"I love you to the moon and back" isn't going to be enough for this adventure...
Love You To Bits is a mobile phone game released for iTunes, going at a price of $3.99 normally, not counting sales or being the "Free App Of The Week". Created by Alike Studio, it is a Point-and-Click Puzzle Game in a similar vein to a previous project they worked on for Rovio Entertainment, Tiny Thief, functioning as a Spiritual Successor. It was first released on January 14, 2016, as a test run, and officially launched on February 23, 2016, featuring a majority of the main story, aside from the final 5 levels. The first two of the three were released on July 13, 2016, and the final 3 were published on April 15, 2017. However, the game is stated to be intended for release on Android and PC devices during sometime in 2017, and was greenlighted for a release on Steam on April 14, 2016.
The plot of the game revolves around Kosmo, a young, clumsy but kind-hearted space explorer, and his robot girlfriend, Nova. After a run-in with a gang of enemy ships, Kosmo's ship is blown up, and all that is left of Nova is her head. The other parts of her aren't destroyed, just sent throughout the galaxy. Thus, Kosmo has to adventure to a variety of different worlds and levels, each one with their own unique theming, and collect Nova's bits. As a Point-and-Click adventure game, each level has a puzzle you need to solve using the items found in the level, and interacting with the environment in the correct way to work your way towards the path of getting Nova's bit for the level. There are also a total of 60 collectibles scattered throughout the game as well, with stages having either 2 or 3 collectibles (save for the first level, "A Cosmic Breakup"). Collecting these will unlock memories of Kosmo and Nova's life together before the game started. There is also Backstory played out throughout the game after every three levels in the form of a one-page comic.
A Spiritual Successor that takes place in the same universe, called: Bring You Home was released in January 31, 2018.
Love You To Bits contains examples of:
- All There in the Manual: Aside from Kosmo and Nova, the Character Cards also reveals the name of the Big Bad, Dr. Eros, alongside other minor characters.
- Back from the Dead: Kosmo returns from dying after falling off a high place in the level "A Lively Deadworld". Unsurprisingly, those who witnessed him dying are scared as they see him walking around again.
- Backstory:
- As told by one-page comics after every third level of the game, detailing How We Got Here, starting with how Nova was invented.
- There are 60 bonus items you can pick up, each one describing a brief scene revolving around how that item was a part of Kosmo and Nova's life.
- Big Bad: Dr. Eros, the dinosaur scientist who created Nova.
- Butt-Monkey: Kosmo is often at the end of Amusing Injuries.
- Developer's Room: The Underground Geeks on the 24th level.
- Disney Death:
- The Tourist in "Time Goes Ape" suffers this, after pulling a Face–Heel Turn on Kosmo and trying to make off with the treasure that included one of Nova's pieces. Kosmo tries to save him but fails. In the epilogue picture, it's revealed he has survived, but the Apes that he and Kosmo fought off aren't too happy about that...
- Dr. Eros suffers one in "The Last Piece", falling off a ledge after being pushed back too far by some other robots he created. He only survives by his lab coat getting caught on some pole as revealed by the epilogue picture.
- Evolving Title Screen: Complete the game and collect all of Nova's parts, and she will stand with Kosmo in the title screen.
- Expy:
- That alien in the black suit in "Poltergeist" sure looks like a familiar monster, just with a face...
- Kosmo looks suspiciously similar to a certain Maxwell...
- Face–Heel Turn: The dungeon dweller in "A Dungeon In Panels" and the tourist at the end of "Time Goes Ape" both betray Kosmo after they get what they want. Both times karma appropriately struck them after turning their back on Kosmo.
- Facial Dialogue: Aside from some grunts, picture speak boxes and one worded sentences in alien languages, most of the characters rely on actions and facial expressions for getting their conversations across.
- Fembot: Nova, of course. There are other robots like her that Dr. Eros created... that also ganged up on him till he fell to his death.
- Guide Dang It!: While the game is generally easy for the most part, some secret collectables can fall under Permanently Missable Content if you pass the Point of No Return for a level, along with some Moon Logic in a bit of the stages can rub some players the wrong way. Thankfully, the short length of the levels makes it so you can get back to the part you missed quickly.
- Heel–Face Turn: Nova was once invented to be a destructive robot to be used by Dr. Eros. He certainly made her destructive, and after blowing up his lab, she became a fugitive, meeting up with Kosmo by using him as a hostage against a policeman who tried to arrest her. After hanging out with Kosmo, she slowly mellowed out and became the lively and energetic robot she is today.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: Not even one minute after Dr. Eros created Nova did she rebel and destroy his laboratory. Happens again in "The Last Piece", where 5 more of Dr. Eros creations ignore their objective of capturing Kosmo and instead head for him, forcing him into a Disney Death via falling off ledge.
