As the latest generation of 18-year-olds is about to find out, starting university is an experience fraught with minor as well as major problems. Oversleeping and missing lectures, forgetting where your study group is meeting, mislaying your books – a lot of your time is spent looking for things.
It is these small mysteries that concern Little Problems, a cute detective game, in which the protagonist, Mary, must use her sleuthing abilities to make it through each day as a new student . Created by Indonesian designer Melisa, who has chosen to go by her first name only, the idea comes from her love of detective stories, but also her wish to take violence out of the genre.
“I read detective comic books, novels and manga, and have been playing detective games since I was a kid. I like horror as well, so I originally thought it would be a great idea to develop a detective game with a horror aesthetic. But after a few weeks of consuming murder and horror stories 24/7, I began to feel depressed, like the world was such a dark place. I wanted to make a story about good people who grow up and make mistakes. This game is all about that nice fuzzy feeling you get from solving small life mysteries.”
Relatable … Little Problems. Photograph: Posh Cat Studio
In short, there is no criminal activity here. Sometimes, it is just about Mary trying to find a favourite earring, a friend in the crowd – or her mischievous cat. Each scene works like a hidden object puzzle game; you search a location for clues, which may be photos, notes or schedules, and then deduce what has happened. Who broke your favourite mug? You need to check what was in it, then use information about what your housemates like to drink and if they were around at the right time to find the culprit. Surely this is the most relatable crime ever investigated in a video game.
The wholesome, low-stakes feel is accentuated by an art style that draws inspiration from soft manga and anime such as Doraemon, Chibi Maruko-chan and Kobo-chan. As with similarly domestic titles such as Unpacking and A Little to the Left, there is a lot of subtle storytelling going on in the background around friendships and family, giving weight to the simple premise. Melisa started the project as a quick prototype for a Twitch game jam, but ended up spending two years on it, bringing two other staff onboard and setting up her studio, Posh Cat. It has been something of a passion project. “I would love to play more cosy detective games, so I made one,” she says. “Here’s to more cosy games in 2025 and beyond!”
Little Problems is released on PC on 9 September
