Li'l Red

I remember Kirby's Dream Land as the game that dared to make platformers accessible to everyone it possibly could. The visual style of Li'l Red had me hoping for something comparable, perhaps something that had been inspired to explore the concept further or take it in another direction. I'll admit that was foolish of me. The first thing I am greeted with upon starting the game is a fighting game-esque control scheme that seems to go against every platforming instinct I have ever developed from the first time I ever held a piece of gaming hardware. Let's start with jumping. You can jump almost as you would in any other platformer, but you will never find a good reason to do so. That's because the standard jump has been obsoleted by a spinning jump, which you can perform simply by holding up or down while pressing the jump button. Now your jump has improved height as well as some limited offensive and defensive capabilities. The spin jump essentially reverses the flow of contact damage, allowing you to damage enemies instead of taking damage from them, [i]but it only works in unspecified instances where the game allows it to[/i]. For instance, the first boss has one attack that causes its body to deal contact damage to you regardless of your own state, and you will not know when this can happen until it happens. Either way, there are absolutely no downsides to the spin jump other than the extra input it takes to perform. Moving on to attacking. You have a basic forward shockwave attack that can be charged up into a stronger version with slightly more range. At some point it occurred to me that using this attack, however essential it may have first seemed, was counterproductive in almost every scenario. First, there is a considerable amount of animation lock after attacking that prevents you from moving at all. Second, getting hit while charging will immediately reset the charge to zero. Third, attacking in the air cancels your spin jump into a regular jump, so unless your attack was charged up to begin with you're almost certainly going to be hit back by whatever you just attacked. With some careful consideration you might find a few situations (outside of boss fights) where the standard attack comes in handy, but those will surely be few and far between. Finally we have the dash maneuver. Unlike the spin jump, this one actually has a designated button, but you will find it works less like the sprint in Kirby and more like the dash in Mega Man X, which briefly enables a faster jump. The dash can also be used to cancel the animation lock after attacking, but don't expect that to do you any good. When you add all of these together, what are you looking at? A game where the optimal play is almost always right-B-upright-A. That's the minimum amount of inputs required to perform a dashing spin jump, and my thumb is still sore from it even as I type this. But keeping up that kind of momentum will work infinitely better than trying to internalize the exact moment a snail will decide to knock you into a pit. It will work better than slowing down to deal with enemies that explode, enemies whose projectiles aim straight for you, enemies who pile up if you let them follow you too closely through the level. None of them have any less than 3 HP, and so none of them can be disposed of as fast as they can be bypassed. Despite appearances, I would not compare this game to Kirby in the slightest. Nor would I compare it to Mario, Mega Man, Castlevania, or even Zelda II. While it may not be as difficult as any of those platformers to complete, Li'l Red has a certain obtuseness which makes it more difficult than any of those for me to simply play and enjoy. Maybe if you come from more of a fighting game background, you will find the appeal in this where I could not. At the end of the day though, I can tell I'm not the target audience in spite of the sheer influence retro platformers have had on me.

[h1]かわいいドット絵プラットフォーマー[/h1] 日本語未対応（言語依存度低）早期アクセス かわいい赤ずきんっぽいLi’lちゃんと使い魔を切り替えつつ 進んでいくファミコンやGBを思わせるドット絵プラットフォーマー 難易度はイージー、ノーマル、ハードの3種類 イージーでもかなりの歯ごたえがあるが 残機制ではなくチェックポイントもあったので ジワジワと進める事が出来た ファミリアの攻撃は少しトリッキーで ゲージがあり、かつ軌道を計算しないと使えない子もいる 鳥が個人的には使いやすいと感じた 但しボス戦なら別のファミリアをした方が賢い選択になると思う レトロな外見と操作性のプラットフォーマーが遊びたい！と いう人にはなかなか良い選択肢だと思う [code] Steamキュレーターで紹介しました [URL=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/41056472/]「3D酔いでもゲームがしたい」[/URL]　[URL=https://twitter.com/_Rlyeh]Twitter（X）[/URL] 毎日更新してます！ [/code]

Some people do retro well. This isn't it. - The music is horrid, - Avoiding attacks is difficult (and that's on easy mode). - Neither 'Enter' nor 'Space' nor 'Esc' work in the menu. I really don't know what the dev was thinking.

