- Publisher: Namco Bandai Games America , Namco Bandai Games , Bandai Namco Games
- Release Date: Apr 27, 2017
- Also On: iPhone/iPad, PlayStation 4, Stadia, Xbox One
- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
- Unscored
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Games Master UKJun 20, 2017A superbly atmospheric puzzle-platformer that expertly blends stealth with scares. [June 2017, p.72]
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Apr 29, 2017It’s incredible to me that a game with such maudlin themes and tense, haunting atmosphere could come from a team like Tarsier Studios, whose previous titles, Little Big Planet 3 and Tearaway, were so full of light and cartoonish whimsy. They’ve complete flipped the script on their previous oeuvre, crafting a work that left an indelible mark on me as a gamer and as a human being.
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Apr 25, 2017Players who like getting explicit answers are likely going to feel let down by the Little Nightmares’ conclusion. Things aren’t spelled out for you in the end, but I wasn’t disappointed. If anything, its ambiguous nature made me want to play through it again and pick up smaller details that may have gone unnoticed. The specificity of some of the references – nooses, masks, and those shoes – points to a greater mystery that fans will probably be discussing long after release. Thanks to Little Nightmares' respectfully short length (I took my time and finished that second playthrough in a couple of hours), it’s a great game to show to friends who appreciate imaginative horror.
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Apr 30, 2017Highly stylized and in turns deliciously horrifying and mysterious, Little Nightmares completes the “Unholy Trifecta” alongside Limbo and Inside, of the decades’ essential puzzle platformers.
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Apr 26, 2017Like Hide and Seek, Little Nightmares confidently captures the exhilarating fear of waiting to be found by something that’s hunting you. But it also replicates the alien horror of being a child that doesn’t understand what’s happening to and around them, and of a seemingly familiar environment turned into a series of opportunities for safety and danger. Smart, grotesque and never-endingly weird, this is a very different, extremely welcome kind of horror game that left me wanting more than its brief five hours provides.
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May 31, 2017Most gamers will get through Little Nightmares in short order, about a half dozen hours, due both to the game's length and the fact that the puzzles can all be solved within a couple of tries. It's worth playing through even if you prefer more challenge in your games, though, as the game's world is so dark and imaginative that it makes for a unique experience. You'll remember scenes and moments from Little Nightmares long after you've finished the game.
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Apr 21, 2017Little Nightmares could use better pacing, perhaps more build-up in the first chapter, but even in its calmer moments it retains your interest with its macabre world and simple yet goosebumps-inducing gameplay. You constantly feel like a crippled gazelle limping around a lion's den. I'm excited to watch others play and panic the way I did.
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Apr 21, 2017Little Nightmares worked its way into my dreams because it's just bright enough, just safe enough to make me let my guard down. The game isn’t always successful at balancing some game design fundamentals. But when the lights went out, it left me remembering that, really, I'm just a small thing in a dangerous world myself...Also, that monsters with big long grabby arms are really, really creepy.
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Game World Navigator MagazineJul 5, 2017Music and sounds of the Maw make an already atmospheric game even better. The cry of surprise and righteous indignation that Chef Twins let out once they find Six prowling around their kitchen will surely come to haunt you in your dreams. [Issue#221, p.93]
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Apr 25, 2017Giving the story a few rounds of proofreading might have inspired the designers to add more obstacles and offered more flexibility to the players. Still, the well-presented aesthetic and emotional impact make Little Nightmares more than worthy of a playthrough.
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LEVEL (Czech Republic)Jul 5, 2017Little Nightmares is truly poor by the gameplay, but it's a very intense breathtaking one-timer, what warm-up your black soul especially thanks to the brilliant design of ship interior full of horrors. [Issue#275]
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Jun 6, 2017I really wanted to love Little Nightmares, and in some ways, I do. It tells an intriguing, ambiguous story through a gorgeous, gothic-inspired art style. However, the moment-to-moment interaction suffers from loose controls, questionable physics, and cat-and-mouse sequences that quickly grow tedious. To its credit, the story begins and ends on strong high notes, making both a good first impression and a final lasting one. More art exhibit than enjoyable game, Little Nightmares nevertheless deserves to be in the same conversations as Limbo and Inside, if not because it tops them, then because it shares the same artistic and narrative ambitions.
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Jun 5, 2017A charming, original platformer with beautiful visuals and easy puzzles. You'll probably never play it again after finishing the first and only walkthrough in 4-5 hours, but you'll definitely enjoy this intense adventure.
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PC PowerPlayMay 29, 2017Creepy and cute in equal measure, Little Nightmares is a short but tense ride. [Issue#262, p.65]
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May 15, 2017Little Nightmares is a thrilling game of horror built around its twisted and fascinating location. It drops the conventional cheap scare tactics and shines with psychological fear when it is delivering its unnerving, sinister frights through the eerie atmosphere, creepy visuals and stellar sound. If it wasn’t for some of the minor control issues, Little Nightmares would be a near perfect package in what it is trying to deliver, but even with the slight tarnish on the overall experience, there’s no denying that Little Nightmares is one of the more imaginative horror titles currently available.
