Like short games? Domino: The Little One is a bite-sized adventure about saving the planet

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SHOULD I PLAY DOMINO: THE LITTLE ONE?

If you’re a fan of pretty, story-driven platformers like Gris and Inside, it’s definitely worth checking out. Domino: The Little One is a breathtakingly beautiful adventure game about the perils of global warming. It isn’t perfect, but it’s visually stunning, completely free, and doesn’t have a single ad, which makes it a very easy game to recommend.

TIME PLAYED

Domino is pretty short, and I was able to finish the PC version of the game in about an hour. Since it didn’t take me long, I wound up spending another hour playing through the game on Android. Even though Domino is a brief experience, it’s got tons of visual variety, and each of its four chapters left a mark on me. I would have appreciated another level or two, but sometimes it’s nice when a game doesn’t overstay its welcome.

WHAT’S AWESOME ABOUT DOMINO: THE LITTLE ONE?

• Gorgeous, hand-drawn visuals. Domino takes place in a world filled with pollution and garbage, but that doesn’t keep it from looking pretty. The storybook art style reminded me of The Little Prince, and those colorful visuals made every level a blast to traverse through. Occasionally, I was treated to short-but-stunning animations that injected even more life into the game’s world.

• Terrific music and voice acting. Domino might not be a long game, but the soundtrack manages to cover a whole lot of ground. Some tracks are soothing, some are foreboding, and some are downright intense. The atmospheric music and emotional voice acting make for a truly immersive experience.

• It’s a really interesting take on environmental issues. Domino is a dark eco-fairy tale, but there are times when it borders on being a horror game. Everything is seen through the eyes of a child that’s terrified of a potential environmental catastrophe. Monstrous creatures lurk in the background. The game’s narrator provides information and support, but there are times when she becomes angry or even menacing. Everything about Domino feels strange and off-kilter, and I definitely dug that.

WHAT SUCKS ABOUT DOMINO: THE LITTLE ONE?

• Awkward controls. The platforming in Domino isn’t very complicated, but there are times when the clunky controls make the game more challenging than it seems like it was designed to be. The movement never feels smooth or natural, and inputs aren’t super responsive. There were times when I had to attempt a seemingly basic jump more than once. This is a pretty simple game, so the controls are only an annoyance, but if Domino was harder, they’d be a major problem.

• It’s really tiny. Sometimes it’s nice to finish a game in a single sitting, but it felt like Domino rolled the credits just as things were starting to pick up. It’s hard to complain about the short runtime when the game was free, but I really wish it was just a smidge longer.

PLATFORMS TESTED

PC via Steam Deck, Android via Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G