Little Nightmares: Complete Edition

 Switch
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
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  1. SenDji
    Sep 13, 2020
    7
    Superb art style and gorgeous environments/characters marred by floaty controls (especially frustration with shadow creatures attacking you as you fiddle with the flashlight), puzzles that are often too simplistic, and ungodly long loading times
  2. bulger_paul
    Dec 3, 2018
    7
    I've been itching for more creepy, demented, puzzle based platformers to play ever since I checks out the unqualified masterpiece that is Inside just a few months ago, and Little Nightmares was pretty good. I very much enjoyed it. No, it's nowhere on the level of Inside (what is?), and I don't think it has as much to say as Inside did, but had just enough of that "WTF" factor to keep meI've been itching for more creepy, demented, puzzle based platformers to play ever since I checks out the unqualified masterpiece that is Inside just a few months ago, and Little Nightmares was pretty good. I very much enjoyed it. No, it's nowhere on the level of Inside (what is?), and I don't think it has as much to say as Inside did, but had just enough of that "WTF" factor to keep me interested from beginning to end, and I think it's worth checking out for anybody that's into this kind of niche indie horror genre.… Expand
  3. muzmuz
    Apr 27, 2021
    7
    Creepy, vague, atmospheric and thrilling; Little Nightmares is a unique and interesting puzzle-platformer with horror elements. Although occasionally annoying checkpoint system, confusing depth perception, short length, horrible controls and unjustified pricing on the Nintendo Switch pulls this game down for me.

    Thankfully the length problem is somehow remedied because the Complete    Creepy, vague, atmospheric and thrilling; Little Nightmares is a unique and interesting puzzle-platformer with horror elements. Although occasionally annoying checkpoint system, confusing depth perception, short length, horrible controls and unjustified pricing on the Nintendo Switch pulls this game down for me.

    Thankfully the length problem is somehow remedied because the Complete Edition contains the Secrets of the Maw DLC which is an extra 3 chapters on the game with a new character, gameplay mechanic and puzzles.

    Get it on sale if you want your money's worth. Because no matter how good this game is, it's still too short for $30.    … Expand
  4. Neatqt
    Feb 25, 2019
    5
    Cast: n/a
    Story: 6/10
    Fun: 6/10
    Gameplay: 7/10

    Not-Recommended (Bad Port)
    ----------------------
  5. doodlerman
    Feb 10, 2021
    7
    Firstly, it's beautiful. The sheer amount of detail in the animation of the monsters that pursue you is a horrifying wonder to behold. The set pieces and mysterious, visual storytelling are all great, too. I love the perspective we get as well, but that comes with issues in conjunction with the controls. I ran off a few insta-death ledges by accident simply because I couldn't accuratelyFirstly, it's beautiful. The sheer amount of detail in the animation of the monsters that pursue you is a horrifying wonder to behold. The set pieces and mysterious, visual storytelling are all great, too. I love the perspective we get as well, but that comes with issues in conjunction with the controls. I ran off a few insta-death ledges by accident simply because I couldn't accurately gage where my character was based on the camera angle. Simple 'run left' bridges are an unnecessary hazard because of this. Meanwhile, other areas where you sneak above monsters in the rafters didn't bother me at all. Not falling is the challenge. Load times were also annoying, though this is likely just an issue on the Switch.

    I don't really care too much about the controls in conjunction with the camera in the long run. Everything else in the game is so wonderfully refined, it's impossible to think of much else to criticize in what you get. The only issue that really, really, REALLY irked me was the length of the game.

    If you look up online how long it takes to complete the main story of Little Nightmares, you'll likely see sources claim that it takes a minimum of 6 hours. Either this is a lie, or I'm better at the game than average players. But, I don't think this is the case. I beat Little Nightmares in less than 3 hours, and when I realized the game was winding to a close, I was left feeling underwhelming disappointment. It's so great and refined, but it ends right at what you'd think could generously be the three-fourths point.

    The complete DLC offers a little more playtime (and more of a challenge), but it's a far less refined experience.

    Still— I completely recommend this game if you can find it on sale. What we get is incredible, even if there's not much of it.    … Expand
  6. btmgov
    Dec 22, 2021
    6
    Held out for a long time on this game. Caught it on sale. This game is way overrated. Graphics are great. Minimal challenge. Controls are terrible. A lot of trial and error. Load times after each death are up there with the worst I have ever seen. It has some alright fun factor, but not near enough to make you want to complete the whole game.
  7. celikkoseoglu
    Sep 30, 2019
    6
    The game looks great. Artwork is really creative. However the gameplay mechanics are quite poor. When you want to grab an object let's say, you sometimes just fail even if you press the grab button.

