Little Nightmares: Complete Edition

 Switch
Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 22 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 19 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 22
  3. Negative: 0 out of 22
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  1. COGconnected
    Jun 5, 2018
    90
    Little Nightmares is a perfect example of doing lots with so little. It succeeds as an excellently taut piece of visual storytelling while also delivering a compelling gameplay experience. It happens to be one of the more unique horror games out there thanks to a detailed art style, fantastic animation, and top-notch sound design.
  2. Cubed3
    May 22, 2018
    90
    Little Nightmares: Complete Edition manages to do what it couldn't do when it wasn't complete: it satisfies the hunger for adventure. It is still not a game for everyone because of Tarsier Studios' complete devotion to telling a story in the most vague and dreamlike way imaginable, with no dialogue at all. It may be a bit obtuse for some people, but the intent of the developer has always been to allow the player to take what they will from the imagery and to consider it on a deeper level.
  3. Nintendo Insider
    May 18, 2018
    90
    Little Nightmares: Complete Edition is the type of game that will train you to live in the shadows, only for it to drag you out into the blinding spotlight. Its clever mix of visual storytelling and careful interaction makes it one of the most atmospheric titles that you can find on the Nintendo Switch.
  5. Meristation
    May 30, 2018
    85
    Wonderfully tense, atmospheric and bizarre Little Nightmares spooked us throughout the whole adventure. Thoroughly recommended, just don't play it on portable mode.
  6. Multiplayer.it
    May 21, 2018
    82
    The Complete Edition fixes one of the bigger flaws of the original version of Little Nightmares, expanding its contents and story by a good chunk.
  7. Nintendo Force Magazine
    Sep 5, 2018
    80
    Little Nightmares is a bit of a quandary, as it's both a relaxing, floaty platformer and an unsettling portrait of the macabre. [Issue #34 – July/August 2018, p. 21]
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  8. Eurogamer Italy
    Jul 13, 2018
    80
    The nearly-perfect Little Nightmares compendium comes on the Nintendo Switch, with minor graphical flaws and the usual plus of being (also) portable.
  9. Switch Player
    Jun 11, 2018
    80
    There may be other games in a similar vein to Little Nightmares, but it really is a truly unique adventure making fantastic use of the 3D space and lighting. Occasionally the controls feel a little clunky, but it’s forgivable as you experience a macabre game and world unlike any other.
  10. XGN
    Jun 4, 2018
    80
    Little Nightmares is an awesome game which puts you in a genius story and ambiance. It will make you excited about the very next moment. The game has a lot of creativity in it, with interesting puzzles. The only real cons are some technical problems.
  11. Press Start Australia
    May 28, 2018
    80
    Tarsier Studios’ unique take on horror is immersive and terrifying, and, barring some load time issues and small technical problems, finds a good home on the Switch.
  12. Nintenderos
    May 25, 2018
    80
    A great little piece that deals with the subject of terror in a very personal way. Stealth, platforms, puzzles and exploration combined in a unique way to create a game that manages to go through the screen and make the player feel tension and at the same time reconnect us with our inner child.
  13. Vooks
    May 24, 2018
    80
    Little Nightmares is a dark, gripping and unsettling horror game. It succeeds in transporting you to a place where you’ll be biting your nails and sharing every pounding heartbeat with your on screen counterpart. Some frustrating sections can pull you out of the moment and the game mechanics themselves are not particularly original, but the much like the grotesque inhabitants of the Maw this game will grab you and not let go until the end.
  14. IGN Spain
    May 22, 2018
    80
    A great port of a good game. It's a shame that the studio hasn't fixed some of the game's original problems like the long loading times. Even with that, an excellent horror game, that now includes it's DLCs, making it last longer.
  15. Everyeye.it
    May 18, 2018
    80
    Little Nightmares: Complete Edition significantly enriches the small catalog of quality horror experiences on Switch.
  16. SpazioGames
    May 18, 2018
    80
    Little Nightmares: Complete Edition lands on Switch with all the previous content, telling two parallel story about two kids, their nightmares and a devious and sick world that is sinking into the darkness.
  17. 4P.de
    May 28, 2018
    79
    If you like games like Limbo or Inside, you might fall in love with Little Nightmares.
  18. Impulsegamer
    Jun 6, 2018
    76
    Little Nightmares is a great adventure horror game that had me jumping me from start to finish. Although gameplay is not as long, it was the puzzles and challenges combined with the amazing illustrations that made this game worth playing (once you got over the long loading times and the fact that you may die very few minutes).
  19. NintendoWorldReport
    Jun 6, 2018
    75
    At the end of the day, Little Nightmares is fantastic. It is absolutely beautiful, with some of the best visuals and lighting on models in recent memory. Great moments of immersion happen with its fun, creepy characters paired with great sound design and HD rumble. And the puzzles aren’t bad. It does hiccup with a few control issues and puzzle-design mishaps, but I still think it’s worth playing through if you’re interested. Just be sure to have a small light on nearby.
  20. CGMagazine
    May 31, 2018
    75
    Little Nightmares is a well-crafted horror game that is held back by okay platforming, loose controls and a bad checkpoint system.
  21. We Got This Covered
    Jun 6, 2018
    70
    Little Nightmares is a lean experience that plays out like a creepy Germanic fairy tale rendered in a beautiful, but unsettling approximation a stop-motion film.
  22. Pocket Gamer UK
    May 22, 2018
    70
    Little Nightmares Complete Edition is a wonderfully atmospheric horror game which lacks challenge in its puzzles.
  23. Nintendo Life
    May 20, 2018
    60
    Little Nightmares boasts some superb character and environment design, and exceptional sound too, with parts of the Maw screaming as if the ship was a gigantic bionic seafarer. Its story is compellingly told, and the way the main game connects with the DLC is immensely rewarding. But you never really feel like you have full control of Six, and the long breaks between restarts can dump you into a painful loop of spending less time in the game than you do in loading screens.