Brutal old-school difficulty packed in cute little aesthetics. The game opts for minimalistic art and basic color. If the default colors aren't to your liking, there are other color templates available in the options. Some are too bright for my taste, but a few are exactly ideal for the game. The gameplay is typical of a platformer, featuring jumping and attacking. There is no tutorial, but I wish there was one to teach you about unique abilities. These are in limited supply and utilize animals with special attacks. All three feel completely useless because of weak attacks. Despite its attractive looks and appearance, the game is as tough as nails. Although you can pick between lower and higher difficulty levels, normal is the best way to receive the whole experience. In any case, there isn't much of a difference because it simply affects the damage you receive. The majority of the annoyance stems from knockback and instant death when falling into pits. When both are present, death always follows. There are way too many situations in which you must jump on platforms, but contact with an enemy knocks you into a hole. Naturally, enemy placement is ideal for this to occur. There are, thankfully, checkpoints. The game's balance needs to be improved. I frequently just rushed to the next checkpoint or took an intentional hit that grants you a second of invincibility to get through a difficult section. Another disadvantage is that your character's attack is very weak. You'll have to kill cute animals like butterflies, cats, and frogs. They can, however, take multiple hits and attack relentlessly. While attacking in the air is okay, attacking on the ground prevents you from moving for a split second. As you might expect, bosses have attacks that require fast reaction. Second and fourth boss are unplayable because of fast random attacks that are impossible to dodge. I had to rely on a another secret move; press up and jump. If you choose to delete your save file when on stage 2 and restart the game, you may encounter a glitch. The new file will begin in Chapter 2 and will display a white screen, rendering the game unplayable. This can be resolved by exiting and restarting the game. The game is still in early access and doesn’t cost much, but I would recommend this only to those who are familiar with old-school experience that borders on unfair. It's not fun for anyone else.

Cute art style. Pretty hardcore platforming, which is a plus imho Enjoyable boss fights Runs great on steam deck

I feel like this game is built to be a speed running game first and foremost. I lost interest in it fast as a casual run was very boring as killing enemies is not fun. Recommend if you like speed running i guess, but for the others it's meh.

Precision platforming that plays like old Mega Man and controls like it too. Easy to pick up, harder to master. Scoring system fairly detailed. Textbook variety of mobs and level progression in complexity.

a great little game that references the Gameboy era of games. a fair challenge and in all mean accomplishes its goal. my only criticism is that it needed like a bonus level or something to break up the platforming to nail that gameboy ascetic.

