Little Inferno

An incredibly charming game that took the idea of a "cozy game" and interpreted it a bit too literally. The game is entirely built around burning random household objects (and not so normal household objects) in a fireplace, and can be surprisingly hypnotizing for a few hours whenever you come back to it. I highly recommend it, but the one thing I do find rather annoying is that there is a bit of awkward pacing issues since it takes time for items to arrive in your inventory, and speeding this up uses up a relatively-common currency that can be eaten away at super quickly. Still, the game is very fun and always a joy to come back to from time to time.

Such a blast from the past! I remember playing this game all the way back 10 years ago not long after release, and replaying it was just as great of a time.

The only shame is that some of the achievements are locked behind paid DLC. As someone who loves to get all of the achievements, that was a bit of a bummer.

On the surface, Little Inferno seems almost absurdly simple: a game about burning things in a fireplace. But look deeper, and you’ll find a haunting meditation on consumerism, loneliness, and the ways we seek meaning in a world that often feels cold and indifferent. Beneath the playful exterior lies a work of quiet brilliance—a game that doesn’t just ask you to light a fire but to question why we’re drawn to the flame in the first place.

In Little Inferno, you’re given a fireplace, a catalog, and a task: burn things. Toys, photographs, food, memories—it all goes up in flames, rewarding you with coins to purchase more items to burn. On paper, it’s a game loop that seems shallow, but in execution, it becomes an almost hypnotic ritual. You’re not just burning objects; you’re burning ideas, dreams, and fragments of a world you’ll never fully see.

The setting is a dystopia hidden in plain sight. The world outside your fireplace is cold, gray, and uninhabitable. All you have for warmth and companionship is the flame and the occasional letters from a mysterious neighbor, Sugar Plumps, whose gleeful yet tragic musings add a layer of humanity to this bleak existence. Through her, and through the bizarre catalog of burnable items, you begin to realize that this isn’t just a game about burning things—it’s a game about what we choose to keep, what we let go of, and what’s left when the fire dies.

Fire has always been a symbol of transformation, both destructive and purifying. In Little Inferno, every object you burn serves as a reminder of life’s impermanence. A family portrait crumbles to ash. A stuffed animal erupts in flames. Even objects that seem nonsensical—a jar of fireflies, a miniature cityscape, a singing fish—carry a weight when you watch them vanish.

But the game doesn’t let you simply observe. It makes you complicit. You burn for warmth, for coins, for progress. You burn because there’s nothing else to do. And in doing so, you confront the futility of it all. Each new catalog item promises novelty, but the thrill fades quickly, leaving you searching for the next thing to ignite. It’s a cycle that mirrors consumerism’s empty promises: buy, use, discard, repeat. What are we really chasing? What do we hope to find at the bottom of the ash?

As you burn through your catalogs, letters from Sugar Plumps arrive with increasing frequency. At first, her messages seem lighthearted, almost nonsensical. But as the game progresses, her tone shifts. She begins to question the world outside, her own choices, and even the act of burning itself. Through her, the game gently explores themes of loneliness and connection. In a world where human contact is fleeting and indirect, Sugar Plumps becomes a lifeline—a reminder that even in isolation, we crave understanding.

There’s a quiet tragedy in Sugar Plumps’ journey, one that mirrors your own. Like you, she’s trying to find warmth in a world that offers little solace. But unlike you, she dares to imagine something beyond the fireplace. Her letters challenge you to look past the flame and consider what lies outside the constraints of this small, burning box.

Little Inferno isn’t just a game—it’s a mirror. It forces you to confront the ways we fill our lives with distractions, consuming endlessly to avoid the uncomfortable truths we’d rather not face. The fireplace is a microcosm of modern existence: an endless stream of things to occupy our attention, none of which truly satisfy. And yet, we keep burning.

But the game doesn’t judge you for this. It understands that the fire is comforting, that sometimes we need the distraction, the warmth, the light. What it asks, however, is whether we’re willing to look beyond the fire when the time comes. Will we continue to burn, or will we step outside and face the cold?

