Little Orpheus

Little Orpheus is a side-scrolling action game. It is set against an alternate-history Cold War backdrop and follows Soviet cosmonaut Ivan Ivanovich, who is sent in 1962 to explore the Earth's core inside an exploration capsule called the Little Orpheus. After disappearing for three years, Ivan re-emerges claiming to have saved the world, but without the atomic bomb that powered his mission, prompting an interrogation framed as a retrospective narration of his journey.

The narrative is presented as a story-within-a-story, with Ivan recounting his adventures to General Yurkovoi during a debriefing in a secret underground bunker. His account takes players through a series of fantastical subterranean environments, including lost civilizations, prehistoric jungles, undersea kingdoms, and other imaginative locations. The tone blends pulp science fiction, satire, and adventure serial influences, drawing inspiration from mid-20th-century films such as Flash Gordon and Sinbad, while also incorporating humor rooted in Ivan's unreliable narration.

Gameplay focuses on side-scrolling movement, light platforming, environmental interaction, and occasional timing-based challenges. Players guide Ivan through largely linear levels that emphasize visual spectacle and narrative pacing over mechanical complexity. Puzzles are minimal and generally straightforward. The game is structured into episodic chapters.