    Also, the loading screens are extremely long. If you die, you can rest your eyes for a bit.
  8. Mazokie
    Oct 18, 2020
    7
    An innovative proposal. It deserves the 5-6 hour that you will need to end it.
  9. Zeina28
    Apr 21, 2020
    6
    I bought this game on sale for 9,99$ and I have to admit I expected something else. I wanted something creepy and exciting, but the mechanics of the game are not satisfying, it's mostly just wandering around, solving some puzzles and often falling down from somewhere and have to wait frustratingly through the load time to be resurrected. Sadly, this didn't turn out to be a game I want toI bought this game on sale for 9,99$ and I have to admit I expected something else. I wanted something creepy and exciting, but the mechanics of the game are not satisfying, it's mostly just wandering around, solving some puzzles and often falling down from somewhere and have to wait frustratingly through the load time to be resurrected. Sadly, this didn't turn out to be a game I want to return to too often.… Expand
  10. Daisuk
    Mar 4, 2021
    7
    Spooky vibe akin to Inside and Limbo, but it lacks the interesting puzzles and story from those games. The platforming in it are also very imprecise at times. It looks drop dead gorgeous though! Worth a shot on a sale.
  11. hileger
    Jan 19, 2023
    6
    платформинг ужасный ,механики слабые только визуал работает .................... и блять прятки
  12. JimPickens
    Aug 18, 2021
    7
    Little Nightmares has great visual and audio design, but it woefully held back by its controls and glitches.

    I fell in love with this game the moment it started, I loved the art style, I loved the contrast between you character Six and the environment, being so big and imposing, much like a nightmare where you're tiny and helpless, a minute in and I already loved it... Then I kept    Little Nightmares has great visual and audio design, but it woefully held back by its controls and glitches.

    I fell in love with this game the moment it started, I loved the art style, I loved the contrast between you character Six and the environment, being so big and imposing, much like a nightmare where you're tiny and helpless, a minute in and I already loved it... Then I kept playing.

    The game is 2.5D in that everything is 3D, but you're in a 2D plain... most of the time. Because you can move vertically and horizontally, any time the game has you walk across something, you have a 60% chance of falling off and starting over, with checkpoints that just don't care about you or your fun and will sit you back entire sections.

    In the same vein, enemy encounters can go from tense and blood bumping, to downright infuriating. Without spoiling a game from 2017, the final section with The Janitor, Mr. Tickles himself, glitched for me, and when pulling the box, he would grab me no matter what, rather than the box like he's meant to, however I reloaded and tried again and low and behold, it worked first try. There's also an issue with warping into enemy hands, sometimes I'll be real life inches away from the hand, and Six will just warm right on back and into their hands, which of course did carry over into the DLC.

    The puzzles and general gameplay otherwise, is very good, never TOO easy, but never frustratingly hard either, I never felt hopelessly lost and confused, but also never felt bored either. That being said, occasionally the controls can still screw you over and despite me holding down the trigger for dear life, Six will instead hug a wall, or stare at a grabbable object, the game also liked the bug out with these as well. At one section in the second dlc, I had to climb a drawer, and couldn't, I was running up to it and jumping, jumping underneath it, jumping a little ways away, nothing... reloaded the game and did it, luckily the dlc checkpoints are a bit more forgiving.

    Like I said earlier, design wise the game is phenomenal, The Nightmare Before Christmas is my favourite movie ever,, so hearing the game invokes his and Tim Burtons works, made me very excited, and the inspiration is apparent, it's very similar to something like Coraline but gross and bloody, and I adore it. Sound wise the game is also great, the crunching bone noises of when The Janitor catches you and the bone chilling shrieks of the Twin Chefs when they see you fill me absolute dread, almost as much dread as knowing I'll have to sit on a loading screen for about 1 minute. Yeah that's another issue, it's probably just an issue with The Switch port, but the loading screens are so damn long, it makes failure less of a learning experience and more of an opportunity to browse Reddit.

    My final complaint and praise, comes from the final part of the game, lets get the negativity out of the way so we can end on a high note. The ending is incomprehensible, it takes its minimalist story telling too far and leaves you confused as opposed to intrigued, what makes this kind of story telling work, are clues and hints, little breadcrumbs to get you theorizing, but Little Nightmares doesn't do that, it just leaves you confused. Luckily the dlc goes some way to explain what the little Gnome boys are, so that's appreciated. Now for the good part, LITERALLY EVERYTHING ELSE. I love walking through the final section of the game, all the disgustingly obese guests eating children, and when they see you and start chasing you is perfect, some of the few chase sequences I like in the game, mainly because you know the consequences, they want to eat you and you gotta get the hell out of dodge, it's amazing. It's visually, audibly and for once, actually great to play, and culminating into a final boss that's fun, creepy and not too terribly difficult, I love it.

    The DLC episodes are pretty much of the same quality, but these focus more on puzzle solving than monster chasing, so I just tend to get less headaches playing it, though still not perfect, I did warp into enemy hands a couple times and again, The Drawer. Overall very good, I like the gameplay mechanic of using the gnomes, the sequence with The Janitor in the dark is genuinely scary, and the ending twist is great, I like it way more than the main game.