Awards & Rankings

31
#31 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2018
47
#47 Most Shared Switch Game of 2018

User Reviews

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User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 205 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 154 out of 205
  2. Mixed: 33 out of 205
  3. Negative: 18 out of 205
  1. Fred_GameOnBatt
    May 18, 2018
    9
    Little Nightmares is a well created, superbly executed affair. I’d prefer it to be longer and I have to admit to not only being disappointed,Little Nightmares is a well created, superbly executed affair. I’d prefer it to be longer and I have to admit to not only being disappointed, but also shocked, at its short length. It is a game that will easily catch you if you pay too much attention to your surroundings, but will ironically let you escape its clutches time and time again should you not find yourself entirely caught up in the warped reality it presents. For the most part the puzzle and platform gameplay never gets too difficult and so the entire experience is perfectly accessible, enjoyable, and entirely worthwhile in my opinion. The presentation itself will pique your curiosity and then the events themselves, as they unfold, should firmly grasp it and drag you into the experience.… Full Review »
  2. nusco
    Aug 3, 2018
    3
    Little Nightmares is a painful game to play and review. It wants to be a new Limbo, and it could have been even better than that. In fact, itLittle Nightmares is a painful game to play and review. It wants to be a new Limbo, and it could have been even better than that. In fact, it could have been a masterpiece. Instead, it's a beautiful mess whose developers seem intent on sabotaging their own work.

    The art and storytelling of Little Nightmares are masterful. The graphics and sound design is fantastic. The creepy, grotesque characters and settings will stay with me for a long time. Some sequences gave me the creeps, including one fleeting image towards the end of the main game that literally made me shiver all across my body. No game, not even Resident Evil in Virtual Reality, ever gave me such a deep gut reaction. The ending of the DLC story, which is included, creeps on you like the final twist of the best horror novels, leaving you in a state of mixed horror and fascination.

    All of that goodness, however, is almost completely wiped out by some of the worst gameplay mechanics you could possibly experience. Many sequences in the game are insta-death, trial and error affairs, and some involve pretty precise sequences of actions. That approach might work well for the genre, if it weren't for the maddeningly imprecise controls, which never once give you the feeling of being in charge of your character. Quite simply, the game demands precision, prevents you from attaining it, and then proceeds to punish you for that.

    All those shortcomings could still make for a very frustrating game that's worth playing for the story alone–but the loading times make sure that playing Little Nightmares becomes not just frustrating, but a repellent experience. On the Switch, every single death is followed by staring at a black screen for about forty seconds, waiting for the scene to reload. Imagine what it means to go through the same three or four actions twenty times, desperately fighting the unresponsive controls, sometimes only lasting a few seconds, and then waiting for nearly one minute every time you fail. That's borderline evil game design–the kind that could lead even the most laid-back player to hang his head in despair, or throw a tantrum. To make things worse, all of those defects seem to grow worse as you play, and they reach ludicruous levels in the DLC.

    Little Nightmares shines for its artwork, story, and amazingly crafted atmosphere. Unfortunately, those qualities only makes its baffling shortcomings more evident.    … Full Review »
  3. thryce3
    Jan 13, 2020
    2
    I don't think I've ever been so disappointed. I was looking forward to this for a long time but kept putting off buying it. I wish I neverI don't think I've ever been so disappointed. I was looking forward to this for a long time but kept putting off buying it. I wish I never did. I was hoping for a dark atmospheric platformer like Inside and Limbo. So were the developer's I suppose, but they decided to make a torture device instead.
    The controls are garbage and everything is trial-by-death. Which could be forgiven if there wasn't a 25-30 second load screen every time you die. Doesn't seem like a lot on the page, but in practice it's an excruciating experience. And you will respawn in the middle of a chase not knowing that you need to be hold run immediately or die again and wait for another load.
    It gets a 2 only because of the art direction is terrific. But thinking of what it could have been only makes it more frustrating.    … Full Review »
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