Little Inferno (v2022.11.20 & ALL DLC)

A glowing fireplace becomes the entire stage for a strange, funny, and unexpectedly melancholic puzzle adventure. From the safety of a small room, you buy toys from catalogues, toss them into the flames, and watch their materials, sounds, and bizarre behaviors collide as they burn. The mood begins like a mischievous digital toybox—full of exploding fish, robotic screams, and tiny disasters—but gradually reveals a colder story about isolation, consumerism, and a world outside that seems to be freezing over. Little Inferno turns destruction into a surprisingly intimate ritual.

Most of the action takes place in front of the fire, where objects can be dragged, stacked, lit, and combined in any order. Burning purchases earns coins, while discovering specific item combinations unlocks stamps that let you order more toys and advance through the catalogues. Letters from neighbors and the company behind the fireplace provide hints, jokes, and pieces of the wider narrative, giving purpose to what initially feels like simple sandbox play. There is no demanding combat or twitch challenge here; progress comes from experimentation, observing reactions, managing your purchases, and figuring out which ridiculous items belong together.

What makes Little Inferno memorable is how completely it commits to its limited setting without feeling small. Every toy has personality, from its visual effects to the way it reacts in the flames, and the hand-drawn presentation makes even disposable objects feel oddly charming. Its playful surface and quietly unsettling themes bring to mind the offbeat humor of World of Goo, which makes sense given the shared creative DNA, though this is a much calmer and more contemplative experience. Puzzle fans, curious newcomers, and players who enjoy short indie games with hidden emotional weight find plenty to like, while anyone wanting fast action should expect a deliberate, fireside oddity instead.