Little Nightmares

 Xbox One
User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 150 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 111 out of 150
  2. Mixed: 29 out of 150
  3. Negative: 10 out of 150
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  1. Valkillmore
    May 31, 2021
    10
    Easily one of the best and most unique games of its kind with an INSANELY good OST to go with it.
  2. JohnWitten
    Apr 30, 2017
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Before I begin this semi-review, semi-not-a-review post in earnest, allow me to state the obvious: you’re undoubtedly going to hear Little Nightmares in the same conversations you hear about Limbo and Inside in some ways. Ignore that chatter. Little Nightmares my strike some similar chords to what Playdead has done with their past titles, however it is in no way striking the same tone or note in what experiences it attempts to convey.

    Yes, there are the similar tropes that come with dark games and brooding environments featuring dire and grotesque consequences for any unwary and unwelcome traveler. There are ultimately gruesome ends your adorable character can meet and plenty of equally gruesome foes to send her there. Environmental hazards and puzzles come in equal numbers and the mere use of light and darkness is more than enough to set the tone for each stage of the short yet endearing exploration.

    If you’re into platforming puzzle titles that also feature palpable amounts of ambiance and relevant horrors and low-key fears that will probably make you cringe once you realize the extent of their depth and attention to detail, then Little Nightmares will rock your socks off. Or knock them off and freeze you with fear. Perhaps the most exciting component in the game is that it leaves pretty much everything except what you see with your own eyes quite ambiguous in an almost ‘Souls’ sort of way (of handling lore)- minus the bloody scratch marks on the ground everywhere.

    Ambiguity permeates the entire experience and makes it a more convincing and exceptionally interesting one for that matter. You aren’t even given so much as maybe the occasional hint to rotate the camera around if you get stuck, however the rest of the controls are never exactly specified and so it’s up to you to learn the ropes. The experience perfectly meshes both two-dimensional and three-dimensional perspective into a very well thought out 2.5D platforming puzzler.

    Although you are very definitely little and dwarfed by the surroundings you will encounter, there is nothing little at all about the immense nightmarish rogues you will inevitably face or flee. Because you cannot fight back in most cases, there is always an air of tension and terror whenever these foes enter the picture and you must fly through some puzzle or another and make it to the next area. I’m still quite shocked at how well thought out each room is and how each area ratchets up the tension and the screen literally crawls with the sound effects and slight background happenings as well.

    Little Nightmares 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.

    The vivid imagery and scenes steal the show almost when coupled with the eerie and daunting soundtrack accompaniment. Oftentimes you may stumble onto a new area and not even notice the body dangling from a rope overhead with its feet just barely visible or the faint outline of a shadow shuffling hurriedly in the background. It’s the moments like that that add to the feeling that someone is always watching and that every skittering motion on screen is some new devilish foe come to rend your flesh or curdle your blood.

    Needless to say, Little Nightmares isn’t your typical horror game and it’s much better for that fact. Ambiguity is the name of the game and the game itself will wear you out each and every time you think you’ve understood its nature- right up until the very end. You can feel free to stop and stare at the beautiful surroundings any time, however it still has a relatively run time and as such is a compact and entirely artistic and expressive experience.

    If I were to apply my typical review material and run down the brief checklist of everything I tend to go through in those lengthy posts, Little Nightmares would be getting no less than a 9.5 out of 10 from me. It’s entirely deserving of that and a highly replayable experience if only to see the little touches that you’ll pick up with each runthrough here and there.    … Expand
  3. GBG_Jason
    Sep 28, 2017
    9
    At first glance, Little Nightmares appears to be nothing more than a cutesy horror game aimed at the Nightmare Before Christmas crowd. Part Tim Burton, part City of Lost Children, with some Silent Hill and Limbo mixed in for good measure, Little Nightmares puts its influences center stage and it works. Tarsier Studios managed to combine them into an impressive, yet small package that leftAt first glance, Little Nightmares appears to be nothing more than a cutesy horror game aimed at the Nightmare Before Christmas crowd. Part Tim Burton, part City of Lost Children, with some Silent Hill and Limbo mixed in for good measure, Little Nightmares puts its influences center stage and it works. Tarsier Studios managed to combine them into an impressive, yet small package that left me yearning for more.

