Little Nightmares (2017) - Review

Some of you may have heard of a little game called Little Nightmares II, from Tarsier Studios. If you've been in my company since it released, you'll know I like it very much. So, I thought it would be interesting to take a look at its predecessor, one of the best horror games of the last five years - and, dare I say it, the best I've played for a long time.

Little Nightmares is a 2017 horror-puzzler from Tarsier Studios and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. Playing as Six, a yellow-raincoated child lost in an oversized world, you must navigate the Maw, a terrifying cathedral of Tim Burton-esque horrors. Constricting leeches lurk in the bilges, the long arms of a crick-necked janitor pull you from your hiding places and a single misstep can send you plummeting into unknown depths to your death. Little Nightmares is perhaps the most fear-inducing, grotesque creep-fest you can play right now. Where the game terrifies, the world amazes. Everything, from the walls, to the characters, seem to be animated clods of living clay, or like something from a Raskin Bass marionette show; nothing shines, all is dull but beautiful, in the same way a great horror movie hides terrors in the shadows.

Taking the side-scrolling perspective and pushing it into the third dimension, Little Nightmares uses all three axes to craft incredible puzzles that can span multiple rooms and even floors on occasion. As Six, you must pull switches, climb cages and throw litter to figure out your way out of dangerous situations; in most cases, you'll be doing this whilst evading grisly capture. But it's not all puzzling; various optional side quests pop up every now and again, be it destroying spiritual statues or lighting lanterns as you go. Some of these result in in-game rewards, but the number of Nomes (those are the small pointed-hat wearing critters that scurry around the world) you hug has a small impact on the end of the game.

There's little in the way of story going on here - much of the narrative consists of piecing together clues about The Maw, and finding out your place within it. This dialogue-free exploration of the world is served by three DLC packs that take place both before and during the main game, leaving clues and answering questions that occasionally come up in the campaign; questions such as who left that blanket rope hanging out of the window and who was that kind person who threw that sausage for me when I was hungry? The two narratives splice together brilliantly even if the DLC isn't necessary to completely understand your situation.

The game expertly balances scares with profound moments of quiet. For much of the game, you can explore freely, with only death-defying leaps across bottomless drops to contend with. In ways it's a very childlike playthrough; feel free to jump on the beds you'll find scattered around, or splash in little pools of water. Climb around and play with fire, there's plenty there to remind you of the childhood you lived or give you a glimpse of the one you wish you had. All the while, something is slightly off - dangling feet hanging above a chair; a bloody streak vanishing under a door; non-descript parcels of meat hang from hooks, swaying in an ominous breeze. When the adults come along, the terror begins. And terrorise it does; I loaded a save of the game during a particularly tense sequence involving a gelatinous chef and handed the controller to my partner. Within minutes, she'd thrown it back at me and pulled a duvet over her head. I thought I'd best continue when she wasn't there.

The game pits you against a number of enemies; there's the leeches you'll find scattered in some of the quieter parts of the game; the first real threat comes int he form of The Janitor, a long-armed, blind villain who reaches around corners, probing the light from his dark hiding places to capture you. Hiding under tables won't save you; his grip will find you anywhere and you can hear him coming thanks to the unpleasant crack of his neck as he flexes.

The Janitor.

Then, there's the aforementioned Chef, a brutal, overwhelming mass of pure terror whose speed is hidden well by his large frame. He'll stop at nothing to catch you and make you part of his next meal (which usually consists of great slabs of meat brutally sliced by the maniacal brute). All is grotesque, all is sickly and disgusting.

Never trust a skinny cook...

Even Six, our plucky protagonist, shows hints of evil throughout the game, surviving any way she can, often when an easier solution is right in front of her. Only The Lady, a geisha-like overseer of proceedings, is beautiful; she hovers in the background, spirit-like and gives an unusual air of the supernatural. In the Lady (or the Governess, as she has been dubbed by fans), we see the only 'boss' in any sense of the word; where other enemies are dispatched using the environment or our wit, she requires more game-like mechanics to contend with; it's one of the few encounters I felt spoiled the experience as any feeling of tension is quickly reduced to frustration when the tedious step-by-step process required to deal with her becomes repetitive.

The Lady - seeing her face-on never ends well.

Where the game truly stumbles, however, is in its technical details; jumping ad grabbing can be hit-and-miss, and the reliance of trial and error in solving puzzles leads to plenty of avoidable and time-consuming deaths. Oftentimes, you'll be within reach of escape when you misjudge your position in the 2.5d space and you crash into a doorframe, leaving you at the mercy of the enemy that's chasing you. That maybe has more to do with me as opposed to the game, but I would expect it's something I learn to avoid; but the recurring problem leads me to believe I'm thick or it's a problem. I'm inclined to go with the former.

All told, Little Nightmares is one of those gems that just works on most counts; as a puzzler, it challenges; as a horror, it terrifies and as a beautiful piece of escapism, it excels. Following in the footsteps of side-scrolling horrors like LIMBO (and its semi-sequel Inside) it amplifies the tone, look and yes, the horror. Yes, it'll frustrate you and yes, you'll sometimes kick yourself for struggling for so long with some of the puzzles. This may be a world of little nightmares, but the sum of those parts is a masterclass in horror across a shockingly short hour and a half; but my god, horror has never been so fun.

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Sam's Score: 7

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Little Nightmares II is available PC, Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One and Stadia.