    Overall, the game is good, but JUST good, the more I played the less I liked it, I've yet to play Little Nightmares 2, but I certainly will, I just hope it controls a little better.    … Expand
  13. RebelAleph
    Jul 15, 2020
    7
    I have only played this game on the Switch, but even so I could tell the graphics were fairly poor on the Switch. Docked looks fine, handheld is also ok but can appear fuzzy at times. However, I love having this game on Switch rather than PS or Xbox, as it really feels incredible to sit in bed late at night and play this handheld in pitch black darkness. The game itself is fun, itI have only played this game on the Switch, but even so I could tell the graphics were fairly poor on the Switch. Docked looks fine, handheld is also ok but can appear fuzzy at times. However, I love having this game on Switch rather than PS or Xbox, as it really feels incredible to sit in bed late at night and play this handheld in pitch black darkness. The game itself is fun, it definitely had me hooked and I didn’t want to stop playing it until I had completed it fully. I found it did the job of making you feel scared very well. However, it is mainly just a simple platformer which gets slightly boring as time goes on in the game.

    The use of HD rumble was really good, helped set the scary mood when a monster arrives. I bought the game on the eShop for a heavily discounted price, I think around £8. For this price, I did really think the game was value for money and I may replay it at some point (though, they are bringing out a sequel which I would check out). Full price on Amazon is £29. For this price I will admit I think the game is slightly disappointing as there is not that much meat to it for £30. Buy it on sale and you will love it!    … Expand
  14. bergcamp101
    Dec 2, 2021
    7
    Small yet rich in terms of the atmosphere game with nice puzzles. Nothing more, nothing less.
  15. Ghosthorseman
    Apr 30, 2021
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I want to make one point that others haven't made. It's a SPOILER.

    In the DLC there's a sequence where you have to kill a water monster with a Television. I jumped on top of the TV, rode it down into the water, and stayed on top during the electric shock. But the monster only dies if you push the TV into the water, not if you ride the TV into the water. The TV goes in the water either way. The same electric shock happens to the monster. You avoid the shock either way. But the monster only dies if you do what the developers planned.

    Here's why this is a huge problem. If you want me to push the TV into the water and I don't do it right, you have to kill me. That's how I know that I didn't solve the puzzle. What you cannot do is let me fail the puzzle but not tell me, and have me swim around in the darkness, climbing things and pushing things and searching blindly. This is an old lesson. Imagine asking the player to build a canoe, paddle to an island, and light a fire. You can't wait until the fire is lit to tell them that the canoe has a hole in it. I got to the island. I made the fire. Your chance to tell me about the canoe is long gone.

    While some of the puzzles in the game are well-conceived, especially later in the DLC, this TV one and some others are sloppily designed. And as others have mentioned, the load times make this a poor experience. The artwork, lore, and story are really strong. But they're fighting against the lackluster implementation.    … Expand
  16. SuperClaudio64
    Jan 15, 2022
    7
    Un gioco stupendo a livello di presentazione, ma un po ripetitivo nel suo gameplay. Little nightmares è un puzzle game a tema horror con una fantastica veste grafica. Tuttavia la narrazione è praticamente nulla, e il gioco lascia interpretare quasi tutto al giocatore. E quindi per quanto sia un fan del horror non posso evitare di dire che, la narrazione non mi ha colpito particolarmenteUn gioco stupendo a livello di presentazione, ma un po ripetitivo nel suo gameplay. Little nightmares è un puzzle game a tema horror con una fantastica veste grafica. Tuttavia la narrazione è praticamente nulla, e il gioco lascia interpretare quasi tutto al giocatore. E quindi per quanto sia un fan del horror non posso evitare di dire che, la narrazione non mi ha colpito particolarmente nel modo in cui l'ho interpretata, e non sono un fan del dlc che è mostruosamente ripetitivo. Il gioco base è bello ma non memorabile secondo me.… Expand
  17. JAG7
    Mar 13, 2021
    7
    The story and the visuals are amazing. But it takes forever to reload (30 seconds) , the controls don’t respond good sometimes and there no control of the camera so you encounter hairy situations . Other than that great game
  18. gooyug
    Jul 30, 2021
    6
    The game itself is very good, but it has one huge, massive, gigantic, glaring problem. It takes a fraction of a second to make a mistake and die, sending you back to the last checkpoint, but then it takes nearly 30 seconds for the level to reload. This is a game killer! I'm so sorry I wasted £30 on this. If it wasn't for this issue I'd probably rate the game content as 8, and the gameplayThe game itself is very good, but it has one huge, massive, gigantic, glaring problem. It takes a fraction of a second to make a mistake and die, sending you back to the last checkpoint, but then it takes nearly 30 seconds for the level to reload. This is a game killer! I'm so sorry I wasted £30 on this. If it wasn't for this issue I'd probably rate the game content as 8, and the gameplay (controls) as 5, with the graphics and originality of the puzzles at 9 or 10.

    I can not recommend this game to Switch players because of the ridiculously long level reloading time, it should be a couple of seconds at most, like almost every other game I've ever played.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

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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
  1. 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]
  2. 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.
    Read full review
  3. 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.
    Read full review
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