Little Orpheus
Little Orpheus is a 2020 adventure platform video game developed by The Chinese Room for iOS, macOS, tvOS, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S. The game was released on Apple Arcade on June 12, 2020 and is set to be ported to other platforms on March 1, 2022.[1]
Little Orpheus | |
---|---|
Developer(s) | The Chinese Room |
Publisher(s) | Sumo Digital |
Composer(s) | Jessica Curry |
Engine | Unity Engine |
Platform(s) | |
Release |
|
Genre(s) | Adventure, Platform |
Mode(s) | Single-player |
Development
The game was first announced in March 2019 via the company's Twitter account.[2][3] In an interview The Chinese Room's Creative Director revealed: “Little Orpheus is a statement of intent; it’s the studio clearing its throat ahead of what’s to come. Pinchbeck wants The Chinese Room to apply its arthouse background to traditional genres moving forward, bringing an “obsession with story, world-building and atmosphere,” he says. Orpheus fits the mould: It’s a traditional 2.5D action-adventure mobile platformer on the surface, but its world is filled with Soviet space technology, Russian mythology, and ancient creatures, including a giant dinosaur and a mysterious tentacled beast. “Orpheus‘ story is so epic and ridiculous and, hopefully, it’s funny. It’s a romp. It’s a real homage to Ray Harryhausen movies, ’30s serials like Flash Gordon and stuff like that.”[4]
The game was released on Apple Arcade on June 12, 2020.[1] A new game mode and a major update was released on October 9, 2020. On July 7, 2021 The Chinese Room announced that Little Orpheus will be released on Steam.[5] However, due to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and the Soviet storyline, the release on console and PC has been delayed indefinetly.
Reception
Aggregator | Score |
---|---|
Metacritic | 71/100[6] |
The game received mixed reviews of 71/100 upon release according to review aggregator Metacritic.
Accolades
Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Apple Arcade Community Awardds | November 19, 2020 | Best Performances | Gunnar Cauthery - Ivan
Paul Herzberg - The General Nela Hajec - Voice Coach |
Won | [7] |
Apple Design Awards | June 10, 2021 | Best Game: Delight and Fun | Little Orpheus | Won | [8] |
Best Game: Visuals and Graphics | Nominated | ||||
D.I.C.E Awards | April 22, 2021 | Best Mobile Game | Little Orpheus | Nominated | [9] |
Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition | Jessica Curry, Jim Fowler | Nominated | |||
Develop: Star Awards | October 27, 2021 | Best Mobile Game | Little Orpheus | Won | [10] |
Best Narrative | Nominated | ||||
Best Visual Art | Nominated | ||||
Best Audio | Nominated | ||||
Best Original IP | Nominated | ||||
TIGA Awards | November 24, 2021 | Best Casual Game | Little Orpheus | Won | [11] |
Best Visual Game | Nominated | ||||
Best Action and Adventure Game | Nominated | ||||
Pocket Gamer Awards | March 16, 2021 | Best Platformer Game | Little Orpheus | Won | [12] |
Best Apple Arcade Game | Nominated | ||||
Ivor Novello Awards | September 21, 2021 | Best Original Videogame Score | Jessica Curry, Jim Fowler | Nominated | [13] |
Golden Joystick Awards | November 24, 2020 | Best Mobile Game | Little Orpheus | Nominated | [14] |
The Game Audio Network Guild Awards | April 28, 2021 | Best New Original IP - Audio | Little Orpheus | Nominated | [15] |
One Voice Awards | 21 August 2021 | Best Performance | Paul Herzberg - The General | Won | [16] |
Music + Sound Awards | 16 October 2021 | Best Original Composition in Gaming | Jessica Curry, Jim Fowler | Nominated | [17] |
References
- "Little Orpheus on Apple Store". Apps Apple. 2020-06-12. Retrieved 2020-10-20.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - "Little Orpheus announced by The Chinese Room". GameRevolution. 2019-03-25. Retrieved 2020-04-28.
- "Little Orpheus Announced For New Apple Game Streaming Service". GGS Gamer. 2019-03-26. Retrieved 2020-04-28.
- "Everybody's Gone: Dan Pinchbeck on Rebuilding The Chinese Room". EGM. 2019-12-09. Retrieved 2020-04-28.
- "Little Orpheus on Steam". store.steampowered.com. Retrieved 2022-01-06.
- "Little Orpheus for iPhone/iPad Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
- "The second half of the Arcade Awards. : Thoth_the_5th_of_Tho". reddit. Retrieved 2022-01-06.
- "Apple announces winners of the 2021 Apple Design Awards". Apple Newsroom. Retrieved 2022-01-06.
- Beresford, Trilby (2021-04-22). "D.I.C.E. Awards: Indie Game 'Hades' Takes Top Honors". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2022-01-06.
- "Develop:Star Awards 2021 Winners Announced". Mynewsdesk. Retrieved 2022-01-06.
- "2020 Winners". TIGA. Retrieved 2022-01-06.
- Staff, PocketGamer biz. "Revealed: All the winners at the Pocket Gamer Awards 2021". pocketgamer.biz. Retrieved 2022-01-06.
- "Gareth Coker wins Ivor Novello award for 'Ori And The Will Of The Wisps' score". NME. 2021-09-22. Retrieved 2022-01-06.
- Heather Wald (2020-11-24). "Lego Builder's Journey wins Mobile Game of the Year at the Golden Joystick Awards 2020". gamesradar. Retrieved 2022-01-06.
- "Game Audio Network Guild Awards Nominees Announced". Game Rant. 2021-03-19. Retrieved 2022-01-06.
- "One Voice Awards UK 2021". www.onevoiceconference.com. Retrieved 2022-01-06.
- "2021 Composition Finalists". Music+Sound Awards. Retrieved 2022-01-06.