Little House
There are quite a few games like Little House on the Playdate. Pulpergeist is a spooky Pulp game set in a house, as are the sillier Life’s Too Short and its sequels. The Keyper has lots of twists and turns and a story that peels away slowly, like an onion. Reflections: Nightingale is probably the closest (not reviewed here – made me feel too weird), but that one dealt with medical trauma. This one is a little bit different, but if you liked any of these others, you’ll find something good here.
Little House is one of those dreams where you’re never quite sure what you’ll find behind the next locked door. It’s a disconcerting, story-driven Pulp game with multiple endings and some weird stuff in the basement. It still has “game” elements like an inventory/item mechanic and a series of actions you have to take in a specific order, and one time I did get stuck and had to ask the developer for help since there aren’t any walkthroughs on the whole internet (see the Itch comments for help if you get stuck in the same place I did!). But the game stuff usually doesn’t get in the way of the feeling. You think you’re going home, but home isn’t what you thought it was. Why are you here? Who is in your house? Why is violence sometimes the only way out?
As you get deeper into the wrong house (or is it?), your psyche starts to unravel a little bit as the house itself is crumbling. You aren’t quite sure who is an enemy and who is a friend, but the only way out is forward. You don’t want to go back, and you can’t. Things aren’t what they appear, but luckily the things you actually need to do to progress are usually pretty clear. There are also creepy save points, which is good because sometimes you need to take a little break.
It’s a bit over an hour long, start to finish? Maybe two. And the endings, whichever you get, are very impactful. One in particular really made me feel like no matter how much the house might be crumbling, we’re still here. Our bones are good, even if the house’s no longer are.
This “review” was kind of all over the place; I’m sorry. Little House made me think about a lot of things all at once. Pulp’s simplicity means that it can really elevate good game writing, and as long as you don’t get too into the weeds with game mechanics, it can really shine. You should play Little House. It’s pay-what-you-want and spooky in a way that makes you think about things, and that’s my favorite kind of spooky.
(Released April 25, 2025, on Itch.)