This War of Mine: The Little Ones

 PlayStation 4
User Score
7.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 182 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 119 out of 182
  2. Mixed: 43 out of 182
  3. Negative: 20 out of 182

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  1. EdgyWalrusaur
    Feb 1, 2016
    9
    After having played This War of Mine for two full playthroughs, I feel it is possibly the deepest game currently available to players on the Xbox One and PS4. The game conveys desperation and a struggle to carry on when everything around you is bleak and hopeless (as in game characters will often say aloud). But despite the dark outlook, the game itself is a shining star of a game and isAfter having played This War of Mine for two full playthroughs, I feel it is possibly the deepest game currently available to players on the Xbox One and PS4. The game conveys desperation and a struggle to carry on when everything around you is bleak and hopeless (as in game characters will often say aloud). But despite the dark outlook, the game itself is a shining star of a game and is refreshing with all of the redundant shooters currently on the console(s).… Expand
  2. SMNT999
    Feb 3, 2016
    10
    A very disturbing but great game. But beware, it is not easy. Once you play it you can not stop it until the end of the game. I rate it with full score.
  3. porhawj
    Jan 29, 2016
    10
    this game is great and fun to play. i am enjoying it very much. it is little difficulty to stop bandits from trying steal our things in our shelter house
  4. Kajan
    Feb 25, 2022
    10
    Kupiłem po to aby wesprzeć Ukrainę i utrzeć nosa ruskim kacapom, trollom internetowym Putina.
  5. Ecresis
    Jan 16, 2017
    8
    Most of the bad reviews concerning this game come from the PC players that find the controls a bit hard to handle, which is true. It's not always easy to pick the action you want and you may find yourself in difficulty because your character can't seem to climb a ladder to save his life, or eating the wrong stuff because the way it has been thought for console is not ideal.

    If you    Most of the bad reviews concerning this game come from the PC players that find the controls a bit hard to handle, which is true. It's not always easy to pick the action you want and you may find yourself in difficulty because your character can't seem to climb a ladder to save his life, or eating the wrong stuff because the way it has been thought for console is not ideal.

    If you haven't tried the PC version though, you'll get used to it after 1 hour. I suggest a first playthrough to get used to the mechanics of the game, play until you get to combat to test how it works, and then start a real game.

    Despite some gameplay issues, this game is very well thought. The atmosphere is heavy and dark all the way, things get worse and worse if you start to lose control of the situation, you're never safe, every character can get sick, injured, sad, depressed, you have to manage all of this while surviving with enough food, warmth, but also books and radio and stuff that will make your people bear with the war going on.

    If most of the games like this (collect, craft, survive) implies going outside to gather stuff, this game adds a mechanic of guilt when you steal or kill, which with a nice music in the background makes a great gaming experience. Every character has a biography, a diary, read it, connect with your people and you'll have a great time.

    The game is hard but is supposed to be so, you'll soon want to start over and organize yourself better at each gameplay.

    When you start playing with child characters things get even better, you need to give them special attention, teach them how to cook, build etc.

    Nice discovery !    … Expand
  6. seriimac
    Feb 18, 2017
    8
    game is awesome, but..
    after you finish one-two campaign, you remain nothing else to do. Platinum? Need some time, but easy too,
    good it was on PS+, because it's a must try, but too quickly become exhausted
  7. HTGamer
    Feb 4, 2017
    8
    This War of Mine is a great indie survival game. You start with 3 or 4 characters and you have to survive for as long as possible or until the war in the city ends after 40 or so days.

    Gameplay is divided in 2 parts. During daytime you have to cook, eat, sleep, heal, craft equipment and prepare for the night, plus there are random special events such as trading items with a stranger    This War of Mine is a great indie survival game. You start with 3 or 4 characters and you have to survive for as long as possible or until the war in the city ends after 40 or so days.

    Gameplay is divided in 2 parts. During daytime you have to cook, eat, sleep, heal, craft equipment and prepare for the night, plus there are random special events such as trading items with a stranger (almost every other day) or be requested to help out others in exchange for rewards. While during the night you have to scavenge nearby locations for loot to bring back home in order to repeat the cycle. The in-game days are only a few minutes long, so don't worry about losing hours upon hours just to progress a bit.