- How We Got Here: The comics slowly reveal how Kosmo and Nova are where they were in Level One. Dr. Eros tricks Kosmo into not only to give Nova back as he was her creator but also traveling to a set destination in space to do so. It was only when Dr. Eros launched a surprise attack on their ship did Kosmo figure out he was tricked and confessed to Nova, who responded by setting the ship to launch a wormhole at Dr. Eros gang. It was only due to Dr. Eros firing a shot from his ship before it gets sucked in does the game's plot kick off.
- Jump Scare:
- Throughout the "Poltergeist" level, after collecting the fuel for the gas, the Slenderman Expy begins approaching you, turning the lights on and off around him as you're forced to just watch. Thankfully he disappears just as he closes in on Kosmo.
- Happens on one tape that Kosmo and Nova saw during one of the game's memories scene. The scene then cuts to Kosmo cowering into a corner of the couch while Nova has a bowl of popcorn covering her face from Kosmo knocking it aside trying to hide.
- The Klutz: How Kosmo is described on his character card. His actions shown throughout the game definitely show. He even once teleported himself into a level upside-down.
Although, considering that the last level he finished upside-down... - Literally Shattered Lives: Nova spends her time as this throughout the game with you putting her back together gradually through the levels. She actually reactivates in the end after putting in her heart.
- Love at First Sight: At least on Kosmo's part at first, though Nova reciprocates the feeling eventually.
- Oh, Crap!:
- A face that Kosmo makes several times throughout the game.
- Upon hearing of his confession, Nova makes this face when she realizes that Dr. Eros is trying to reclaim her.
- Official Couple: Kosmo and Nova, obviously.
- Permanently Missable Content: Some of the mementoes can be obtained only in a rather specific time window, especially on the earlier levels. However, the levels are not very long and can be easily replayed.
- Point-and-Click: The basic instructions of the very first level highlight this control scheme.
- Puzzle Game: Each planet has a puzzle you need to solve, along with getting all of the extra collectables.
- Robosexual: Taken to downright adorable degrees with the main characters, up to eleven in the unlockable memory videos.
- Shout-Out: Several.
- In "A Slimy Future" Kosmo can pull out a skeleton with a red cap in the sewers.
- "Matter of Perspective" is a shout-out to the Monument Valley games.
- In "Hide and Peek", there's a jack-in-the-box that can be found inside the attic with the head of Dropsy.
- "A Dungeon in Panels" visually very much reminds of the Framed games.
- "Yb Seog Emit Sa" has many references to The Legend of Zelda, including a gem in a jar and iconic Link's weapons: sword, bow, and bomb.
- The underground part of "The Big Bang Room" is an homage to The Room (Mobile Game) series.
- "Time Goes Ape" features an uprising of seemingly intelligent apes taking over the world.
- "Arcade Escape" is filled to the brim with Video Game references, most notably the virtual segments. The first one is a homage to Super Mario Bros. with the monochromatic filter of the Game Boy. The second machine is an entire reference to Metroid to the point that you even use some of the series most famous items. Lastly, the final machine is a reference to The Legend of Zelda, Ocarina of Time in particular. Also, an inaccessible machine depicts a reference to Kirby.
- "Polterheist" has a strange emotionless creature that stalks Kosmo throughout the level. In the attic, bear with a black hat can be seen.
- "Assemble the Temple" has several signs depicting classic arcade games such as Pac-Man, Space Invaders and Pong. Not only that, the guy at the start happens to look like Indiana Jones
- The entirety of "An Adventure in Black and White" is homage to The Silent Age of Animation.
- "A Mall of Zombies" main premise is a reference to the first Dead Rising game.
- Stealth Pun: A close look at the first level, the spaceship where Kosmo and Nova are living on before the game's events kick off shows a sign in the background that reads "Kosmo X Nova". It's a literal ship! Explanation
- Stockholm Syndrome: Thankfully mild, but the first thing Kosmo does after being forced by Nova to drive away at gunpoint from the police is to look at her with hearts in his eyes.
- Tears of Joy: Kosmo cries these after finally reconstructing Nova and hugging her.
- "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue: The end of every level has a one picture conclusion stating what the inhabitants of that current level are doing. For example, "R.A.M. (Robots At Midnight)" has the 2 coffee pots that Kosmo hooked up out on a date, while the end of "A Sticky Situation" has the slime monster that Kosmo filled with water enjoying his new found water geyser head.
