Game Review: Little Nightmares will channel your childhood fears

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by Chrisanna Lazaridou on 11 May 2017 · 2821 views

From the moment it was announced, Little Nightmares, captivated us with its amazing artwork, but also the similarities with other masterpieces such as, Limbo and Inside. But does it offer a new experience or is it a game that will only remind us of previous ones?

Plot

Little Nightmares’ plot is very unique and abstract. As the player, you will have no idea how you ended up in this world or how to get out. The Little Nightmares heroine is a young girl named Six who is trapped in a ghastly world surrounded by wretched, terrifying enemies with long hands and shattered features who will do anything in their capabilities to chase and catch her as soon as they sense her presence in the room. Your goal is to escape this hellish world and end this nonsensical situation you found yourself trapped in.

Gameplay

Moving on to the gameplay, Little Nightmares is a puzzle platformer, with some simple stealth mechanics, that will remind you of Limbo and Inside. The little girl has no weapons to fight, except a lighter, with which she can shed light at the dark spots of the environments around her. Basically, the game is based on solving simple puzzles, such as finding an item on a higher level or jumping on higher platforms to escape the enemies without them noticing you and more. However, while the puzzles are quite difficult in execution, figuring them out is fairly simple as most of them are trivial and I was looking forward to more tricky solutions. Only a handful of them require a little more exploration and thinking to be solved. Simple and very straightforward are also the stealth mechanics, as in most cases all you’ll have to do is to get underneath a table to escape your enemy or climb high to avoid their gaze.

The control mechanisms are working perfectly and this is very important because except the jump button, you also need to perform actions to grab from a platform for example, which gives more realism to the movement. During the adventure, there are plenty of chasing scenes, where one of the disgusting creatures is chasing you and you have to run and avoid any obstacles or grab onto a ledge to avoid the enemy's hands right before catching you. This raises the adrenaline levels to great heights and makes the experience more than exciting. In addition to the ill-fated atmosphere, the perfect mechanisms and the gorgeous art, the game also excels in the variety and the uniqueness of the environments. You will notice that the environment changes instantly when you walk through a door or fall into a hole, further enhancing the feeling of living inside a nightmarish world that makes no sense.

My greatest complain about this game is none other than its duration. It doesn’t take longer than three or maybe four hours if you want to look for any collectible or explore all spaces. It could really do with a few more hours and it would be perfect. The difficulty level is not high, as I mentioned earlier and putting aside the horror factor, it is a game that can be easily played and be enjoyed by everyone.

Pricing & Availability

Little Nightmares is available for PC, Xbox One, PS4. The PC version is available on Steam for 20$.

Graphics & Sounds

Visually the game is a masterpiece and there’s hardly anyone who would disagree that it is the game’s strongest point. The intense colors of the characters and the environments, combined with the darkness that covers every inch of the world, create an amazing atmosphere and a feeling of insecurity throughout the whole game. The sound effects such as the gritting of the wooden floor as you walk, or the sound of the pipes, and more, will give you the creeps as well.

Conclusion

Little Nightmares is a small, peculiar gem that will fill you with very strong emotions and fear. With its unique art and its immersive atmosphere you will become part of the world it created without realizing it. If you like games such as Limbo, Inside and other similar horror games, you will be very satisfied with Little Nightmares. Let us know your thoughts and impressions in the comments below.