    The game mechanics are really deep because your team members can get sick due to cold, be wounded by other scavengers attempting to raid your place violently, get tired due to lack of sleep, be affected psychologically due to stealing important items from other survivors who may die from your actions, or starve due to lack of food. There may even be characters in your squad who can't live without a cigarette or alcohol, which is a problem as they tend to get unhappy if not indulged. You have to take care of your squad as much as you can with what you have, or be cynical and let one or two of them die on purpose so as to have less characters to take care of and consume your limited inventory. In case a character dies, he may be replaced by another survivor who shows up randomly at your door asking to join you. Efficient item management is key to survival and there will be times where things get really tough and demand hard choices. The most difficult period of time is the winter, where your characters can easily get sick due to cold, so build more than one heater if possible. The game is easily replayable, where your next adventure will be different than the previous one.

    Graphics are minimalistic but expressive enough of the ugliness of war. Soundtrack is OK. Controls are somewhat off and I had some issues when controlling my characters in terms of where did I want them to go to, maybe because the game was originally designed as point-and-click for mouse and touchscreens before coming to consoles, but nothing troublesome.

    All in all, This War of Mine is a great game. Give it a chance.    … Expand
  8. sinful33
    Dec 8, 2016
    10
    this game is depressing.you want to turn off your PS4.
    BUT YOU SIMPLY CAN'T.
    this game is just awesome.
    I played the PC version before, so I decided to try the PS4 version too. "the little ones" is more depressing than the normal one, wich means "the little ones" is much better.
  9. Leo_Manzano
    Jan 26, 2017
    8
    This War Of Mine brings a proposal that he fulfills very well to end the Hollywood view of war brought by games like Call Of Duty and show a cooler and realistic reality.

    The game is basically about the priority in the war, to stay alive, this being a really difficult task having to worry about not starving or cold or being attacked while sleeping for other desperate survivors. In    This War Of Mine brings a proposal that he fulfills very well to end the Hollywood view of war brought by games like Call Of Duty and show a cooler and realistic reality.

    The game is basically about the priority in the war, to stay alive, this being a really difficult task having to worry about not starving or cold or being attacked while sleeping for other desperate survivors. In addition to all these challenges to keep your characters alive another care to be taken is when to the psychological of your characters the game demonstrates how difficult it is to remain positive during the trials of a war.

    But the game is not perfect being the most negative points in my opinion the lack of mechanics that with few games have already become repetitive and the problem with the controls of ps4 that makes it difficult to go where you want sometimes.

    Finally, despite its flaws This War Of Mine performs well its task of showing the reality of war with its beautiful graphics and shades of gray that along with the music help maintain the depressive tone of the game that will force you to play to make decisions Difficult to stay alive and the most important thing to charge your consequences are these good or bad actions. So if you enjoy a different game proposal or a good survival challenge this is definitely a great game to play.    … Expand
  10. AndersL
    Apr 12, 2017
    8
    Scratches and itch that no other game does. It is bleak and dreary. And it should be. It is a bit of a board-game in video-game format, in the most positive sense.
  11. scarguy
    Feb 26, 2022
    10
    Very good game. I adore. Nice action, scenario and graphic. I finished it 3 because it's perfect.
  12. Berik
    Aug 17, 2020
    8
    While the theme of This War of Mine is dark and sad, i find it very addicting to play with enthusiasm. The city has been enveloped by a conflict, and you play as an innocent civilian trapped in the middle. You will have to scavenge several locations to find food, medication and crafting parts to nourish, heal and build several production objects in your hideout.

    If you play This War of    While the theme of This War of Mine is dark and sad, i find it very addicting to play with enthusiasm. The city has been enveloped by a conflict, and you play as an innocent civilian trapped in the middle. You will have to scavenge several locations to find food, medication and crafting parts to nourish, heal and build several production objects in your hideout.

    If you play This War of Mine for the first time, your civilians probably die very quickly due to Inefficient use of all your resources. Food can be found, but is far more nourishing if you cook it properly, and by upgrading your weapon bench you get access to useful tools like crowbars, axes and shovels. A rat trap will provide meat, and a vegetable garden will produce vegetables and herbs. It takes a long time to fully master the most efficient strategies, but once you do the game becomes hilarious.

