Game Review: My Big Sister (Xbox One)

My name is Luzia…and this story isn’t about me, it’s about my sister. Do you still wish to hear it?

From Stranga and Ratalaika Games, the developers behind the wonderful ‘Just Ignore Them’ comes My Big Sister, once again published by GrabTheGames.

A top-down RPG-like adventure with horror moments, My Big Sister shares a lot in common with Just Ignore Them. Both visually and within a lot of the gameplay elements but has more than enough differences to make it stand out on its own.

The most obvious? The story.

Luzia is a 12-year old girl who is sarcastic and likes to tease her old sister, Sombria. The pair’s bond is tested when they are kidnapped by strangers and brought to the Red Witch. She puts a curse on Sombria so Luzia sets out to lift it and get the pair home.

Blending and balancing horror with comedic edges and genuinely touching moments, My Big Sister is a surprise. A surprise because of just how emotionally honest the game is, dealing with difficult subject matters like depression, suicide, grief, sexual abuse and more. If there is one reason to play My Big Sister, it is for its compelling narrative. Something that draws from fairy tales, Japanese folklore and more.

Although that’s far from the only positive.

Played from the top-down perspective with gorgeous retro graphics, the game takes place across multiple chapters. With about 3-5 hours of content depending on how much exploration the player chooses to do. For most of the game, you’ll control Luzia as you explore locations to find items and solve puzzles to progress. A wicked mix of clever and brain-taxing puzzles, it harks back to the classic point and click games of old.

They’re never frustrating even when at their most confusing. A lot of that comes down to the wonderful set of odd characters and locations that are visited and explored.

It might seem very linear, and it is so to speak, except for the multiple endings. However, My Big Sister rewards exploration and out of the box thinking as there are many secrets to uncover. The biggest being that this is a game well worth playing.