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Love Is... in Small Things Review: Therapy in Your Palm

21K View2022-06-01

On your average day, I'm up at 7:00 am. I've got to catch up on the morning news, make some calls, and ideally eat breakfast. Then in the afternoon, I've got work tasks, meetings, and a fitness schedule to maintain, and I need to remind myself to eat once more. Finally come evening, I've got rehearsals, more phone calls, catching up with my friends, games to play for my next review, and HOPEFULLY dinner—and all of this operates under the assumption that a giant disaster doesn't throw a monkey wrench into my plans! Long story short, on a perfect day...there aren't many opportunities to slow down and appreciate the small things. This is the selling point of the self-described stress-free emotional healing art game Love Is... in Small Things.

initially created as a collection of books entitled Love is..., illustrator Puuung came up with the idea of an assemblage of charming and touching illustrations featuring little moments of a couple in love after falling into depression. These drawings made her happy, and thousands of images later, this work has been featured on Korean TV and is now a mobile game. But does the idea itself translate to a game?

Developed by Lunosoft, Love Is... in Small Things is an episodic narrative that tells the story of a couple in about thirty episodes. Each episode starts with a hand-drawn cinematic. It's essentially a hidden objects game where players find items such as letters, numbers, or hearts. Each time an object is found, a piece of the illustration comes to life with vibrant color. The calming effect of soft piano and acoustic guitar is added to this relaxing gameplay, making for an experience that is surprisingly addictive and, to its credit, soothing.

The first thing I noticed about Love Is... in Small Things was its simplicity. No tutorials were necessary, and I got the grasp of all its mechanics within a minute of playing. The game is rated for players as young as four, and with its minimal text and simple gameplay, that rating is spot on...sort of. I could probably make a good case for why a four-year-old would rather play in a cardboard box than explore the romantic beginnings of a couple.

Nevertheless, It's the type of game I could easily pick up and put down, or spend an hour going through episodes and completing images. True to its name, Love Is... in Small Things forces you to slow down and look closer at each illustration. It's easy to see an educational aspect in how this mobile game can build an appreciation for art or develop focus in a youngster.

Love Is... in Small Things manages to further gamify Puuung's popular series by adding a collection gallery. Here I could view all the artwork I had unlocked, and I could even use these beautiful pieces as wallpaper on my phone background. The game grants you access to hundreds of original art pieces and music, and the monetization isn't aggressive. In fact, all you have to do is watch a quick ad to get access to another Puuung original—a pretty reasonable trade-off for a free-to-play game. That being said, more of Puuung's artwork has since been made available as NFTs. I wonder if this will eventually be incorporated into Love Is... in Small Things, as we're beginning to see more developers utilize this tech in mobile games.

There were a few strange moments I found while playing. Some of the dialogue phrasing used in Love Is... in Small Things is weird. Phrases like "The day first we met" might be off-putting to some. But considering this game is offered in five languages and translated from Korean, the grammar issues weren’t enough to make me stop playing. Furthermore, the emotion that Love Is... in Small Things wants to convey remained clear.

I had a great time slowing down and appreciating this game for what it is: a simple time killer and a moment to catch my breath. Puuung's campaign to remind people that “love is in small things” is admirable. The game itself is enjoyable and contains beautiful visuals and original artwork. I'd recommend this hidden gem to anyone who likes playing unique indie games or who deals with bouts of anxiety and needs something calming to remind them to breathe. Click, download, and relax.

SCORE: 4 STARS OUT OF 5

PLAY IF YOU LIKE:

• Candy Crush. If you like the simplicity and vibrant colors of this epic match-three, you might find Love Is... in Small Things relaxing and enjoyable.

• Where's Waldo. If you enjoyed this series of pictorial puzzle books, then this game might also be for you.

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Love is in small things

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Comments

gugugu

This reminds me of another hand-drawn game called 'Miya's Everyday Joy of Cooking'. It's a match-3 game and it's also about daily episodes of a young woman. I love this kind of game because it's perfect for waiting in lines, with no pressure for leveling up or competing against anyone.

2022-06-06

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