Li'l Red is a charming 2D platformer built around the spirit of classic handheld gaming, combining intentionally limited LCD-style visuals with a surprisingly flexible movement system. Developed and published by Velveteen, it follows Lyra on a journey through Florian after she discovers the Radiant Lily, a mythical herb capable of curing any ailment. Her objective is to carry it to the kingdom of Clerica, providing a simple fairy-tale framework for an adventure that places mechanical platforming above elaborate storytelling. The campaign spans five distinct areas filled with enemies, environmental challenges, and boss encounters. Although that sounds modest compared with larger platformers, the game is designed around replaying stages and becoming increasingly proficient with Lyra's abilities. Basic movement is straightforward, but running lets her build additional speed and cross wider gaps. The spin jump goes higher than a normal leap, inflicts light damage, and protects Lyra from ordinary enemy contact while she is spinning. This makes enemies part of the traversal equation rather than objects that always need to be avoided. Diving expands the movement system considerably. Lyra can rapidly descend through the air while ignoring enemy contact damage, and landing on a slope sends her sliding forward. The more advanced dive jump combines this slide with a spin jump to launch her across much greater distances at high speed. Momentum can even be preserved with another well-timed jump after landing. These mechanics give skilled players opportunities to discover faster routes and move through stages with a fluidity that is not immediately apparent from the game's simple presentation. Combat follows a similarly economical design. Lyra fights primarily with her harp and can charge a Power Cut after attacking, producing a stronger strike with greater range. Being hit cancels the charge, so positioning and timing matter when attempting to use it effectively. The combat is deliberately uncomplicated, but it fits the platforming well because mobility remains an important defensive tool. Rather than stopping constantly for lengthy battles, Lyra can weave around opponents, attack when an opening appears, and continue moving. Her companions Lepus, Felis, and Columba add ranged options through the Call mechanic. These familiar attacks consume Muse Points, making them useful against enemies that are difficult to approach directly without becoming an unlimited solution to every encounter. Physical attacks replenish MP, establishing a sensible relationship between close-range combat and familiar abilities. Players are encouraged to engage enemies personally in order to restore the resource required for safer ranged attacks, producing a small but effective combat rhythm. Bosses naturally provide more demanding opportunities to combine movement and offensive abilities. Since Lyra can run, spin, dive, preserve momentum, charge attacks, and summon companions, encounters have more mechanical possibilities than the minimalist appearance might initially suggest. The game remains approachable because none of these individual actions is excessively complicated, yet mastering how they interact requires practice. This balance makes the experience suitable for casual platforming while leaving room for players interested in technical execution. The ranking and time-based elements are particularly important to its longevity. Achieving S ranks and reducing completion times encourage players to return to familiar stages after learning more advanced movement techniques. A level that initially feels like a conventional sequence of jumps can eventually become a playground for maintaining speed and linking dives, slopes, and jumps together. The relatively compact amount of content therefore works better for players who enjoy improving their performance than for those who expect a huge number of levels that are played only once. Its presentation establishes an identity separate from the enormous number of indie games using conventional pixel art. The graphics deliberately evoke LCD handheld screens associated with older portable games. Fifteen selectable color palettes allow the visual mood to shift significantly, ranging from warmer sunset-like appearances to darker nighttime combinations. This feature also complements repeated stage attempts because players can refresh the visual presentation while pursuing better ranks and faster times. The 8-bit-inspired soundtrack reinforces that retro atmosphere without fighting against the intentionally restrained graphics. The entire presentation feels designed around a specific nostalgic concept rather than simply using pixel graphics because they are inexpensive or fashionable. Players who appreciate unusual retro aesthetics should find plenty of personality here, although anyone who prefers highly detailed sprite work may find the deliberately restricted LCD look less immediately attractive. One potential weakness is the limited scale. Five areas make this a focused platforming adventure rather than a sprawling journey, and players primarily interested in discovering a constant stream of new locations may finish feeling that there could have been more. Much of the value depends on whether improving ranks, refining routes, collecting achievements, and reducing completion times sounds appealing. Those who enjoy mastery-based platformers are more likely to appreciate this structure because learning to exploit the movement system becomes part of the content itself. Steam Deck compatibility is less straightforward because the Steam store page does not currently present an official Valve Steam Deck compatibility rating for the game. Its straightforward 2D design and relatively simple controls make handheld play conceptually well suited to the experience, but the absence of an official Verified or Playable designation means compatibility should not be treated as guaranteed. Players primarily purchasing it for Steam Deck should therefore expect that manual control adjustments or other minor accommodations could potentially be necessary. Overall, this is a small but mechanically thoughtful platformer whose greatest strength lies beneath its intentionally simple appearance. Running, spin jumping, diving, slope acceleration, momentum conservation, charged harp attacks, and familiar summons create considerably more depth than the retro LCD presentation initially implies. Its limited number of areas prevents it from feeling particularly expansive, but rankings and speed-focused replayability provide a strong reason to master each stage. For players who appreciate old-school platforming, unusual handheld-inspired visuals, compact adventures, and movement systems that reward repeated practice, Velveteen's creation offers an enjoyable and distinctive experience. Rating: 7/10