Ittle Dew (Game)

Ittle Dew is a 2D adventure/puzzle game. It is available on PC, Wii U, Ouya, iOS and Android and is considered the flagship title for Ludosity.

## Plot

The game stars the titular character Ittle and her magical fox companion, Tippsie. The two are seen floating adrift in sea on a raft until it bursts upon landing on shore of a mysterious island. Ittle and Tippsie make their onto the island where they encounter the shop keeper, Itan. Ittle requests a raft to find an island for a better adventure only for Itan to boast that the island has a good adventure and that he will craft a raft for free if she can bring him back the relic from the island's castle.

## Characters

The game features a wide array of unique characters that act as NPCs or Enemies.

### Main Characters

* Ittle
* Tippsie

### Enemies

* Brutus
* Chilly Roger
* Fishbun
* Flopflop

* Jenny Frog
* Jenny Fox
* Lean Boo
* Pancake
* Petal Slug
* Titan
* Turnip

* Volcano
* Rotnip
* Carcatus

### Other

* Gate
* Old Man
* Crystal
* Incredibly Ugly Statue
* Apathetic Frog

### Bosses

* Jenny Deer
* Masked Ruby
* The Lichious Turnip
* Itan Carver
* Ultra Fishbunjin 3000

## Gameplay

The game is played with a top-down view on a 2D plane. The player controls Ittle and must navigate through rooms that are often filled with unique puzzles that require solving in order to progress. At the start, the player is only equipped with a stick. The player can whack targets directly in front of them and activate Crystals. The stick can also be set aflame by whacking campfires that are located in different sections of the game. When lit the player can activate bombs that destroy breakable blocks or other objects on fire like unlit campfires and Old Men.

As the player progresses through the castle they will come across chests with gold coins that can later be exchanged with Itan to explore a dungeon. The dungeon houses a powerful magical item and are full of puzzles that requires the player to explore and experiment with the newly acquired treasure.

With the new treasures the player is free to explore further into the castle. Despite there being three treasures the player only requires two to reach the end of the game. This can be done by taking "Professional Shortcuts". They come in the form of challenging puzzles that may only be solved with a specific mix of treasures.

### Locations

* Tutorial Cave
* The Castle
* Toasty Cave
* Warped Woods
* That Cold Place
* Fishbun Hills
* Desert Grove
* The Swamp
* Compost Crypt
* Master Cave

## Controls

The player controls Ittle using a D-Pad or Controller stick to use. The PC uses the arrow keys by default. Each of the treasures is mapped to a specific button with the Portal Wand using two for placing a block and firing its teleport projectile for a total of four buttons. The mobile version can be played using on-screen touchpad icons or using gesture controls. Tippsie can also be mapped to a separate button or tapped to provide a hint or tip to guide the player in the right direction.

## Items

Items can be encountered either through enemy drops or chests.

### Item-Drops

* Hearts: The only item that is dropped by enemies and breakable blocks. They replenish one full heart each

### Chests

* Coins: Used a currency to exchange with Itan to explore the island's dungeons. Coins can only be acquired within chests located inside the castle.
* Paper: Pieces of paper can be discovered within chests. They are taped on to the players lifebar until four pieces are collected, giving the player an additional heart.
* Cards: Cards depicting the games many characters and puzzle elements can be located within chests found inside the castle or optional rooms that surround the castle grounds. They have no use however collecting them all rewards an achievement.
* Maps: Multiple maps can be found within the castle that adds to the map detail that the player can reference to. One displays the outline of the castle's layout and grounds while another displays the many chests hidden within.

* Fire Sword: A sword that replaces the stick and increases attack. It is permanently on fire.
* Portal Wand: A wand that spawns a glowing magical block beneath the player. It can be pushed and acts as a barrier. It also fires a projectile that teleports its target to wherever the block is place.
* Ice Wand: A magical rod that shoots icy projectiles ahead. It freezes its targets in place and call also be used to freeze wall for other projectiles to bounce off of for a short time.

## Reception

The game has earned universally positive reviews with reviewers complimenting the self-aware humor blending well with the light-hearted gameplay and high replay value in finding various means in which to reach the end of the game. The music and art-style were also highly praised, with many reviewers praising the squiggly hand-drawn designs of characters and their animations along with the atmospheric soundtrack.

Reviewers did critique the simplicity of the combat, however, with mobile reviewers stating that difficulty was added due to issues with touch input controls.

## Trivia

* The game was in development for five years. The developers stated that the project was paused at certain points for them to take on other gigs.
* A prototype of the game was created for a thesis on Compact Level Design by Joel and Daniel Remar.
* The game was initially planned to have pixel-styled graphics however the idea was thrown out to create the unique squiggly hand-drawn visuals that are used in the final version.
* Ittle Dew and many of its characters will go on to star in other LudoVerse titles like Card City Nights and Slap City.

## References

1. ↑ http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2013/10/developer\_interview\_ludosity\_talks\_ittle\_dew\_the\_comparison\_to\_zelda\_and\_the\_metroidvania\_style\_of\_play
2. ↑ https://unity3d.com/showcase/case-stories/ludosity-lttle-big-planet/