Little Nightmares Review
Today we see the release of Little Nightmares, developed by
Tarsier Studios and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. Tarsier Studios is
probably better known for their work on the much cuter Little Big Planet
series. Knowing that it is probably a little harder to realise the Little
Nightmares is a genuine horror game. I’m talking old school horror though, not
this jump out and scream at you horror we see now, Little Nightmares lives up
to its name. It is a nightmare, it uses the atmosphere, and specific sounds and
timing to have you constantly on edge. You feel a sense of loneliness, dread
and above all else helplessness.
You play as Six, from what I can tell you’re a little girl
in a bright yellow rain coat. Armed only with a lighter you have to creep,
crawl, run, slide and jump your way through the dark world. Little Nightmares
does little to confirm plot details from what I have played so far. You are on
a ship called The Maw, a vessel full of horrific creatures each one striving
for their next meal and sometimes you are on the menu. The Maw itself is
impressively detailed. There is a big stealth element which Little Nightmares storybook
style visuals are modelled perfectly and lit accordingly to benefit that. Each
room rocks slightly from side to side giving you a feeling of seasickness
further enhancing the overall unsettling atmosphere.
This is a side scrolling platformer/puzzler, but you move
around in a 3D space, pulling objects around to help you reach switches, open
doors or reach new areas. The Maw is divided into 5 areas, each area has its
own theme, including the cargo area, a toy room and a kitchen each with its own
type of monster to match. The toy room, the games second chapter was what got
to me, all I will say is, creatures with freakishly long arms, that are blind
and lash out when they hear the sound from Six’s little feet when she walks on
creaky surfaces.
Unlike other games in this genre, Little Nightmares is
surprisingly colourful, and no not just the yellow of Six’s rain coat. The
kitchen for instance is well lit, with splashes of blood and yellows and
greens, but when the game is dark you know its dark for a reason, Six either
needs a place to hide or she may need to light it herself. Some of the most
edge of your seat moments I encountered were early on where I had to light a
room myself. Only to find that when Six flicked that little lighter into gear
not only did it light up the room, but showed off the creatures who dwelled
within the darkness giving them my exact location.
For the full experience you really need to immerse yourself.
Play it at night, play with either headphones on or a good surround sound
cranked. Little Nightmares uses sound perfectly. It has every creak and scratch
down perfectly, and the scream Six lets out when you die is downright blood
curdling.
I expected to find the puzzles repetitive after a few hours
of play but Little Nightmares has a way of keeping you on your toes. The game
style will change from needing to evade the larger dangers to an environmental
puzzle, each one making sure you think outside of the box. As you progress
through it seems that you can spend less time being stealthy and you start to
speed up in favour of keeping Six out of danger.
Controls are good and tight but I was using a controller. Be
for warned, while there is an auto-save feature in place, it doesn’t save in
places you will think, more than once I found myself back much further than
expected.
While little Nightmares may be a relatively simple game, it
is by far an easy one. A lot of puzzles are learnt simply by working out how
not to do them first. You will fail, and you will fail often but that failure
is where your sense of achievement comes from. After all, it doesn’t mean
anything if you didn’t have to work hard to get it.
Overall the visual style is what drew me to Little Nightmares and I have to say I am not disappointed. Expect your playthrough to be finished after 5-6 hours which really is about where it needs to be. There is a chance to play through again for collectables but only the most dedicated will.
Little Nightmares is a something to be experienced. The feeling of dread and helplessness that comes from playing as a child plays on you long after the controller is down.
Available now on PC, PS4 and Xbox One
Pat (Snoogan512/Snoogs)
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