(Written by Eyr Ôsk)
Name: Little Nightmares
Released: 28th April 2017
Developer: Tarsier Studios
Publisher: Bandai Namco Entertainment
Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One
Reviewed on: PC
Little Nightmares is a puzzle-platformer horror adventure game. Yes that is a long list of genres but it fits them all. Its an eerily adorable take on horror.
Story
The story in Little Nightmares follows a small girl called Six who seems to be trapped on The Maw, which is a watery prison and full of horrors. Six is only equipped with nothing but her wits and a lighter. Given a chance to escape The Maw, she travels through the spooky/horror filled areas. There does not seem to be all that much of a story, which does tend to happen with horror games.
Gameplay
The game itself is set in The Maw, which is an underwater hell hole to put it lightly. The game consists of you playing as Six and trying to get through each “map” with your wits about you. So basically do your best to figure out the puzzle and survive.
There are a few “bad guys” in the game, a nightmarish custodian and twin butchers to name a few. In order to get past these “bad guys” you have a number of choices (hence the puzzle factor), you can outsmart some, sneak past others, and even have to sprint for your life.
The game is very entertaining to play considering you can get stuck and spend hours trying to figure it out, before you realise “oh I closed myself in” and have to restart.
Graphic/Controls
The graphics in this game are done using Unreal Engine 4, which makes them beautiful, even if at parts scary. When you start the game the first time you are asked to adjust the screen brightness in order to get the most out of the dark atmosphere. While not being realistic the graphics are a fun horror-cartoon mixture which gives the game a very nice environment.
The controls, so I played the game using a laptop keyboard and wireless mouse. While they took me awhile to get used to as it seems they are more intended for controllers, I am just happy I had mouse and playing this game on touch pad would not have worked all that well. Also one thing that bugged me is I did not get all that much of a torotial of the controls (but that could just be an oversight by me).
Verdict
So should you get Little Nightmares? If you like puzzle platformers with a horror theme then definitely yes. It’s a enjoyable game, just remember to bring your patience and be prepared to restart do to your own stupidity. Also I would advise playing it with a controller as the controls are not the easiest on keyboard. But all in all helping Six through the Maw, makes you get attached and want to continue.
Overall
8/10
User Review
( votes)Pros
- Amazing Graphics
- Adorable Character
Cons
- Well thought out environment
- Keyboard Controls confusing
- Tutorial?