    You begin the game as Six, a small, humanlike creature equipped with nothing but a bright yellow rain coat in a world that while not outright terrifying, you can tell from the minute you start, something is off. The entirety of the game is spent on a hulking ship only known as the Maw. What is it? Where is it going? Where did it come from? Why does almost everyone on the ship want to murder you? These questions are never answered, but I don’t really care and neither should you. Much like Limbo, you are left alone with your wits, with very little direction for most of the game. While this may make it seem inaccessible, I only ran into issues when in an extremely dark area; I kept falling victim to cheap deaths caused by the game not telling me I had a lighter to make the pitch black area less deadly.

    The Maw is hands down the most detailed landscape I’ve seen in this gaming generation. The water and lighting effects are not only amazing, they are almost photorealistic. My one complaint about the visuals is that many of the areas are too dark. I not only had to turn the brightness all the way up, I had to adjust my TV’s brightness. This did lead to a few cheap deaths which were partly due to the lighter not being explained at the early stage of the game. The controls are fairly simple and very straightforward, but the addition of a tutorial may have made the beginning less frustrating.

    Tarsier put just as much love and attention into the sound effects. Long periods of silence will be broken up by torturous screams let out by unseen passengers, the creaking of the ship settling, and drips of leaky pipes. Again, nothing terrifying, but it just intensifies the feeling that something is waiting in the shadows to pop out and grab you at any moment.

    You will spend your time in the Maw evading a small number of enemies, most of which are the bosses of the game, many of which feature distorted features inspired by The City of Lost Children or Tim Burton. While like the setting, these are unsettling, they are not outright terrifying. These enemies will chase you multiple times throughout their designated level. These chases are a highlight of the game, although dark corridors leave little room for error; one misstep and you will have to begin the chase from scratch. While many levels will result in needing a few attempts, a perfect run gave me a sense of accomplishment that I haven’t gotten from a game in a while. These will eventually lead up to a whopping two boss fights. These are the only two instances of any sort of combat you will experience, both of which are mind benders and do offer a change of pace from the puzzles and chases you encounter. The enemy with freakishly long arms will likely be the most frustrating confrontation of the year.

    The only other inhabitants of the Maw that do not try to kill you are small creatures reminiscent of a baby Pyramid Head from Silent Hill, which you can occasionally rescue or help in some way. These act as one of the collectibles of the game, which you must hug to claim. Doing so causes a tone ripped straight from Silent Hill, and shortly thereafter they disappear. Additionally, there are some other collectibles in the form of small pots that can be broken, and lamps or candles that can be lit. These do not add to the game in any obvious way aside from the associated achievements/trophies.

