Lil Gator Game: In the Dark review for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch

While I wouldn’t necessarily say that Lil Gator Game: In the Dark was my most anticipated game of the year, I’d definitely say it was up there. After all, Lil Gator Game was probably my favourite game of 2022, so the news that we’d be getting more of it – even in the form of DLC, rather than a full, standalone game – had me eager to play it as soon as I could.

Given that I had such high expectations, I have to admit that In The Dark is a little bit of a letdown. It’s not a bad game by any stretch of the imagination, but I can’t say that it nails its execution quite the same way that Lil Gator Game did.

It’s not that In the Dark is lacking content. In fact, it’s pretty similar to the base game in a lot of ways. Like Lil Gator Game, In The Dark asks you to reunite a group of friends, and you’ll be able to beat it in about 2-3 hours. You’ve got the usual mix of silly quests and fun dialogue, and it mostly captures the same spirit as the original.

The biggest difference – and the reason the game doesn’t quite live up to my expectations – is In The Dark’s setting. Lil Gator Game was set on a big, vibrant island with a few distinctive areas where you could run around and explore to your heart’s content. By contrast, In The Dark takes place entirely underground. While there are different zones, they don’t stand out from each other quite the same way. What’s more, since you don’t have a map and there aren’t as many obvious landmarks, it’s a lot easier to get lost underground than it was in Lil Gator Game.

But even if I didn’t adore In The Dark quite as much as I did Lil Gator Game, I still enjoyed my time with it. In The Dark takes place moments after the end of Lil Gator Game, and it finds you meeting an entirely new group of friends who’d been hiding away in a cave on the island where the first game took place. There’s certainly some similarities between the two friend groups, but In The Dark finds a way to give you mostly all new tasks, whether it’s sneaking around and taking out a bunch of cardboard ninjas, or acting in a short film and deciding how much you want to follow the director’s instructions.

The key similarity, though – and the reason why, even if I’m disappointed in Lil Gator Game: In the Dark, I can’t say I don’t love it – is that, like Lil Gator Game, In The Dark is a cute look at kids (well, animal kids) making up ridiculous stories and having fun with them. There’s a sense of wonder and silliness that not many other games share, and it’s enough to suck you in and keep you entertained right up to the end of the closing credits.

Playtonic Friends provided us with a Lil Gator Game: In the Dark PC code for review purposes.