to kill the enemies is fun, he isn’t very good at it alone, especially during boss battles. In boss fights, the boss has an attack pattern that they repeat; once you watch them for a while, it’s easy to defeat them.
As you collect resources, you gain power-ups that help with resource collecting during fights. Once the Level-up icon at the bottom of the screen fills up, you can choose from three power-ups that last for a short while. For example, there is Slight of Hand-Axe, which increases the speed of the Axes casting when you press the B button.
Mobile Version vs. Nintendo Switch
You may be wondering why you would spend money on a game that is free to download from the App Store. To play the full game on Mobile, there are in-app purchases for various things like no advertisements and starter packs.
On the Nintendo Switch, the full game is a one-off price, and different character skins are included. Furthermore, you can invite up to three of your friends to join you in the split-screen local co-op mode. I managed to convince my partner, who isn’t into playing games, to try out the multiplayer mode, and we had a lot of fun playing it.
My Little Universe is suitable for all ages to play; I imagine it would be great fun with up to four players running around collecting resources.
Visuals and Controls
Visually, the graphics in My Little Universe are bright and cheery. Its look is simplistic yet charismatic; the relaxing soundtrack adds to the chilled-out nature of the gameplay. Each new world has a different environment to explore, from firey lava to desert sand.
On the Nintendo Switch, the joy-con controls all work as expected. The controls, like the game, are easy to grasp.
Conclusion – Cosy Worldbuilding Collect-a-Thon
I’ve had a blast with My Little Universe; it is a cosy worldbuilding collect-a-thon. It urges the player to explore further and discover what is on the next hex. My Little Universe is a wholesome, relaxing game for those who want the thrill of exploring and collecting infinite resources. Suitable for all ages in the family, it also has a very addictive gameplay loop and watching Orangey go to work and swing his tools is brilliant; I wish I had his energy!
Final Verdict: Two Thumbs Up 