Little
Nightmares
Genre:
Survival-Horror/Puzzle-Platform
Developer: Tarsier Studios
(Engine Software Switch)
Publisher: Bandai Namco
Entertainment
Platform(s): Windows, Xbox
One, Playstation 4, Switch (May 2018)
The nightmarish creatures in developer Tarsier Studios’ Little Nightmares aren’t so little. In
fact, compared to our protagonist Six, they’re quite large.
Little Nightmares
combines elements of stealth and suspense with mind teasing puzzles to make one
hell of a survival horror. The key element of staying alive is remaining hidden
in the shadows, I cannot stress that enough. Dark corners, empty boxes, tall
bookshelves, anything. If you think you’re well hidden, you’re probably not!
As the game opens, we’re introduced to a blurred female
figure donning geisha robes and wearing what loosely resembles a kitsune (fox spirit) mask. Just as the
woman turns to face us, little Six jumps awake from what was surely to become a
not so pleasant dream (or…nightmare, if you will? Get it? Eh, eh?). Thus begins our escape from the Maw.
Armed with nothing but an endless lighter and the yellow
raincoat on our backs, we begin the game in an empty, leaky room in the bowels
of the ship that acts as Six’s “bedroom”. Right off the bat I was struck by how
gorgeous this game is, the Unreal Engine truly shining. From the flicker and
glow of the lighter, the smooth shadows of plumbing in the foreground, to the
many drippy pipes in just this room, the ambiance is simply chilling.
There’s very little music in Little Nightmares, save for when you’re spotted by an enemy, which
makes it all the more creepy. That’s not to say there isn’t any sound. The various creatures you
meet throughout the Maw make their own brand of sound. For example, the little
pointy hatted Nomes you meet seem to make a sort of clicking noise, while the
Chef brothers (I think they’re brothers?) sound like a horde of overweight
swine that just ran a marathon in the middle of August while shoveling Taco
Bell into their mouths…yeah, think about that. Now with headphones on. You’re
welcome.
 |
Six’s first encounter with the friendly Nomes of the Maw.
|
But I digress. Let us return to Six and her journey.
As you make your way through the corridor of Six’s bedroom
you come upon a lantern that can be lit using your lighter. These lanterns (and
sometimes candles) are placed randomly throughout the Maw. When lit the save
icon pops up, however these aren’t save points or checkpoints (which I found
out the hard way), but rather part of an achievement called “Light Up Your Life”.
For all of you achievement hunters out there you only need to light 20 out of
the 26.
 |
Light ‘em up
|
Further progression has us running into our first
antagonist, the Janitor; a blind, dangly-armed individual with the world’s
keenest sense of smell. Seeing as how there are zero weapons in this game you
must utilize all of Six’s abilities to sneak around the Janitor. Crawling is an
absolute must and the various hiding spots (i.e. shadowed corners, empty boxes)
are a god send for getting around this Stretch Armstrong wannabe.
 |
The Janitor giving chase to Six
|
As if being hounded by this weirdo wasn’t bad enough, little
Six is soon crippled by hunger pains. Thankfully a shadowed child takes mercy
on us, tossing Six a stale chunk of bread through the bars of their cell. Which
made me think…how many other children were on this boat? What were they here
for, and why? If you take a closer look at the drawings found in various rooms
in the game, one can surmise that some (if not all) of these children were
abducted from their homes and imprisoned aboard the Maw.
 |
Crippling hunger gnaws at Six as she struggles to the loaf of bread
|
(un)Fortunately, the game doesn’t keep you guessing about
the “why” for too long. Areas later and we find our friendly neighborhood
Janitor wrapping up what appear to be (small) bodies and then hanging them from
rotating, ah, meat hooks that are then moved along to the kitchens area. Yeah…
 |
Timmy? Timmy is that you?!
|
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Because why wouldn’t you keep your key on your cutting board?
|
There aren’t many places to hide in the galley, so you have
to be quick. Shattering jars seems to be a good enough distraction as long as
you’re smart about it.
Also, can I just say how disgusting the meat grinder puzzle
is? Cause seriously, gross.
 |
Anyone care for a bratwurst?
|
After working our way through the kitchens and guest area
(anyone else reminded of Ghibli’s Spirited
Away?), we end up in the Lady’s quarters.
 |
Who needs a fork when you’ve got two hands?
|
Compared to the rest of the Maw, this area is blissfully still and clean. In the distance a woman can be heard humming softly, and upon further investigation we are finally faced with the Lady herself, her tall figure gazing thoughtfully into a…busted mirror?
Hmm…
 |
I sense some foreshadowing afoot
|
The Lady’s quarters is littered with mannequins, plush
furniture, and mirrors… all broken except for one that you just so happen to be able to pick up. Carrying the mirror into a
darkened room triggers a boss fight with the Lady and, upon defeat, earns you
your hard earned freedom, but not without Six losing something in return…
 |
| The Lady, defeated (yay us!) |
And so we come to the end my friends. Okay, not really if
you got yourselves the DLC with three extra chapters. DLC aside, Little Nightmares has left me and many
others thinking; WTF? There are so many
questions left unanswered! Who is the Lady and why was she imprisoning all of
these children? Who is she to Six, and vice versa? What’s up with the little
Nome guys running rampant?
What happens now?
While there’s chatter about a possible sequel nothing is
certain. In the meantime, Bandai Namco released Very Little Nightmares for iOS back in April which is set as a
prequel to Little Nightmares. I guess
that’s just going to have to suffice for now!
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