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Apr 30, 2017Little Nightmares is short, but it’s complete. The artwork is beautiful, haunting, and horrible is Six’s fate when she gets caught. Don’t let the words “puzzle platformer” draw you away if you aren’t a fan of the genre. This is a memorable title you should not pass, a remarkable cocktail of psychological spirits and immersive gameplay.
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Apr 28, 2017While its puzzles are at times too straightforward, Little Nightmares is a chilling odyssey well worth taking.
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Edge MagazineApr 27, 2017It's the kind of game that'll have you advancing into the next room with slow, tentative steps, jamming hard on the right stick to shift the camera as far ahead as it'll let you see, and instinctively shushing whenever something - or someone - makes a noise. And yes, you may well end up fretting over screen smears and specks of dirt. For a game purpose-built to have you jumping at shadows, there aren't many stronger endorsements than that. [June 2017, p.94]
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Apr 27, 2017Little Nightmares is a thoroughly creepy platformer with vividly disturbing imagery and a menacing world that drives you to look for an escape. Turn the volume up, turn the lights off, and let Little Nightmares keep you awake.
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Apr 21, 2017Little Nightmares has its flaws and iffy moments, but when it’s at its best, it creates a tense, nightmarish, action-packed world filled with surreal scenery that contains some classic puzzle design and a host of gleefully creepy characters to chase you all throughout it. It may not break any new ground in the small child/scary world sub-genre, but it still makes for one impressive entry into this world of dark games nonetheless, thanks to The Maw and the unique, twisted visuals it contains. It may be an absolutely horrifying feast that you witness at every turn, but it’s one that’s worth taking a bite out of.
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May 19, 2017If you like games like Limbo or Inside, chances are, you will love Little Nightmares. And even though overall it doesn’t have the emotional impact of the aforementioned (since too many questions are left unanswered), the Tim-Burtonesque art design is beautiful.
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Apr 24, 2017An okay platformer but a deeply imaginative horror game, Little Nightmares is worth playing for its array of disturbing imagery.
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May 10, 2017Little Nightmares is unique and engaging, there is no doubt about it. It stays with you long after you switch it off. It’s definitely an effective horror experience, but it’s an undercooked horror game. If atmosphere and story are enough to keep you pushing through lacklustre gameplay, this is a must-have. If you’re a veteran of the puzzle platformer and purely after a satisfying gameplay experience, best to steer clear.
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Apr 21, 2017A largely captivating, bizarre and pretty adventure. The great finale disappoints in many ways, though.
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Apr 21, 2017Atmospheric horror platformer with obvious gameplay flaws.
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Oct 19, 2017Do you like Limbo and Inside? If so, Little Nightmares will be right up your alley. The game is less original and expressive as Playdead's titles though.
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May 11, 2017The enemies are cartoonishly grotesque, like something Pixar might have created if they wanted to petrify children instead of amuse them.
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Apr 21, 2017If you liked Limbo and Inside, then Little Nightmares is definitely for you. Though its puzzles may not have you stumped for quite as long, its sinister world will consume your attention throughout its five to six-hour duration. Playing cat and mouse with its boss creatures will have you on the edge of your seat as you desperately seek the next spot of refuge under cover. Had its controls been as tight as necessary for its platforming sections, and its final chapter not been so anticlimactic, Little Nightmares could have been something truly special. Nonetheless, it’s a short, eerie, and sweet experience that will linger in my mind for days to come.
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Apr 21, 2017Tariser has come a long way from the bubbly world of LittleBigPlanet with the dark and disgusting world of Little Nightmares. What it lacks in gameplay substance is made up for in visual and audio design. If that's a trade-off you're worth making, then Little Nightmares is a decent entry for the genre.
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| This publication has not posted a final review score yet. | |
| These unscored reviews do not factor into the Metascore calculation. | |
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Apr 21, 2017Media Molecule protégé Tarsier turns in a masterpiece of meat and malice, swiftly consumed but with a lingering aftertaste.
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Apr 21, 2017I love it. There were times when I didn’t, mostly when I had to replay a section where I kept failing to line up what looked like a simple jump over and over, but by the end I was smitten. It’s a grotesque, horrid and eventually hopeful in its own morbid fashion, and despite many moments that feel like reimaginings or echoes from elsewhere, it has enough extraordinary images and sequences to stand alone. It’s precisely the kind of horror game I love – grotesque but not gross, and interested in thoughtful pacing and escalation rather than jumpscares and shocks. Also, linear though it is, there are some collectibles I’d like to hunt for and the whole game is short enough that I’ll happily play it again, or watch someone else playing.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 488 out of 661
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Mixed: 143 out of 661
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Negative: 30 out of 661
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May 21, 2017Little Nightmares is fantastic great game. The plot is incomprehensible, but very cool gameplay and amazing atmosphere. Looking forward to the sequel.
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Apr 28, 2017
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Apr 29, 2017