Online, Nov 2021
Some games defy easy categorisation, and Little Sodaburg is one of them. I’ll give it a go, though: you could describe it as ‘an online digital game with a live host’, as ‘a comedy adventure full of team-based tasks’, ‘an unexpected gem’, or just ‘madder than a box of frogs’.
Your team starts off being welcomed to their virtual tour of the pleasant little town of Little Sodaburg, sponsored by Wahoo Fizz soda… and things escalate from there, in some entirely unexpected directions. The plot sets up a series of chapters, each with a different setting and task, usually linking out to one or more additional webpages. The central part of this appears to be an entirely custom platform of the company’s own design, with integrated video call and chat, which was impressively slick; and each section had its own style, often interactive and/or requiring cooperation between players.
One section was a particular highlight for us, because of the way it gave full rein to us to be playful with the game, and rewarded us for off the wall solutions. But Little Sodaburg showed a great deal of energy and creativity throughout, matched by the zany visuals and story.
This is a game that manages to be genuinely amusing, but even more importantly I felt it put the players front and centre, giving a sense that we were driving the experience not just being carried along with it. We were playing late at night on low energy, but it only took a few minutes to get caught up in the irresistible flow of the game. Little Sodaburg really showcases what can be done with the freedom of the live audio format; it’s hugely original and I had a ball playing it. 