'…gorgeous orchestral arrangements that add tension, mystique and wonder to every corner of the beautiful subterranean world.' The Sixth Axis
Little Orpheus is a new game now out on the Apple Arcade subscription platform, featuring an original orchestral score jointly composed by Jessica Curry and Jim Fowler.
The stunning soundtrack album, recorded at AIR Studios, is also now available.
'Following a diminutive cosmonaut on an unexpected journey to the centre of the Earth, Little Orpheus is a madcap Soviet adventure story with the panache of a great Saturday-morning cartoon from the 80s. By swiping and tapping the screen, you guide little Ivan Ivanovich through a secret underground kingdom of lush jungles, forgotten cities and intimidating megafauna, listening as he colourfully recounts his mishaps to a sceptical, beefy military interrogator wondering where he’s been for the last three years. The art, music and narration are all top-notch, enlivening the voyage with humour, beauty and the odd moment of wonder. It’s been a while since I had such a positive time staring at my phone…
The art is top-notch, with vibrant colours that recall old sci-fi adventure novels; and a jaunty, orchestral score adds cinematic verve to Ivanovich’s antics…
The final episodes are more demanding and, therefore, more frustrating, but have courage, comrade – this is a journey that’s worth seeing through.'
The Guardian (Keza MacDonald), 18 June 2020
'Think Jules Verne’s Journey to the Center of the Earth meets the Universal Pictures classic A Land Before Time, all with a sprinkling of Soviet Russia…
This is a journey that has to be seen to be believed, and probably one of the grandest adventures you can experience on a mobile phone…
Jessica Curry – the BAFTA winning composer – is joined by Jim Fowler to compose another stellar soundtrack in Little Orpheus, crafting gorgeous orchestral arrangements that add tension, mystique and wonder to every corner of the beautiful subterranean world. Alongside the remarkable visuals, the soundtrack just further established Little Orpheus as a new high water mark for mobile games.'
TheSixthAxis.com (Thomas Hughes), 12 June 2020
'… a rip-roaring 60s adventure through a smorgasbord of bright, beguiling places…it's a captivating yarn, and a glorious adventure to boot… The astounding visual performance is only enhanced further by a striking, perfectly balanced score that had me sitting through the repetitive credit sequences just so I could bask in the cheery wholesomeness of Little Orpheus' main theme.
… it's a must for anyone looking for a portable yet substantive adventure packed with colour, charm, and delightful dollops of humour.'
Eurogamer.net (Vikki Blake), 16 June 2020'Little Orpheus combines a ‘70s adventure-serial aesthetic with cartoon sensibilities to create a game that wouldn’t feel out of place playing on a tube television on Saturday morning several decades past…
I’m particularly fond of the musical cues. There’s this sequence where Ivan must tiptoe from cover to cover, avoid the gaze of a hungry T-Rex. His movement is accompanied by plucked violin strings, the official music of cartoon sneaking. The way the music swells when Ivan grabs a vine and swings reminds me of the scene in Star Wars where Luke rescues his girlfriend sister. The music is very much a character in Little Orpheus.
Little Orpheus is definitely one of the games that makes my monthly Apple Arcade subscription worth it.'
Kotaku.com (Mike Fahey), June 2020
'Little Orpheus is a visual and auditory feast of the like that Apple Arcade – and even the App Store at large – has rarely seen. Its artistry is apparent from the first. Equally essential is Jim Fowler and Jessica Curry’s score, which complements the gameplay with well-timed cues, such as plucks of a violin as Ivan dons an egg shell to sneak past a tyrannosaurus rex(dinosaurs are alive and well deep underground, as it turns out). This isn’t a game that works just as well with the sound off.'
IGN.com (Leif Johnson) 17 June 2020