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. 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.
  2. Pocket Gamer UK
    May 22, 2018
    70
    Little Nightmares Complete Edition is a wonderfully atmospheric horror game which lacks challenge in its puzzles.
  3. 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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