Little Big Workshop – Review

Even though Little Big just passed by in Brussels, Belgium, Little Big Workshop does not involve vodka, swearing and hefty music, it’s actually the latest tycoon game by HandyGames and THQ Nordic. It has been a while since we had our hands on an authentic Tycoon game that didn’t copy-paste the successes from the past. In this game, you’ll be handling the production of furniture, toys and other goodies, from start to finish. The surprising twist is that you’ll have to assemble all components yourself and also choose which materials are chucked in the process.

Story

There is no story to be found in Little Big Workshop, which isn’t an issue whatsoever. You’ll start off with a tiny factory, and you’ll have some interaction with some of the subcontractors that approach you, but that’s all there is in terms of dialogues or story value. You get thrown in the game, ready to build your factory from scratch.

Graphics

Graphically Little Big Workshop is a cute and attractive piece of work. You’ll have a proper overview of your factory and the surrounding tools. You can see your workers scurrying around and working at their assigned workbenches and machines. Each of the characters has a similar design, but they are all unique enough to differentiate your different staff members. All the machines and workbenches look neatly designed. The game feels alive from the moment you start on your first production to when your factory has expanded enormously to a big industrial machine where your workers are simply one of the cogs that make the machine go round.

Sound

After the rather soothing music that is being played in the main menu, you’ll have a rather silent experience heading your way when you actually start playing the game. While you’ll hear the occasional note or two, you’ll mainly hear the hustling and bustling of your factory. You can hear your workers mumble in their own gibberish language and that’s pretty much all there is to the sound design of the game. We reckon this was a deliberate choice, making sure the background track wouldn’t get annoying as you play the game for longer periods of time.

Gameplay

Little Big Workshop is a good old fashioned Tycoon game that doesn’t just look attractive, but also plays smoothly and has a lot of options to expand your factory and grow to become a real industrial magnate. The game holds you by the hand if you wish to start out with the tutorial, and afterward, you’ll be left to fend for yourself, by either producing products for the general market, or for your subcontractors. There aren’t any different modes to be found, you just build up a factory and become the best you possibly can, all while juggling your funds and keeping your workers happy.

While in many other games you would simply select a product from the list and you can make it and ship it to those willing to buy it, in Little Big Workshop you are responsible for the entire production process. You’ll have to select which materials go into the item, which causes different colorations or increases costs depending on the quality. Afterward, you’ll have to link certain resources to different workbenches and machines in order to start creating the different components of the product you wish to produce and sell. This is once again followed by the process of having to combine the different components, allowing you to bring a finished product to the table.

Managing your workers is actually quite simple. You just need to make sure they have a proper break room and that there’s more than enough room for everyone to relax. If so, they will relax by themselves and recharge for the jobs at hand. When you progress you can also specialize your workers in different areas, which is another part of the micromanagement that makes things easier for your production process. The same can be said about your research tree, which allows you to build new rooms, new machines, and new utilities.

There’s a lot more micromanagement going on than mentioned above, but you’ll have to explore this at your own leisure. You can view the different products you can create and how much profit you’ll make from them, but you’ll also have to take into account the shifting market, which can result in you making a loss. Overall things are very expansive, but the game is rather accessible to newcomers and veterans alike. It’s possible that you’ll have to restart a couple of times to get the hang of things, and to get a proper working start, making it easier to expand and create a big factory, rather than juggle your remaining funds to simply get a new workbench or that radio the employees want in the break room. You’ll find yourself balancing on the edge of bankruptcy quite often during your first few attempts. After a while, you’ll be better at maintaining a better cash flow, but it’s one of those cases where practice makes perfect.

Conclusion

Little Big Workshop is one of the best Tycoon games we have seen in a long time. While there are certainly other good options on the market, this cute factory sim is truly a delight to play through. Though initially there’s a lot to master, the tutorial helps you on your way, and after a while, you’ll be running a real competitive factory. If you’re looking for a good Tycoon game, by a good developer, a decent publisher and a fair price, then Little Big Workshop can do big things on your little screen.

Ibuki

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Aspiring ninja.

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