    Unfortunately, these collectibles are the extent of replayability, beyond those who wish to complete the games vague list of achievements/trophies. Little Nightmares does run a little short on content for the $19.99 price of admission, with my first playthrough clocking in at a little over 4 hours. My wife managed to complete the game in an hour less. Despite this shortcoming, I would recommend this game to anyone who is a fan of its influences or horror games in general. I would not be surprised to see Little Nightmares on many gamers’ Game of the Year list, including my own.    … Expand
  4. SuperkenGaming
    Apr 28, 2017
    9
    Little Nightmares
    one of the best 2d horror games of all time
    Little Nightmares is a puzzle platforming horror game where you play as a girl trying to escape the maw… And apparently you’re delicious because everyone here is trying to eat you… This is probably one of the coolest 2d platforming games I’ve ever played… The puzzles aren’t difficult here and the platforming isn’t really    Little Nightmares
    one of the best 2d horror games of all time
    Little Nightmares is a puzzle platforming horror game where you play as a girl trying to escape the maw…
    And apparently you’re delicious because everyone here is trying to eat you…
    This is probably one of the coolest 2d platforming games I’ve ever played…
    The puzzles aren’t difficult here and the platforming isn’t really difficult either…
    At first you’re for the most part you’re just going forward.
    Going over obstacles, pulling items,
    throwing switches, and figuring out fairly simple environmental puzzles…
    and then you run into your first enemy... and this is where things get scary...
    Little Nightmares is hands down one of my favorite horror games of all time...
    Doing horror better than most first person games...
    You’re hiding in the shadows, sneaking around... under tables and beds praying you don’t get caught by the enemies walking around trying to eat you
    This is horror done right.. trying to find your way through rooms while dealing with a threat…
    trying to get to key items and back without being seen
    the trial and error stealth gameplay is satisfying,
    And the game mixes it up with just platforming or chase sequences, so the pacing is perfect..
    And gameplay feels varied...
    No 2 enemy encounters feel the same
    Though there are a few frustrating moments in the game where I felt I was getting by with luck...
    specifically an annoying table scene that I had to keep climbing on top of and running through over and over because of the games sometimes pretty awful checkpoints…
    and dying will be pretty frequent as this is sort of actually a 2.5 d platformer with layers…
    This sometimes makes it hard to tell if you’re going to jump at an item you’re trying to grab onto and fall behind it or not…
    But thankfully theme moments in my 4 hour journey were rare…
    Little Nightmares is terrifying at times...
    and the level design and character design is varied and memorable..
    Horror Games and Platformer fans alike owe it to themselves to pick this one up.
    I Give Little Nightmares
    an 8.5/10    … Expand
  5. Joellemm
    May 1, 2018
    9
    I loved Little Nightmares. The detail and intractability of the game's beautiful environment is its most impressive feature. The characters act also, alongside this environment, to maintain the game's theme, utilising provocative symbolism, and blurring the line between realism and artificial to create an eerie atmosphere that is maintained throughout. The gameplay is simple but engaging,I loved Little Nightmares. The detail and intractability of the game's beautiful environment is its most impressive feature. The characters act also, alongside this environment, to maintain the game's theme, utilising provocative symbolism, and blurring the line between realism and artificial to create an eerie atmosphere that is maintained throughout. The gameplay is simple but engaging, varying the pacing of the challenges you encounter. Its maybe not as polished as 'Inside', to use an example, and I would criticise the button mapping that always felt awkward, but its a unique and bold experience, providing a harrowing look at greed and consumption. Aesthetically, it may be favourite game of all time.… Expand
  6. kosanton
    Jan 30, 2021
    9
    Saw it was free in xbox live gold and thought why not so downloaded it and all i have to say is i loved this game! i don't understand all these bad reviews about it, ok its a bit short i mean very short and sometimes the controls can be a bit frustrating but the whole experience of playing it and the dark atmosphere of the game was amazing! cant wait for little nightmares 2 in a couple of weeks
  7. tom974
    Feb 1, 2021
    9
    First thing to be aware of : I got the game free with XBL Gold. Great little game, excellent level design, an unthinkable mix between cute and creepy, this game leaves its mark on you. As I said before, I got the game for free, had I paid it 30 € for a 6 hour session, I'd thought it's a bit too pricy. 10-20 € would be more appropriate.
  8. ItalianNerd7
    Jan 28, 2021
    8
    One of the most beautiful and underrated AA game. A game where you have to use your mind and eyes to move forward the aereas. And design is also beautiful of course.
  9. Pradejonero
    Jan 9, 2021
    9
    A piece of art. A bit short, but I enjoyed every second. A must play game. So beautiful and creepy at the same time.
  10. snoycel
    Jan 30, 2021
    8
    Fun little experience, does not overstay its welcome.
    It starts out very gameplay-focused but by the end it becomes more of a cinematic experience.
    Not sure if this was intentional or a product of its development timelines being cut a bit short.
  11. PrinceFT
    Mar 30, 2021
    9
    Loved it! Amazing artistic design, clever little puzzles and terrifying enemies. Just a beautiful game.
  12. Mindkiller7522
    May 19, 2021
    8
    2/28/21-3/1/21 100% Story

    Surprisingly good! I definitely had some reservations through the first half, the 3D controls took a bit of getting used to and the puzzles were tedious at first, but by the last chapter I was hooked for sure! The story is a bit mysterious and the game doesn't really lay it out for you, but that works to the game's advantage in a way. You can look up the    2/28/21-3/1/21 100% Story

    Surprisingly good! I definitely had some reservations through the first half, the 3D controls took a bit of getting used to and the puzzles were tedious at first, but by the last chapter I was hooked for sure!

    The story is a bit mysterious and the game doesn't really lay it out for you, but that works to the game's advantage in a way. You can look up the explanation online like I did, which only makes it cooler.

    The art direction is amazing! It almost feels like you are moving through a series of oil paintings. The game is a bit reminiscent of Limbo or Inside, in both the good and bad ways. The puzzles can be really difficult, but ultimately rewarding.