    If done well, your hideout turns into a professional Distiller/Hospital/Tobacco/Armory/Restaurant. Provided you can keep a flow of tools and wood coming in, your hideout can become self reliant without much need to scavenge. At this point the game has become a micro-management base builder which i enjoyed a lot.

    Your civilians can scavenge for stuff peacefully, but also violently. However, the latter isn't really an option as your civilians are all pacifist millennials who (literally) hang themselves if you kill or hurt someone in self-defense. This gets pretty frustrating at times. Their should have been at least an option to have civilians that just don't give a **** There are plenty of weapons in the game, but using one is pretty much worse for your civilians then getting shot. Not much of a choice when the result is only negative.

    You have to take care of your people, but also your neighbours. Sometimes they will knock on your door for free food and medication, and you can choose to help them. If you do, it will please your civilians. If you don't, they will immediately think about slicing their own wrists. Which is a really great feature considering you usually don't have the requested item in stock....

    Oh, and if you want to use combat! It's random, so having a gun isn't a guarantee that you will win. Soldiers and bandits all have Jason Bourne marksman skills, and use x-ray vision to locate you. But all of this makes sense, because you probably shouldn't go out to fight armed people in a war zone. And there are kids in this game... soooo.

    In summary, addicting game with deep crafting and economy system that will brutally murder your people unless you play as a pacifist. It is an excellent game, i give it an 8/10.    … Expand
  13. Leontorres7
    Nov 15, 2018
    8
    This is really a great game, there is so much to love about it, must play for sure!
  14. Massive-Attack1
    May 19, 2019
    8
    Técnicamente es un juego muy simple, en blanco y negro, 2 D y la pantalla es un plano fijo, o mejor dicho, toda la secuencia la puedes ver en un solo plano en todo momento. Conceptualmente es maravilloso, interpretar en poco tiempo como debes afrontar cada día en un refugio durante la guerra. La gestión de recursos, la vida y salud propia y de los compañeros. Aunque el apartado audiovisualTécnicamente es un juego muy simple, en blanco y negro, 2 D y la pantalla es un plano fijo, o mejor dicho, toda la secuencia la puedes ver en un solo plano en todo momento. Conceptualmente es maravilloso, interpretar en poco tiempo como debes afrontar cada día en un refugio durante la guerra. La gestión de recursos, la vida y salud propia y de los compañeros. Aunque el apartado audiovisual es muy sencillo, resulta al mismo tiempo muy atractivo. La jugabilidad es altamente adictiva.… Expand
  15. deepblue2107
    Oct 4, 2019
    8
    sehr gutes spiel mit bleibendem Eindruck. wenn man auf eine art Strategie, survival und gute Story bzw. Erzählweise mag, ist das spiel sehr empfehlenswert.
  16. micszy
    Dec 14, 2019
    9
    A game that won't let you forget some of the moments that you may experience during the game. Perfectly shows the war from civilians perspective. Nice game mechanics with good random encounters, climatic music, interesting dialoga and graphics on a good level. A must have!
  17. AbdullahOT
    Dec 8, 2019
    10
    استمتعت فيها كثير وأتمنى الجزء القادعم يدعم اللغة العربية
  18. bocunopiko
    Jul 23, 2020
    8
    Неплохая игрушка, для перегонной консоли чтобы занять время, самое то. Каким-то чудом выбила платину
  19. JackAttack42
    Apr 17, 2022
    8
    Took me a while to gather the motivation to complete, but especially with the war in ukraine, this game showcases what its like to be a civilian in the midst of a messy war. Highly recommend it!

Awards & Rankings

96
#96 Best PS4 Game of 2016
84
#84 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2016
85
#85 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2016

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
78

Generally favorable reviews - based on 37 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 27 out of 37
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 37
  3. Negative: 1 out of 37
  1. IGN Denmark
    Apr 6, 2016
    100
    Deserves a place in school education as a work of art.
    Read full review
  2. Playstation Official Magazine Australia
    Mar 31, 2016
    70
    Controls could’ve been tighter, given the high-stakes nature of things. Otherwise, this randomising, very replayable experience is hard to put down. [April 2016, p78]
  3. Play UK
    Mar 25, 2016
    70
    Despite a few little things that we'd change, this is an interesting and, at times, thought-provoking experience that deserves to be exposed to a wider audience on PS4. [Issue#267, p.66]
See all critic reviews »