Review: My Little Universe turns off your brain in a good way

This game may look familiar to you if you’re a mobile gamer since it started out as a mobile game of much the same design. I gave it a shot back in the day, but I ended up deleting it because I’m not a fan of using a touch screen to move directions.

Plus, with any free game, the ads weren’t something I wanted to deal with. Having it on the computer just makes so much more sense and makes it a lot more enjoyable to play.

My Little Universe Gameplay / Story

There’s zero story in My Little Universe. You’re just a silly little guy running around hacking up trees and stones to gather resources needed to open tiles. You’ll encounter enemies, upgrade your weapons, and gain boosters in the pursuit of getting 100% completion for each world.

It’s the perfect playstyle to dissociate to. No need to worry about life’s problems, there’s land to expand!

The mechanics couldn’t be simpler and if you have a controller to play with, I highly recommend it. There’s an option to enable auto-swing at resources and enemies that I feel is essential. Your thumb will thank you. And your tools will automatically switch to the tool you need as you approach resources. 

The only time you really need to worry about controls is when you engage the fishing game. It’s a cute little rhythm type mechanic that gives you a chance in fishing up actual fish to obtain oil or unique items that are reduced to money or resources.

The difficulty does scale up, so you’re going to want to prioritize upgrading your gear where you can and going for boosters that support that. If you ever get lost, you can check the map to see where you still need to expand. 

Art/Music

There’s not much to the music, if I’m honest. There is a nice little orchestral tune that goes on repeat. I ended up turning the music off in the first world and just played my own.

As far as art goes, it’s a cute art style with a lot of thought put into the environment. Each world brings a unique environment with new monsters that keeps the game fresh and from feeling stagnant.

With the ability to find outfits in each land, you’ll be able to run around in the style that you choose. 

Coziness

For me, this is a super cozy game. Sometimes, a game doesn’t have to be packed with story or atmosphere, it just has to let you decompress. The ease of controls and the simple concept let you run around and turn your brain off.

I’m a big lover of fetch quests and this is essentially that. The constant need for resources to open up blocks keeps me happy at all times. Plus, since there’s no big story going on, you don’t have to wait for a safe place to save.

The ability to pick up My Little Universe and play for however much time you have is optimal for cozy vibes.

Cons

You’d think I’d sit here and tell you that the biggest con of this game is repetition, but you’d be wrong. I have a mortal enemy in this game and her name is lava. I don’t know if I just got a severely unlucky glitch or if lava is just out here trying to destroy my whole lineage.

Upon nearing the end of the first world, lava is triggered in a certain area. I got curious as to whether I would lose damage over time meaning I could hop across or if I’d be killed instantly. 

It’s instant and it’s heartless. Don’t get curious. I went from 7 levels/boosters down to 3 from that one death alone. I have since died to bosses or enemies and only lost one booster. So it could have been a glitch, but I don’t have the courage to test the lava again. Science be damned.

Enemies can be a finicky problem because they aggro if you haven’t gotten the booster “pacifist” and immediately come after you. It can end up in a lot of situations where you get caught between advancing monsters and resources, resulting in death. 

Verdict

I actually really enjoy the casual repetition of My Little Universe. It’s not a game that I’d pick up for some big, epic adventure, but rather one I’d play to just zone out and forget about my problems. I pop on music I like and just veg out. 

The fact that I can drop in and out at will whether I have hours or only 20 minutes to play means that I’m reaching for this game more than others to chill out with.

I never tried the multiplayer function, but My Little Universe seems like a perfect game to hang out with your friends on. It’s probably even ideal because there’s a bit of back and forth across the map to get materials, so you can put each other in quadrants to maximize resource gathering.

My Little Universe retails for $14.99 and I’d say that’s a fair price. I’ve dropped 4 hours into the game and have only just finished the second world. 

If you’re interested in playing My Little Universe you can buy it over on Steam. And if you want to see more reviews, you can find them in our reviews category.