Little Nightmares
The first nightmate you wished you wouldn't wake up from
Little Nightmares launched on all consoles on April 28 2017, developed by Tarsier Studios and published by Bandai Namco.
A hybrid of genres, puzzler, platformer, horror and Indie to it’s core, Little Nightmares offers a rather measly slice of delicious story telling which, despite its length, leaves a long lasting impression (long enough to write this review 3 years on). It’s hard not to draw comparisons to the genre defining Inside (sequel to the incredibly popular Limbo), due to it’s simple mechanics, morbid setting and muted tones, however, a comparison to “Inside” is high praise in itself.
Nightmares sees you assume the role of a somewhat nondescript child, whose only notable feature is their vibrant yellow jacket, often standing in stark contrast to the muted grey world you find yourself trapped in. You soon realise your prison is a boat, populated by grotesque monsters that are eerily human, one could argue they are humans of the future, driven only by hunger, their sole desire being to gorge on the flesh of living things. Unfortunately for our petite protagonist, we fall in to this category, thus the modus operandi is to circumnavigate the ensuing levels, whilst avoiding becoming an amuse bouche.
The whole game oozes atmosphere, be it the dark, dank caverns of the lower levels of the ship, to the ominous dripping of leaking pipes, the only sound breaking the otherwise piercing silence, or the ethereal fairy-tale like choral soundtrack chiming in at opportune moments.
The gameplay is incredibly simple, which lends itself perfectly to keeping players locked in to the experience, you don’t need to enter pause menu’s to arrange inventory, or slow time to cycle between items, your only tool is a lighter and small items you can pick up (but not keep), often to solve puzzles or to throw and distract enemies. You can sprint, jump, push, pull and climb and these limited actions are all you need, it’s this simplicity that makes Nightmares so effective.
Puzzles are very rarely challenging, tougher puzzles serve as a welcome respite from the mounting tension but never cause enough of a headache to break the atmosphere, infact the puzzles are often quite innovative and grotesquely amusing. Grinding up what can only be described as “ambiguous” meat, in to sausages which can subsequently be swung from is a personal highlight.
The majority of “puzzles” for want of a better word, see you having to fetch an item which will undoubtedly cause a great deal of noise, before bringing that item back from whence you came, all the while trying not to be gorged on by the gluttonous ghouls attracted by the din you made. These scenarios, although somewhat repetitive in their nature, never cease to create a chilling tension, as your adversaries splutter and wheeze in frustration, fumbling under cupboards in the hopes of snagging you from your hiding place (sometimes successfully).
A great deal of praise has to be given to the innovative level design, which is a consistent joy throughout the playthrough, you will find yourself navigating children’s playrooms, libraries, kitchens as chefs butcher carcasses of those less lucky, or perhaps less careful than you and dining halls, as guests take momentary pause from their gorging to launch after you, often with comic fashion, as they are so rotund and swollen they often resort to dragging themselves on all fours towards you.
The beauty of these levels lies in their scale, as the title suggests, you are a somewhat undersized protagonist, your enemies are easily 10 times your size and in keeping so is the environment you find yourself in. As such much of the game’s challenge revolves around navigating everyday objects which now become obstacles. Simply reaching a door handle becomes a puzzle. The disparity in size also adds to the sense of fear, you are utterly powerless to defend yourself and for the most part, your only option for survival is to run.
Nightmares only real failing is in the execution of it’s brilliantly simple mechanics, in order to survive and ultimately complete the game, you only need to execute a combination, of push, pull, pick up, climb (all mapped to R2), sprint, jump and so on, however, it can feel a little clumsy at times, usually the times you need it not to the most. On several occasions you will find yourself playing through a section multiples times because your character pushed instead of pulled, or climbed instead of picked up. It can become incredibly frustrating, as checkpoints are rather bizarrely allocated, leaving you to navigate areas multiple times before even tackling the challenge you previously failed. The real victim of this is the atmosphere, your first encounters with monsters in Little Nightmares are often terrifying. Sometimes they surreptitiously lower themselves in to view, sometimes they burst on to the screen, debris flying from their dramatic entrance, but always the subsequent chase is in equal parts thrilling and horrifying, until your protagonist decides to try and push the box you so desperately need to climb on top of.
The only other grievance worth committing to writing is Little Nightmares length, it is an incredibly short game, easily completed in 2-3 hours, now of course Little Nightmares is not a full price release, so the issue here is not of value for money, but rather of being left wanting for more, of not feeling truly sated.
Tarsier Studios and Bandai Namco have achieved something truly special with Little Nightmares, creating a game that feels Indie through and through, but with the big budget feel of a Triple A title, think if a movie were to be co directed by Wes Anderson and Michael Bay. With another Little Nightmares in the works (aptly named Little Nightmares 2), here’s hoping we get the seconds we have so been looking forward to.
Verdict: 8.5/10