Without spoiling too much, the conclusion of Little Inferno takes a sharp turn, pulling you out of the fireplace and into the world beyond. It’s a jarring but profoundly necessary moment. For hours, you’ve been confined to the small, cozy space of the flame, lulled into a sense of security by its warmth. The ending asks you to leave that comfort behind and confront the unknown.

This final act is a beautiful metaphor for growth. It’s easy to stay by the fire, to cling to what’s familiar and safe. But true meaning lies in stepping out into the unknown, embracing the uncertainty and coldness of the world in search of something greater. The game’s ending is both hopeful and melancholic—a reminder that growth often requires leaving behind what we once thought we couldn’t live without.

The art style of Little Inferno is deceptively childlike, with its bright colors and whimsical designs. But there’s an underlying sadness to its aesthetic, a sense that this is a world frozen in time, caught between decay and nostalgia. The crackling of the fire, the cheerful jingles of the catalogs, and the hauntingly beautiful soundtrack all work together to create an atmosphere that’s both cozy and unsettling.

Little Inferno is a game that lingers. Long after the flames have died and the screen has faded to black, its questions remain: What are we burning for? What do we hope to find in the ashes? And most importantly, are we ready to step away from the fire and face the cold, uncertain world beyond?

This is not a game for everyone. Its slow pace, minimalist mechanics, and abstract storytelling may frustrate players looking for traditional gameplay. But for those willing to engage with its deeper themes, Little Inferno offers an experience that is as thought-provoking as it is unique.

In the end, Little Inferno isn’t just about burning things—it’s about burning away illusions, fears, and the boundaries we place around ourselves. It’s about finding meaning in a world that often feels meaningless. And most of all, it’s about the courage to leave the fire behind and step into the unknown.

Final Rating: 10/10
A philosophical journey disguised as a playful, absurd little game.

During the darkest moments of my life I have a lot of thoughts running through my head, and for some reason I always think about Little Inferno let's play I saw many years ago. Playing this game myself finaly puts my mind on ease. I dont need to wonder why something I do not remember that well is so spesial to me. This is short, kinda crepy relaxing game with a great storytelling that makes me feel hopeful with just one letter

...and then I left.
Just like you.
There's a whole world out there...
You can go as far as you want!
But you can never go back.

Fairly easy game if you get the gist of combo items.

Easily 100% completed in around 7-8 ish hours (including DLC second playtrough just to see the alternate ending).

What else can I say, it's a gem for anyone who likes to play with fire and is looking for a indie casual game.

Story overall is straightforward but also complex, there is underlying plot in the world and personally, I loved it.

9.5/10 - Could be longer, hope we get more instalments in the same world.

I have played this game multiple times on other devices. It sure is fun.

Been replaying this game since around 2012 thanks to the Yogscast this was one of the first games I bought on steam still love it to this day 200/10 game

I've played through this about 7 times over the years but this is the first time I've 100% completed the main game and the dlc. Honestly it was incredible.

After all these years it is still a super cozy game (sometimes a little creepy). Perfect game to play during christmas or cold weather of the year.

Its a great game filled with love, its the type of game that everyone should play at least once, its that great!

This was actually my second playthrough of the game, i pirated this game like 10 years ago because i literally didnt know where to get it otherwise, and back then it already got me emotional, buying it now and playing it again and yep, still just as emotional as back then.

The gameplay is fun and relaxed, the story is great, the music is even better.

Buy it!

I played this as a kid and I ended up burning stuff in my room on the table with a box of matches, there are still black marks all over it and holes burned in my old blankets

10/10

-0.5 Because I had to redo the entire game twice because I burned the free hug token i was supposed to save until the end of the game! XD

Who doesn't love to pointlessly burn things? Alright, maybe normal people, but being normal is overrated. Burn it all down.

A Christmas tradition at this point, I played this game every Christmas even before the Christmas update they added last year. Can't wait for the remaster that's coming soon! Would wholely recommend this combotastic game!

