Developer: Circus Atos
Publisher: RedDeer Games
Platform: Switch, Xbox One, PC, Android, iOS
Tested on: Switch
Little Mouse’s Encyclopedia – Review
Ah, nature. Is there anything more relaxing than taking a stroll through the forest? It’s a pastime that’s rapidly been gaining popularity over the last year -in part because of the ongoing global situation, of course. Naturally, there is a lot to discover when you’re out and about as well, but sometimes, identifying the fauna and flora can be difficult. Enter Little Mouse’s Encyclopedia, an edutainment title that attempts to help you in figuring out what exactly that bird was you saw during your morning walk. Is Little Mouse the guide you need or is it better to stick to Wikipedia?
Story
The game’s title gives the impression that there is a narrative element in play, centered around protagonist Little Mouse. Unfortunately, it turns out that there is no story to be found here, and that Little Mouse’s Encyclopedia doesn’t expand on the lore behind its lead character.
Graphics
The adorable watercolor graphics are arguably Little Mouse’s Encyclopedia’s most attractive feature. The aesthetics give the impression that the illustrations used originated from an actual physical children’s book, but as far as we could find, the artwork -as well as the character of Little Mouse- is completely original and isn’t featured in other media. The official website for the game does show a photo of a physical book, but as far as we could find, that was just a promotional image. We did encounter a graphical glitch occasionally when Little Mouse changes from an upright position to a crawling one. When doing this, Little Mouse starts flickering for about a second. This doesn’t affect gameplay, but it does ruin the immersion somewhat.
Sound
Soft, relaxing music and sounds of nature accompany Little Mouse on her journeys. The soundscape creates a soothing atmosphere, although the game missed an opportunity here by not linking animal sounds to encyclopedia entries. We would’ve liked to hear the noise a creature makes whenever you take a look at the corresponding entry.
Gameplay
As the title indicates, Little Mouse’s Encyclopedia is an interactive encyclopedia. The title features over 160 entries and focuses on the fauna and flora of Europe. The animals and plants described in the encyclopedia are spread out over four different environments, including the mouse’s hole and its surroundings, the garden, the forest and the pond. Players take control of Little Mouse, who acts as a cursor of sorts and navigates the environment, encountering the inhabitants. When Little Mouse moves close enough to a plant or animal, one or two icons will pop up. The first icon gives access to a small flashcard that showcases drawings of the subject alongside some information. The second icon, which isn’t available for every entry, will make the subject perform a short animated action. Beyond these two actions and having Little Mouse wander around, there is no real gameplay present.
The encyclopedia is broad in its scope but shallow in its depth, with the flashcards offering interesting tidbits, but anyone looking for a trove of information won’t find it here. Take the flashcard for the cockchafer, pictured above, as an example. This card mentions cockchafer soup (which, as we discovered, is very much a real thing) but doesn’t go into detail on what it’s about. As such, Little Mouse’s Encyclopedia might motivate you to look into interesting factoids elsewhere but as an actual source of information, it only covers the bare minimum. Of course, the encyclopedia is aimed at younger kids, who will probably just giggle at the idea of insect soup or the funny name of the insect in question (although the name “cockchafer” doesn’t really derive from what you might think – we did our research).
This is where Little Mouse’s Encyclopedia falls flat: despite the ridiculously cute exterior, which will undoubtedly appeal to the target audience, the game fails as an encyclopedia as well as as an interactive experience. Kids will enjoy making Little Mouse wander around the environments for a few minutes, but there isn’t enough interactivity to keep them engaged. As a resource, even one aimed at kids, there simply isn’t enough information to be found here. Perhaps the illustrations would’ve been more at home in an actual encyclopedia in book form, as it would provide more room for text blurbs that go into more detail, or as an interactive museum display, where the short longevity of the experience isn’t a hindrance. We can think of a few ways that developer Circus Atos could’ve overcome this, the simplest being that Little Mouse starts out with a blank encyclopedia and actually has to collect every entry. By hiding a few entries or by introducing a few obstacles for Little Mouse to overcome, the game could’ve added both a narrative element and would have felt like an actual interactive experience rather than just feel like someone threw a pile of flashcards in your backyard.
Conclusion
We really wanted to love Little Mouse’s Encyclopedia, because of how charming it looks. As harsh as it may seem though, Little Mouse’s Encyclopedia misses the mark as an interactive encyclopedia. For what it’s worth, the game looks and sounds amazing, but that isn’t going to be enough to keep the target audience engaged for more than a few minutes, and anyone over the age of nine will feel disappointed by the lack of information that can be found. If you’re a parent of an inquisitive young child, then perhaps Little Mouse’s Encyclopedia is a good title to play together, as you’ll be able to answer questions they may have that the game doesn’t answer, but even so, the age window feels incredibly limited. The big question remains what the point was of releasing Little Mouse’s Encyclopedia as an interactive experience rather than as a physical book.
Little Mouse's Encyclopedia - Review,
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