LiEat Mini Review (Switch)

If there is something that I have come to really enjoy in my time with the Switch, it is those smaller releases that tend to fall under the radar. Games that are good in their own right, but don’t get much attention due to not having a big name attached to them, a bad first impression, or just not hitting those viral buttons. LiEat is one of those games.

Originally a freeware RPG created by Miwashiba using the WOLF RPG Editor, LiEat (a mixing of the two words, lie and eat) is an RPG about a young dragon who has a mysterious ability that allows her to eat lies. She is constantly traveling with her human companion, whom she calls papa, as he was the one she first saw when she hatched from her egg. Together, the two go on missions to collect information and inevitably end up falling in the middle of dangerous situations.

LiEat is a collection of three games, each lasting about an hour each. The premise of each is fairly simple, although points from one game come up in another, with the third game answering any lingering questions. The game doesn’t overstay its welcome and honestly, probably departs too soon. They’re short and sweet, and before you know it, the adventure is over and the credits are rolling.

The gameplay is part RPG, part puzzle solving, with you controlling Efi, the lie-eating dragon, and her human companion. You move around the set location of each game, interacting with items in the overworld. Sometimes, you’ll be able to find consumables, equipment, or story-related items. You can also interact with NPCs in the world, gaining more information about the location as you explore. And finally, you’ll come across opponents to battle.

Your main opponents in all three games are the manifestations of lies that characters will tell throughout the story. Whether it’s small or big, a monster will manifest for you to battle. During battle, you can attack, use a skill using SP, use an item, or do nothing. As you level up, you will unlock more skills that you can use. Battles are fairly simple and given the large amount of healing items and the low amount of damage that enemies do to you, you’ll really have to try to lose in battles.

Aesthetically speaking, LiEat is very storybook-like, and it does have its own charm that indie titles normally come with. A majority of the game is pixel art, with a few 2D art pieces appearing during key points of the story. The art is definitely unique and sets it apart from other games currently available on the Switch. LiEat keeps its original resolution and as a result, does not fill the entirety of the screen. To offset that, there are added borders that change depending on the location of the character(s) you are controlling.

+

• Bite-size story that wraps up nicely.
• Cute art style.

–

• Combat is painfully easy.
• May need to consult a guide for the third game to get normal and good endings.
• Some locations are not as obvious to find.

LiEat is truly a fun, albeit short, experience. It was a nice change of pace from the bigger games I’m currently playing through and I quickly found myself getting invested with Efi and her childlike innocence. And the general theme of LiEat, where your lies do have an effect on you and those around you, is a cool premise to experience. If you have the chance to check out this game, please do so because it’s a treat.