The perfect game for the Christmas season. A festive game where you get coins for burning things in creative combinations. Not all of them though, the Generations Combo was rather vague, no shame in looking up the answer for that one. And it has this underlying story that brims more and more as you go on. So this Christmas, sit back, grab a pint of egg nog, and watch chestnuts, banks, cursed idols, incriminating documents, and pooping casts roast on an open fire. (by the way, you can actually burn jpgs and pngs in your pictures folder in game. Now you can finally burn that picture of your ex-girlfriend Charlene who left you for Joaquin with the puka-shell necklace and get the closure you desire).

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Elmo Fire Approves

it's minimalist game design may make gameplay repetitive but the catalogue of items to burn keeps you curious and entertained. and despite its stationary setting, it manages to build an intriguing and melancholic world beyond. darkly, satirical, with a touch of surreal.

Little inferno is a short relaxing game about burning various items. The premise of the game is to buy various objects, burn them, and gain more money then when you started. This is not a difficult, competitive or complex game.
There is a story but that is a small part of this game. The majority of your time will be spent browsing the catalogue and burning items. So if you come expecting a deep or complex gameplay or story, this isn't it. It took 5 hours to get every achievement apart from the dlc ones. Finding the combos of which items to burn was quite fun. If you go into this knowing what you're gonna get, it's worth it.
In conclusion, buy the game, preferably on sale.

I LOVE BURNING STUFF!!!
Its very calm and fun. For me its nostalgic, Just awesome

This game was cute and fun and short, in theory. It is pretty silly and funny and id recommend it to anyone willing to enjoy a cheap silly game. Achievements were easy but tedious and I spent about 7 hours more than I needed too if I looked up the achievements first. Overall 7/10

This game is really fun, and a great time to play it is around the holidays! Time to burn more stuff, ho ho ho!

If you love the story of this game, first play Classic, then play the Holiday DLC, the story remains the same but character dialogue is different and there's references to the Classic playthrough within the Holiday DLC. Awesome game, fantastic story and art, humour is top-notch.

Stay Warm!

The agony I felt after I accidentally burned the free hugs coupon while on the second-to-last catalog, causing me to have to do another full play-through of the game for the achievement, made me want to smash my computer with a hammer.

I absolutely love this game. It's fun to watch things burn with no chance of harm, and the puzzles keep you engaged for a few hours. The story is really interesting and I love how it's stylized. The only downside is you have to play both the original game and the DLC separate to get all achievements, so you have to play the game at least twice. Other than that, I absolutely love it.

a good game thats short and sweet grate for killing a few hours.

awesome sauce, very nostalgic

Fun game to 100%

---{ Graphics }---
☐ You forget what reality is
☐ Beautiful
☑ Good
☐ Decent
☐ Bad
☐ Don‘t look too long at it
☐ MS-DOS

---{ Gameplay }---
☐ Very good
☑ Good
☐ It's just gameplay
☐ Mehh
☐ Watch paint dry instead
☐ Just don't

---{ Audio }---
☑ Eargasm
☐ Very good
☐ Good
☐ Not too bad
☐ Bad
☐ I'm now deaf

---{ Audience }---
☐ Kids
☑ Teens
☑ Adults
☐ Grandma

---{ PC Requirements }---
☑ Check if you can run paint
☐ Potato
☐ Decent
☐ Fast
☐ Rich boi
☐ Ask NASA if they have a spare computer

---{ Game Size }---
☑ Floppy Disk
☐ Old Fashioned
☐ Workable
☐ Big
☐ Will eat 10% of your 1TB hard drive
☐ You will want an entire hard drive to hold it
☐ You will need to invest in a black hole to hold all the data

---{ Difficulty }---
☐ Just press 'W'
☑ Easy
☐ Easy to learn / Hard to master
☐ Significant brain usage
☐ Difficult
☐ Dark Souls

---{ Grind }---
☐ Nothing to grind
☐ Only if u care about leaderboards/ranks
☐ Isn't necessary to progress
☑ Average grind level
☐ Too much grind
☐ You'll need a second life for grinding

---{ Story }---
☐ No Story
☐ Some lore
☐ Average
☐ Good
☑ Lovely
☐ It'll replace your life

