Thomas Roach reviews Little Nightmares…
Little Nightmares is a puzzle platformer that has strong horror elements to it. It is almost reminiscent of a game of hide and seek, whilst traversing from point A to point B. Little Nightmares sees you take the role of Six, a young girl who has been imprisoned in an underwater facility called the Maw. Six aims to escape but must overcome a range of enemies who will kill or capture you.
The world in which the player is presented with is a very creepy one. I was surprised at how eerie this game got and how many horrific moments there were. I certainly wasn’t expecting things to get that bad but this is certainly a good thing – there was a great sense of surprise in discovering this world. The game has clear referenced to torture, suicide, cannibalism and violence which provides a great sense of horror considering our playable protagonist is a little girl. These shocking moments created a real sense of dread whilst playing the game and made me fear getting caught by the enemies that roam the different levels. The unsettling nature of the game gives it a great deal of character simply through use of level design, lighting and especially the use of sound.
This game has incredible sound design which elevated the elements of horror that you experience in the game. Through the use of the PlayStation controller, you can hear the Six’s heartbeat when she has been spotted by enemies and whilst she hides waiting to either avoid them or get caught. Throughout the gameplay the world feels alive through sound. Most of the time there is something going on, the noise of the enemies as they go about their day, the noise of the Maw rocking against the waves of the ocean, so much of the games atmosphere is created through the use of sound despite having some very strong visuals. The sound design creates the stronger sense of horror and dread as you make your way through the Maw.
The game does have some awkward checkpoints that can cause the player to feel very frustrated. If the controls were a little more fine-tuned then it may not be an issue. The checkpoints could probably be closer together in some areas around platforming stages, as I felt the controls were sometimes little unresponsive and it was easy to misjudge how far you could jump or climb – this would lead to your death and having to start the checkpoint again. The time it works if it’s an enemy who has managed to sneak up on you as this provided you with a lesson for next time, but when you fail areas because of platforming it just gets boring. Most of the puzzles are straightforward enough with some being a little trickier due to the lack of light in the game to show you the objective.
The game also isn’t very long at all; even if you stumble a few times on puzzles or die because you are unsure where to go, each level shouldn’t really take you much longer than 20 or 30 minutes to complete. The game only has five levels to play through so my best guess is that it will take the average player around 2 hours to complete. There are some collectables that are not clearly mapped out but there won’t add anything new to the experience of the game.
Little Nightmares lacks a strong narrative which I love to see in games. The lack of narrative may be there to let the player use their imagination to why Six is forced to escape this horrible place. With no cutscenes, no dialogue and no lore that contextualise the world it does have me a little disappointed. Having only played through the game once I may have missed details that would help me gain a greater understanding of what is going on, however I feel that the game doesn’t have as much replay value as I had hoped it had, and at this time I am unsure whether to play through the story again. I know how to complete the game now, I know what the enemies look like, I know their movements, and the experiencing of playing hide and seek in this environment is kind of lost on me after one playthrough.
Overall the game provides a very unique experience that players will certainly enjoy. It is very reminiscent of what you are afraid of when you are a child. Whilst there are some very serious and adult themes in the game, the simplicity of being scared of monsters under the bed or being afraid of the dark. I do have a feeling that the game will be getting DLC in the future and exploring this world or one similar would certainly be welcomed – despite the game’s flaws. If you can overlook some minor issues with the gameplay and the games length I would recommend giving this indie puzzle-platformer a go.
Pros
+ Genuinely creepy world
+ Excellent sound design
Cons
– Lacks longevity
– Some awkward checkpoints
Little Nightmares was reviewed on PlayStation 4
Score: 7.5/10
Thomas Roach
Originally published May 3, 2017. Updated April 15, 2018.
