Ittle Dew (Wii U) Review

The story follows a young girl known as Ittle Dew on an adventure where she winds up stranded on an uncharted island, filled with strange individuals garbed in animal onesies who seem to want to get rid of her. If this already sounds strange, joining Ittle on her adventure is a magical flying fox called Tippsie who provides hints and tips on demand for whenever the player gets stuck…

At the start of the game, the only item at the protagonist's disposal is a wooden stick, which can be used to take out the animal-obsessed enemies scattered around the island and can also be set on fire to melt ice blocks and light other fires, similar to Deku Sticks of The Legend of Zelda universe.

Further in, Ittle is geared up with a Fire Sword, Portal Wand, and Ice Wand, opening up more creative puzzles that utilise all three of these tools. The Fire Sword is just a beefed up version of the stick, which deals more damage and is constantly on fire, whilst the Portal Wand possesses the ability to summon Portal Blocks that are heavy enough to be placed on switches and also offer the second ability that can teleport enemies and the young adventurer to the placed block. The Ice Wand can be used to extinguish fires and freeze blocks, allowing them to glide over spikes when pushed.

The Wii U Gamepad is used minimally, merely displaying a map on the touch screen, which actually proves to be really useful for those who want to explore the entirety of the map. Of course, there is also the option to play primarily on the GamePad, with the map being displayed on the TV. If TV access is restricted, the map can only be accessed by temporarily switching the primary screen.

The puzzles in Ittle Dew are definitely the strongest gameplay element, as the combat system is severely lacking and can be rather frustrating at times. The sword strikes don't feel as fluid as they do in similar games and the hit-boxes also feel off, meaning that Ittle has to be facing the enemy and be right up in their face in order to attack it, often damaging the main character in the process.

Complaints aside, though, Ittle Dew is a charming experience with an art style reminiscent to The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and character designs that have a Costume Quest feel to them. Not only does it look beautiful, but it also has a fantastic soundtrack to go with it.