Emphasis on "Little"

Little Inferno isn't a real game, in the same sense that a visual novel isn't a real game, but from a different direction -- rather than being a largely non-interactive narrative, Little Inferno is nothing but shallow, rote interaction. You burn items in a fireplace, collect coins that shoot out of the flames, and use said coins to buy more items to burn. The most game-like element is the "combo" system, where you must burn a specific combination of items, reverse-engineered from the combo name (i.e. determining the combo's components from a pun or cultural reference); to proceed down the game's path of unlockable items, you'll need to do a certain number of combos, but most of your burning will simply be for its own sake.

There is a ... story of sorts, told by letters that periodically appear in your inventory, but it's basically insignificant and meaningless. And it's capped with a lengthy, barely-interactive ending, for some reason done in a completely different format than the fireplace game. I've read some analyses of Little Inferno as an extended metaphor - for the mindlessness of mobile games, for the lack of fulfillment in video games in general, or even for consumerism and wastefulness - but since the game itself is a great example of all of these things, its message, if there even is one, is fairly mixed.

But there is some entertainment value here, in the act of burning things (come on -- fire is fun), and in the cool burning animations that accompany the more interesting objects. Being able to burn a mock-iPad, a poop-filled cat, and slutty barfly, make Little Inferno seem like less of a total waste of time than it really is. These amusements are fleeting, but plentiful enough.

Little Inferno does a great job of hooking into the same, addictive drip-feed of rewards that make World of Warcraft and successful free-to-play games successful. I burned (intentional) through everything it had to offer in a single sitting. But when it was over, I looked back and felt some regret at the time I'd wasted; not because of some message in the game's story, but because the game is ultimately unfulfilling.

Better than: World of Goo
Not as good as: yeah. A real video game.
Would seriously be much more palatable: if it had released at $5 or less. Trying to charge any more, for this simple of a concept, is disingenuous and narcissistic.

Progress: Finished, 100% combos (had to look one up).