Review Date: June 23, 2010
Developer: Jugilus
Publisher: Jugilus
Platform: PC, Mac, Linux
Genre: Puzzle
Little Space Duo is a game about teamwork. It stars a pair of unlikely heroes, a young girl and her tiny robot companion, and you'll have to utilize both of their unique abilities to succeed. The result is a unique and charming puzzler, that provides a solid challenge but may be a little too difficult for some.
It Takes Two
The game stars Lucy, a young girl who is accidentally abducted by an alien spaceship. But this ship isn't filled with tiny green men, instead it's inhabited entirely by robots. Thankfully for Lucy, one of these robots decides to help: a floating yellow ball she nicknames Sunny. Getting off of the ship is easier said than done, however, and Sunny and Lucy have to team up in order to get her to the other side of the ship where she can finally make her way home.
There are two main keys to the game: teamwork and stealth. Each stage consists of a maze of locked doors, elevators, and patrolling robots, as well as several power points that need to be shut down before you can move on. Using both Sunny and Lucy you'll have to circumvent these mazes in order to make it to the exit, while at the same time making sure you don't get caught.
You can control the two heroes as a pair, but they can also being separated, which you'll have to do quite frequently. Lucy is the only one who can shut down power points and activate elevators, while Sunny's small size lets him get to places Lucy can't. And when they're together they can jump down elevator shafts safely.
Robots, Robots, Everywhere
There are also several different types of robots you'll have to contend with. Some are faster than others, some can see farther, and some will only pay attention to roaming little girls, while others will only capture wayward robots. Each stage requires a combination of patience and quick reflexes to finish. You'll have to pay close attention to the stage in order to plan out just how you'll get through it, but actually pulling off your plan is no easy task. Every so often you'll also come across a top-down driving stage, where you'll have to drive Sunny and Lucy through a cargo bay teeming with robots. Each robot follows a strict path, and again, you'll have to pay close attention in order to avoid getting caught.
But no matter which type of stage you're playing, Little Space Duo is a hard game. Most stages will take numerous attempts before you'll actually figure out just what to do, and even then it'll probably take several tries before you'll actually able to pull it off. Thankfully each stage features a save point midway through, which helps make things somewhat easier. The main problem though, is that there isn't much of a difficulty curve in the game. Things start out hard from the very beginning and this continues on through the game's 40 stages.
The Bottom Line
While this can sometimes result in frustration, for the most part it makes Little Space Duo an incredibly addictive game. When you die it feels like it's your fault, rather than the game's, which just gives more incentive to try again. This may turn off some players, but those who can deal with the difficulty level will find a fun, challenging, and unique puzzle game that will test the skills of even the most practiced puzzle master.