Li'l Red

Li'l Red is a charming 2D platformer built around the spirit of classic handheld gaming, combining intentionally limited LCD-style visuals with a surprisingly flexible movement system. Developed and published by Velveteen, it follows Lyra on a journey through Florian after she discovers the Radiant Lily, a mythical herb capable of curing any ailment. Her objective is to carry it to the kingdom of Clerica, providing a simple fairy-tale framework for an adventure that places mechanical platforming above elaborate storytelling. The campaign spans five distinct areas filled with enemies, environmental challenges, and boss encounters. Although that sounds modest compared with larger platformers, the game is designed around replaying stages and becoming increasingly proficient with Lyra's abilities. Basic movement is straightforward, but running lets her build additional speed and cross wider gaps. The spin jump goes higher than a normal leap, inflicts light damage, and protects Lyra from ordinary enemy contact while she is spinning. This makes enemies part of the traversal equation rather than objects that always need to be avoided. Diving expands the movement system considerably. Lyra can rapidly descend through the air while ignoring enemy contact damage, and landing on a slope sends her sliding forward. The more advanced dive jump combines this slide with a spin jump to launch her across much greater distances at high speed. Momentum can even be preserved with another well-timed jump after landing. These mechanics give skilled players opportunities to discover faster routes and move through stages with a fluidity that is not immediately apparent from the game's simple presentation. Combat follows a similarly economical design. Lyra fights primarily with her harp and can charge a Power Cut after attacking, producing a stronger strike with greater range. Being hit cancels the charge, so positioning and timing matter when attempting to use it effectively. The combat is deliberately uncomplicated, but it fits the platforming well because mobility remains an important defensive tool. Rather than stopping constantly for lengthy battles, Lyra can weave around opponents, attack when an opening appears, and continue moving. Her companions Lepus, Felis, and Columba add ranged options through the Call mechanic. These familiar attacks consume Muse Points, making them useful against enemies that are difficult to approach directly without becoming an unlimited solution to every encounter. Physical attacks replenish MP, establishing a sensible relationship between close-range combat and familiar abilities. Players are encouraged to engage enemies personally in order to restore the resource required for safer ranged attacks, producing a small but effective combat rhythm. Bosses naturally provide more demanding opportunities to combine movement and offensive abilities. Since Lyra can run, spin, dive, preserve momentum, charge attacks, and summon companions, encounters have more mechanical possibilities than the minimalist appearance might initially suggest. The game remains approachable because none of these individual actions is excessively complicated, yet mastering how they interact requires practice. This balance makes the experience suitable for casual platforming while leaving room for players interested in technical execution. The ranking and time-based elements are particularly important to its longevity. Achieving S ranks and reducing completion times encourage players to return to familiar stages after learning more advanced movement techniques. A level that initially feels like a conventional sequence of jumps can eventually become a playground for maintaining speed and linking dives, slopes, and jumps together. The relatively compact amount of content therefore works better for players who enjoy improving their performance than for those who expect a huge number of levels that are played only once. Its presentation establishes an identity separate from the enormous number of indie games using conventional pixel art. The graphics deliberately evoke LCD handheld screens associated with older portable games. Fifteen selectable color palettes allow the visual mood to shift significantly, ranging from warmer sunset-like appearances to darker nighttime combinations. This feature also complements repeated stage attempts because players can refresh the visual presentation while pursuing better ranks and faster times. The 8-bit-inspired soundtrack reinforces that retro atmosphere without fighting against the intentionally restrained graphics. The entire presentation feels designed around a specific nostalgic concept rather than simply using pixel graphics because they are inexpensive or fashionable. Players who appreciate unusual retro aesthetics should find plenty of personality here, although anyone who prefers highly detailed sprite work may find the deliberately restricted LCD look less immediately attractive. One potential weakness is the limited scale. Five areas make this a focused platforming adventure rather than a sprawling journey, and players primarily interested in discovering a constant stream of new locations may finish feeling that there could have been more. Much of the value depends on whether improving ranks, refining routes, collecting achievements, and reducing completion times sounds appealing. Those who enjoy mastery-based platformers are more likely to appreciate this structure because learning to exploit the movement system becomes part of the content itself. Steam Deck compatibility is less straightforward because the Steam store page does not currently present an official Valve Steam Deck compatibility rating for the game. Its straightforward 2D design and relatively simple controls make handheld play conceptually well suited to the experience, but the absence of an official Verified or Playable designation means compatibility should not be treated as guaranteed. Players primarily purchasing it for Steam Deck should therefore expect that manual control adjustments or other minor accommodations could potentially be necessary. Overall, this is a small but mechanically thoughtful platformer whose greatest strength lies beneath its intentionally simple appearance. Running, spin jumping, diving, slope acceleration, momentum conservation, charged harp attacks, and familiar summons create considerably more depth than the retro LCD presentation initially implies. Its limited number of areas prevents it from feeling particularly expansive, but rankings and speed-focused replayability provide a strong reason to master each stage. For players who appreciate old-school platforming, unusual handheld-inspired visuals, compact adventures, and movement systems that reward repeated practice, Velveteen's creation offers an enjoyable and distinctive experience. Rating: 7/10