I remember when this game came out, and the art immediately drawing me in. But it would be yet another game that would make it's way to the backlog with intrigue, but this was a game the dice literally refused to ever let it show... until I was picking games for this year's Extra Life marathon. I wound up only breaking for lunch before I finished this game, and overall... I was pretty impressed with what I played.
Story: A nightmare of a woman approaching in the darkness woke her with a start. Shooting up from her sleep, the girl found herself in a large open suitcase that acted as her bed in this dark metal room. This is Six, a little girl in a yellow raincoat. And with little else to go by, you will guide her through a nightmarish place run by deformed and demented adults, most of which would love to do little more then devour her or any other kid stuck in this place whole. And yet this is not the whole story, as it doesn't take long till Six begins to get hungry, too...
With this gruesome premise, the world will tell it's tales as you play, letting you explore and this dark and dangerous world as you solve it's puzzles and pick up on what the environment and those within it reveal directly and indirectly. This is one of those tales that is told without words, so if that idea and a dark and creepy world appeal to you, you are in for a treat and half of environmental story weaving.
8/10
Graphics: From start to finish, Little Nightmares screams claymation fever dream and does so exceptionally well. You will guide Six through a world of nastiness that would make Tim Burton blush a little, and I say this as the highest praise I possibly can!
In this style, you will wander a world lovingly crafted in full 3D that just glows with the care put into it from the first steel room to the last scene. It can be rather dark to enjoy the details from time to time, but these moments are designed with this in mind to force you to use your lighter as a light source or to set the oppressive mood that much closer to you. Expect to be floored and wowed by the world itself.
And that's before we get to the inhabitants of it! The other kids will add to the unease as they skitter around the edge of your view, but it will be the adults that will haunt your nightmares, starting with the first one on stubby legs with exceptionally long arms and feeling around everywhere to find anything and anyone he hears and going from here... each one getting worse as you go along. It is amazing, creative, and creepy as hell... and that's just the beginning.
9/10
Sound: I also have to praise the sound work in this game as well. Without a single word of spoken language the game translate's it's world amazingly well to you as you play, and the soundscape is a huge part of that. First thing you are going to notice is ambiance, and using it to absolutely amazing effect. right away in the first room you will get no music, but just the patter of rain, your own feet, ans the scuttling of things you cant explain. As you get used to this, and the other noises of the world, suggesting a desolation that the visuals alone can would not be able to assist with.
And yet there is a sound track behind it as well... a hauntingly beautiful one when the game decides it is time to use it and when it shows up it will be a highlight of what you hear. Just understand that the game does not do this particularly often, using it only to highten the mood like when things are exceptionally dangerous or to push a "what the fuck" moment... which is a good thing as there are times you will want to hear the world itself and not just for the atmosphere.
There are a few enemies here where you have audio ques to as well as visual ones to know if you just might be in trouble... from their own screams to knowing the threat reacts to noises and hearing a jar crash to the ground and break, both building tension as well as giving you vital hints to survive.
8/10
Gameplay: While the presentation to this game is arguably among the best in the industry, the gameplay itself is a bit more of a mixed bag. From a camera that stays on the side of the adventure, you will see and wander the world in full 3D.
Most of the time, it works very well, requiring you to explore the world one room at a time and letting the details in the world explain what you have to do and how. You may have to open a fridge door and realize he shelves look like a ladder before you act accordingly, or you might have to push and pull at a door to see how it opens (or falls over). The game is full of interactive elements you will need to use to progress and it is generally very clever in how it shows you what you need to do without ever breaking the illusion of it all. But that is not to say it is perfect. That camera itself from time to time becomes your enemy.
In fact depth perception is going be your enemy in a couple of places in particular as the illusion does not leave room to necessarily give you the hints of where you have Six lined up compared to something you need her to jump to. I can not tell you how many times I watched her jump to her death because she was too far to her left or right from a suspended platform over a massive hole, but she looked like she would land in the center of it, or threw herself off the side of the building because her little hands didn't connect with a hook that she was supposed to grab onto in a high stakes get-away... and sadly those times were all around exactly 2 moments that just took forever due to these issues. Seriously I think he game would have been a damn near perfect little horror gem if these few moments went to a 2.5D style gameplay at these moments to avoid the issue but keep the intensity of the escape involved, but considering how few moments are truly effected and just stand out, this really is an amazing game.
Bugs: Outside of the perception issue in the gameplay section, absolutely nothing went wrong with this game, so... no... no bugs in this one I could find.
Overall: Little Nightmares came out touted as one hell of a creepy experience and it lived up the the experience. Overall I loved my time with this game and if you, like me, have a penchant for this type of disturbing in your games, are going to have a great time. You may not always understand the fine details, but you will understand enough to be happy with what just happened, and the process to get there will have far more ups then down. Sit, back, relax, and enjoy everything you are about to experience.
Score:
System Requirements:
- Intel Core i3
- 4 GB RAM
- NVidia GeForce GTX 460
- Windows 7 (64 bit only)
- 10 GB hard drive space
- Ryzen 3 2200G running at 3.5 Ghz
- 16 GB RAM
- Windows 10
- PDP DX Wired Controller (Crimson)
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