Sometimes, we want to forget our troubles and return to childlike innocence. We want to remember what it felt like for everything to feel so new, for our imaginations to make new realities for us to play around in. Lil Gator Game is a celebration of that feeling, of a simpler state of being.
In Lil Gator Game, you play the titular Lil Gator as he tries to get his older sister to play with him. There's no overarching plot, no real goals. Instead, it's a Legend of Zelda homage that cut out all the grand storytelling and replaced it with pure, blissful vibes. Sometimes, existence can be a joy, and Lil Gator Game reminds you of that.
8/8 Running In Circles
Like, really close circles. This is not about getting lost on the map. It's about seeing the gleeful expression of Lil Gator as he runs around with your help. There's something about how he's animated, with a huge smile and flailing movements, that makes the act of running around the same space dozens of times so amusing.
It gets even better when you equip a particular headband, but even without it, that kind of joy is infectious and impossible to deny. It's cute, and you don't need any more reason to do it than that.
7/8 Breaking Pots
Ah, just like its inspiration. There are pots placed all around the little areas you find yourself roaming around in, and you just have to break them. Although to be fair, that's their whole purpose, anyway.
There's not even a slight justification for why you shouldn't carelessly and casually shatter these beautiful works of pottery – at least, in Zelda, most of the pots you find are in, you know, houses. As home decor that you're destroying in the hopes of finding one single rupee. Not here, though! Here, you can slash and smash to your heart's content. No one is going to stop you.
6/8 Losing All Your Stamina Immediately
You see that mountain? You can go there – and climb it. Well, mostly, you can jump around and kind of climb it. Or you can climb the giant trees that surround these steep cliffs. So getting to the top shouldn't be too much of a problem, right?
Wrong. Like many other games of its ilk, Lil Gator Game uses stamina mechanics. And, well, Lil Gator is just a kid, and a reptilian kid at that; you can't expect him to be able to just climb the cliff sides without tuckering himself out. But you'll keep trying, over and over again, no matter how many times you fall. At least, until you get all those bracelets.
5/8 Release Your Inner Landscaper
Another classic Zelda-ism is slashing your sword through any and all grass. But, of course, this habit extends far beyond just Zelda. If you have a sword in any game, and the grass just seems too long, you instantly become a landscaper for hire, mowing that would-be lawn like an absolute pro.
So it is with Lil Gator Game, where you will undoubtedly find yourself running around while swinging your stick, sorry, sword, wildly at every blade of grass unfortunate enough to be in your path. Of course, you get confetti and crafting materials from this, so it's not a wasted action. But you're not doing it for the crafting stuff, are you?
4/8 Gliding Everywhere
Who knew a t-shirt could be so…buoyant? Somehow, it carries the weight of our little alligator friend as he glides around with our guidance. It strikes a goofy picture – the t-shirt, somehow round with air, carrying an alligator kid decked out in a child's conception of adventurer's clothing. So, of course, you want to see it again; its goofiness is adorable.
Besides, gliding is really helpful for getting around. It lets you skim over areas you would have otherwise run through. It's not like you meet much opposition in Lil Gator Game, so you're not necessarily avoiding things, but it's still a much faster way to get around. And, if there's anything we like, it's going fast.
3/8 Fight Every Monster
These monsters came to the wrong neighborhood. Yeah, someone set them up around these islands and yeah, they are made of cardboard, but they still came to the wrong place to pick a fake fight. It's just a little joy to swing your sword stick wildly at these cardboard and marker-drawn monstrosities and hear the satisfying "thump!" of their pieces hitting the ground.
Many of them are hiding around, so you'll likely have your hands full as you hunt these terrible, fearsome beasts. As you do, you may wonder how these kids got so much cardboard, but there are just some things we aren't meant to know.
2/8 Leisurely Swims
You're an alligator – be an alligator. Despite how adorable Lil Gator looks, with his huge eyes and love of adventure, he's still based on a creature we would, ideally, never like to see swimming alongside us. Fortunately, this little guy just wants to have fun with his sister and friends, so taking him for a romp in the water feels right.
He glides through the water effortlessly, and while we can't say for certain if he enjoys it, we can say that we do. It's fun to cruise around, do nothing in particular, and take in the view. Plus, you don't lose any stamina in the water – that's a fun nod to Lil Gator's status as, well, an alligator.
1/8 Accidentally Shield Surfing
We all push the wrong buttons sometimes. It's a fact of life, an occupational hazard. Unfortunately, it seems to happen more often than not in Lil Gator Game, for whatever reason. And more specifically, it seems to happen with your shield button. This wouldn't be much of a hassle if Lil Gator (clearly a Zelda fan) wasn't determined to master the art of shield-surfing, meaning you are constantly gliding away from your intended destination.
It's all fine and good until you accidentally sledge down a steep edge, one you had fought tooth and nail to climb. Then you'll wonder if you'll ever get the hang of the controls. But at least the shields don't break.
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