THE ULTIMATE ACTION-ADVENTURE

Little Big Adventure is a unique game. Your tasks vary greatly: escape a psychiatric hospital by disguising yourself as a nurse (similar to Hitman), discover an artifact in an ancient temple filled with traps and animated skeletons (Tomb Raider), steal something that technically belongs to your family from a heavily guarded museum (any Thief game), and complete various missions in the cities (any quest or RPG). It is so rich and surprising - you never know what you'll find or experience next.

But LBA also gave me a feeling that I've always appreciated when I had experienced it in a movie or a book: the feeling of being a fugitive. The feeling that I can't shop in peace, use the library, or travel without being recognized and turned in to the police. That my girlfriend gets arrested because of me, and later, I lose my own home as well. And all of this is woven into the gameplay. On the one hand, people can be afraid of you and distrust you; on the other, you can't know if the person before you will betray you or if they are simply a pawn of the regime.

You also find yourself in a living, breathing world. Like an archaeologist, you learn about this world and the past of your own people. You learn to speak the language of animals (animals can help you reach inaccessible places and tell you what they've seen). You learn to read ancient runes, which you previously couldn't understand. You acquire your own means of transportation - a catamaran, powerboat, dragon (the setting, like BG&E, combines modern technology and magic). So the feeling of becoming stronger and changing the world for the better intensifies as you progress in the game (your enemies, however, also change the world for the worse...).

In my opinion, LBA is the game of all games, embodying the best of their essence. The only other similar game I can compare it to is its spiritual successor, Beyond Good and Evil.

COMPARISON WITH BEYOND GOOD AND EVIL

Yet, even that isn't a fair comparison. BG&E has a more exciting story, a real companion who helps you during the adventure, and better level design in its "Tomb Raider" section. Many things in BG&E were done much better and more accessible, but it simply couldn't surpass the bar set by LBA.

Here's why I think so: unlike LBA, BG&E doesn't have a true world - with all the diversity and interconnectedness one could expect from a world. There's no real conflict with the government (the creators of BG&E probably wanted to avoid having the player kill police officers misled by the same government), there's no conflict with the people themselves (no one turns you over to the police), and you aren't a fugitive despite working against the authorities (while playing BG&E, I expected my in-game credit card to become illegal at some point, but it never happened). As a result, all this didn't convince me that I'm really in a paranoid society ravaged by war and manipulated by propaganda. LBA, on the other hand, effectively portrays the random evil of a dictatorial regime while, in contrast to its dark setting, is filled with energy, optimism, and humor.

TOO FRUSTRATING FOR MODERN PLAYERS

That said, the control scheme and save system of LBA will be very confusing and frustrating to modern players. It is a challenge that's not for everyone. That's why you may have more luck with the more friendly gameplay of Little Big Adventure 2 (it has much better onboarding, too), or with the upcoming remake of Little Big Adventure 1, or with Beyond Good And Evil, if you haven't played it. And if you're already a fan of LBA, you absolutely must try the last masterpiece of Frederick Raynal, the immersive sim 2Dark.

THE ULTIMATE ACTION-ADVENTURE Little Big Adventure is a unique game. Your tasks vary greatly: escape a psychiatric hospital by disguising yourself as a nurse (similar to Hitman), discover an artifact in an ancient temple filled with traps and animated skeletons (Tomb Raider), steal something that technically belongs to your family from a heavily guarded museum (any Thief game), and complete various missions in the cities (any quest or RPG). It is so rich and surprising - you never know what you'll find or experience next. But LBA also gave me a feeling that I've always appreciated when I had experienced it in a movie or a book: the feeling of being a fugitive. The feeling that I can't shop in peace, use the library, or travel without being recognized and turned in to the police. That my girlfriend gets arrested because of me, and later, I lose my own home as well. And all of this is woven into the gameplay. On the one hand, people can be afraid of you and distrust you; on the other, you can't know if the person before you will betray you or if they are simply a pawn of the regime. You also find yourself in a living, breathing world. Like an archaeologist, you learn about this world and the past of your own people. You learn to speak the language of animals (animals can help you reach inaccessible places and tell you what they've seen). You learn to read ancient runes, which you previously couldn't understand. You acquire your own means of transportation - a catamaran, powerboat, dragon (the setting, like BG&E, combines modern technology and magic). So the feeling of becoming stronger and changing the world for the better intensifies as you progress in the game (your enemies, however, also change the world for the worse...). In my opinion, LBA is the game of all games, embodying the best of their essence. The only other similar game I can compare it to is its spiritual successor, Beyond Good and Evil. COMPARISON WITH BEYOND GOOD AND EVIL Yet, even that isn't a fair comparison. BG&E has a more exciting story, a real companion who helps you during the adventure, and better level design in its "Tomb Raider" section. Many things in BG&E were done much better and more accessible, but it simply couldn't surpass the bar set by LBA. Here's why I think so: unlike LBA, BG&E doesn't have a true world - with all the diversity and interconnectedness one could expect from a world. There's no real conflict with the government (the creators of BG&E probably wanted to avoid having the player kill police officers misled by the same government), there's no conflict with the people themselves (no one turns you over to the police), and you aren't a fugitive despite working against the authorities (while playing BG&E, I expected my in-game credit card to become illegal at some point, but it never happened). As a result, all this didn't convince me that I'm really in a paranoid society ravaged by war and manipulated by propaganda. LBA, on the other hand, effectively portrays the random evil of a dictatorial regime while, in contrast to its dark setting, is filled with energy, optimism, and humor. TOO FRUSTRATING FOR MODERN PLAYERS That said, the control scheme and save system of LBA will be very confusing and frustrating to modern players. It is a challenge that's not for everyone. That's why you may have more luck with the more friendly gameplay of Little Big Adventure 2 (it has much better onboarding, too), or with the upcoming remake of Little Big Adventure 1, or with Beyond Good And Evil, if you haven't played it. And if you're already a fan of LBA, you absolutely must try the last masterpiece of Frederick Raynal, the immersive sim 2Dark.