    Overall excellent! They've got me hooked for the sequel.    … Expand
  13. Young_Nacho
    Dec 11, 2017
    8
    This is a fun and creepy little experience that will last you no more than an evening to complete, so it's worth giving it a play though. The art style feels like something right out of a Tim Burton movie, and the world building is really good. The gameplay is relatively simple, but fun nonetheless (although there are some issues with controls). The story is pretty vague but it works wellThis is a fun and creepy little experience that will last you no more than an evening to complete, so it's worth giving it a play though. The art style feels like something right out of a Tim Burton movie, and the world building is really good. The gameplay is relatively simple, but fun nonetheless (although there are some issues with controls). The story is pretty vague but it works well with the game, and overall, Little nightmares was a really enjoyable experience.… Expand
  14. storygamer
    Nov 4, 2022
    8
    Little Nightmares is a great horror puzzle indie game with a mystic story. While the controls are a bit clunky, the atmosphere is stunning. The game is a bit short, but I can`t wait to play part two.
  15. LCRG
    May 28, 2021
    10
    Now, there is a second game, and the first one is now even better. Little Nightmares is a horror game, but you just want to get scared, maybe this game isn't the best one, but if you want a wonderful story, this game is perfect. Well, you will never understand the game lore if you don't look out for it, the game don't even has any dialog. So understanding this game is pretty hard, youNow, there is a second game, and the first one is now even better. Little Nightmares is a horror game, but you just want to get scared, maybe this game isn't the best one, but if you want a wonderful story, this game is perfect. Well, you will never understand the game lore if you don't look out for it, the game don't even has any dialog. So understanding this game is pretty hard, you need to play 3 games, and read the comic, or if your lazy, you can easily search for theories.
    So, Little Nightmares is just one of the best games i have ever played, and even if you don't want a story game, Little Nightmares is steal a great horror game    … Expand
  16. AngelTecashi
    Sep 3, 2021
    10
    Me encantó, los DLC's son muy buenos y completos para que te dure unas 10 horas el juego completo.
  17. Grezze
    Jan 12, 2023
    8
    If you understand the messages and really go into the universe I think it's worth your time.
  18. Patedus
    Jun 3, 2021
    9
    A hidden gem. This is one of my favorite games of all time due to its incredibly indirect and mysterious story along with its unique Tim Burton-esque aesthetic. This game presents itself in a way that is sort of comparable to something like Inside or limbo with its mostly fixed camera and detailed environments.
    Its very original musical score complements the eerie and creepy vibes so well    A hidden gem. This is one of my favorite games of all time due to its incredibly indirect and mysterious story along with its unique Tim Burton-esque aesthetic. This game presents itself in a way that is sort of comparable to something like Inside or limbo with its mostly fixed camera and detailed environments.
    Its very original musical score complements the eerie and creepy vibes so well to the point where you become so immersed within the game's world that you'll end up beating it from start to finish in one session.    … Expand
  19. neomoonsevin
    Apr 8, 2023
    10
    This game was a laugh for me but in a good way very good game and the enemy's look like straight out of inbred town or wrong turn meets hills have eyes
  20. NotoriousLOU
    Jun 18, 2022
    9
    Fun, atmospherically intriguing, and keeps your attention. Although the first level is very boring, for its time this game was a great advancement in the horror genre,

Awards & Rankings

31
#31 Best Xbox One Game of 2017
27
#27 Most Discussed Xbox One Game of 2017
49
#49 Most Shared Xbox One Game of 2017

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
83

Generally favorable reviews - based on 22 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 22
  3. Negative: 0 out of 22
  1. CD-Action
    Jun 30, 2017
    50
    Unique Burtonesque art direction could not avert my attention from the fact that Little Nightmares is one of the poorest platformers I’ve played in years. [07/2017, p.43]
  2. Official Xbox Magazine UK
    Jun 18, 2017
    80
    A carnival of grotesque and gothic fancies makes up for the finicky platforming. [July 2017, p.87]
  3. DarkStation
    May 29, 2017
    80
    Little Nightmares is based entirely on its visual appearance but at the same time it couldn't exist as anything else but a game. Unfortunately, it's the insecure practicalities of the gaming mechanics that somewhat detract from an otherwise sublime performance. Full of subdued innuendo, Little Nightmares is like a demented puppet show or diorama, somehow lifelike but at the same time disturbingly artificial. It certainly doesn't look like your typical game and is a nightmare worth experiencing.
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