---{ Game Time }---
☐ Long enough for a cup of coffee
☐ Short
☑ Average
☐ Long
☐ To infinity and beyond

---{ Price }---
☐ It's free!
☑ Worth the price
☐ If it's on sale
☐ If u have some spare money left
☐ Not recommended
☐ You could also just burn your money

---{ Bugs }---
☑ Never heard of
☐ Minor bugs
☐ Can get annoying
☐ ARK: Survival Evolved
☐ The game itself is a big terrarium for bugs

---{ ? / 10 }---
☐ 1
☐ 2
☐ 3
☐ 4
☐ 5
☐ 6
☐ 7
☐ 8
☑ 9
☐ 10

I've been playing Little Inferno every single winter for the last 5 years or so, but this year, for the first time, I finally decided to take a crack at the "Ho Ho Holidays" DLC. I also took the time this year to finish getting every achievement, including keeping Ms. Nancy's hug coupon in your inventory until the very end of the game. This is one of the quintessential cozy games for me and has always been one of those games I can go back to when I feel a need to relax. If you are somebody who likes short, fun, relaxing games with a sense of humor, you will love Little Inferno, as well as everything else the people at Tomorrow Corp. have to offer.

I absolutely love this game. It's fun to watch things burn with no chance of harm, and the puzzles keep you engaged for a few hours. The story is really interesting and I love how it's stylized. The only downside is you have to play both the original game and the DLC separate to get all achievements, so you have to play the game at least twice. Other than that, I absolutely love it.

A little over a decade ago, when I was fresh into high school, this was one of the first games I ever attempted to pirate. I don't even know how I did it, and I got a really bad virus (and then ruined the computer with dr pepper anyways). But I played it, and it was fun. I figured now that I'm in my mid twenties, with my own money, I should show a little support and indulge a little nostalgia. And MANNNN am I glad I did. I love this game so much (and got to play the DLC!) and would definitely recommend it to anyone who wants a relaxed but still emotional experience. <3

A cute little game, where you just burn stuff up, combine what you burn to gain a "combo" and progress by literally just buying and burning stuff. Super relaxing and calming, but the DLC was super buggy for me and crashed approximately 10 times during my almost 4 hour gaming session.

This game is a solid 8/10 despite the constant crashing of the DLC.

Jogo muito divertido, porem as vezes pode ser meio chato e massante já que você fica preso em descobrir um novo combo.

I went in expecting just a fun little time-waster, but the story turned out to be much deeper than I thought, especially towards the end (which I’m not going to spoil, just experience it yourself). The soundtrack doesn’t have many tracks and mostly revolves around one leitmotif, but honestly, it’s more than enough in my opinion. It’s really atmospheric and fits the game’s vibe perfectly, which is impressive for an indie title about burning random stuff.

The gameplay itself is almost as simple as it can get, which could get repetitive at times, but I think the game’s length is just right to avoid getting boring and stay fun. Overall, it’s a unique and memorable experience.

Definitely recommended.

pretty good game

Absolutely amazing little game

Allows you to commit arson without legal repercussions. 10/10

love the goofy lil combos

Burned down my house using the fire place. Then I went to a neighbor's house and played Little Inferno

I just learned I exist

1-awful 2-bad 3-ok 4-good 5-amazing

Game play: 4
Story:4
Character design:4
Music:4
Achievements:4
Visuals:4
I love this game because I like everything in it. I also have some nostalgic to it because I used to watch a youtuber called MattShea play this game loads, so I really wanted to play it. :)

I like burning things :)

I love this game so much :]

игра хорошая но жаль нету предмета плюшевый еврей

I made my steam account to buy this game

before i bought this game i found it buried deep on a school computer and brought it home on a flash drive

this game is amazing for me because i love destroying things. play it please please yes yes

I've played this game on and off since it came out. There's not too much to it but it stays relaxing and fun throughout the whole playthrough.

If you give Sugar Plumps a cookie, she's going to ask for a glass of milk.

Nice

Weird, wonderful, and oddly addictive. Burning things has never been so fun and oddly emotional. Little Inferno is a cozy masterpiece!