I first played this horror gem on the PS4- preordered it in fact and I was blown away when I played it just a little past midnight. Created by Swedish-based team, Tarsier Studios whom you may remember from their collaborations on well known, innovative 2D platformer 'Little Big Planet' on the PS Vita (rest in piece) and the whimsical Tearaway Unfolded for PS4. This game marks a shift from their usual approach, instead delving into horror and primal fears from a child's point of view. Quite the departure it seems- blast, did I give it away!?



The Gist:
Stirred from a bad dream about a haunting figure that of a mysterious woman. Six regains consciousness after seemingly having stowed away aboard someplace called The Maw. Armed with nothing but a yellow raincoat as well as a lighter- she must brave through darkness, other creatures and most importantly her hunger.


! NOT A DREAM! EXTREME SPOILERS AND ANALYSIS!



(a) Fuzzy Memories
The player is shown outright a lot of things in Little Nightmares yet what those contents mean are never told straight to you. At least not in this game, but there's a mobile prequel and comic book to fill in the blanks. Those and the DLC "Secrets of The Maw " expansion pass which happened to go on sale the day I choose to review it!!

So for all you know, everything that unravels in the game was all you had to work with in coming up with an explanation of why things were as such. This is actually effective as it leaves room for theorizing and is a breath of fresh air from the constant talking to yourself or engaging in dialogue with other characters. I may be way off but here's what I could make out of the central message...

(b) Hardships of Adulthood
The plot can be divided into two parts. One revolves around the Maw, an amphibious/submarine vessel (from the swaying of the camera and multiple portholes you see) cruise of sorts that surfaces for its glutton patrons. Countless children have been kidnapped/lured and made to serve as potential labor for the ship's operations or absorbed by the owner, 'Lady' who has a problem with her appearance.

The story hints at trafficking and exploitation of children which are very real worries. The second part centered on Six's fight to survival, doing whatever it takes. There is another parallel where adults are depicted as vain, greedy and cruel beings whereas children innocent for the most part.

(c) Felt So Real
Praise must be given where they're due because the experience could only be delivered with the stellar lighting system. The lighter is your primary and only (for about 70% of the game) source of illumination. The flame is faint and easily gets put out by a gust of wind, but it's better than nothing. The dreamy nightmarish look of the setting and creatures. Grating, unnerving sound design that always seem to indicate something or someone is after you.

Noises play a vital role here because they can either help you lure enemies away or send them on a beeline for ya!! There's some memorable music including a Six's theme that's very 'Freddy's coming after you' humming, 'The Death Waltz" and several others that seem to come straight from a music box! There were some industrial sounds as well with "The Janitor" that's so Silent Hill. EEEEK.

(d) Small & Powerless
Million dollar question for a horror game- is it scary? DEFINITELY on all levels!! There are a lot of disturbing imagery hinted at; hanging legs for instance but you never or rather are unable to see them in full view try as you might because of your short height and the darkness surrounding you. Every enemy appear towering in height when contrasted with Six and they can easily close in after you in a chase regardless whether you have a head start.

Your only hope is to distract and run to the nearest hiding spot as quickly as possible when seen. The blind 'Janitor' with elongated arms and you know it's only a matter of time. The morbidly obese chefs but still want to cook you even if they struggle to run or bend down. The masked 'Lady' with a kimono with a few tricks up her sleeves and appears ghost-like. Nothing really gory is ever shown when you do get caught but it's heavily implied that it's nothing good as they all have their own self-indulges to satiate.

(e) Salvaged Hope
Candles and lamps act as the checkpoints, where every 'death' becomes a nightmare you simply gasp in terror from. They not only let you see better but you feel an air of relief every time you do. There are also collectibles scattered throughout- finding them adds to the backstory. One, the nomes Six meets,most likely former children that have turned.Evident from their instinct to escape and like you, also hide from the ship occupants. You can hug and befriend them to show you're on their side.

Two, the porcelain dolls modeled after the Lady which I think are somehow the works of those who come to worship her out of fear, which serve also as placeholders for maintaining her youth as they show traces of a spell when in pieces. Or maybe they're extensions of her vanity as she has one right in front of her dresser mirror. A neat bonus for completing the game a certain way will unlock a mask for Six to don (the rest are purchasable) which is a quirky addition and may hold more meaning as they each symbolize a quality or altogether shifting of the self, even though she doesn't.


(i) Not a Lucid Dream
I don't remember navigation being an issue on the PS4. But at times, Six's platforming controls; grabbing and interacting with objects became a chore. She clips onto items sometimes and her movements come off unresponsive or slight delay (at least that's how it felt) but it's something to get use to, this could be intentional probably because it's in line with her tiny frame.

The camera is well placed but occasionally you just lose sight of Six completely and you crouch endlessly towards a wall. This occurred mostly in the kitchen area and speaking of, there is also a certain glaring problem with the chefs detection' radius and line of sight. Proven by several instances of Six getting spotted despite being stationary behind cover.

(ii) Six Degrees of Separation
Lastly, a horror game should have a protagonist that is relatable. However, what does that make Six- think about it we don't see her face completely or hear her voice. Not only that, her story is pretty much unknown unless you go read the comic and play "Very Little Nightmares" (actual prequel title).

As for the ending, it's similar I would say to Miles' in Outlast, where the main character triumphs and endures so much only for a dark force to take over. BUT, we'll see more of her soon so there's that. Of course, I could have misinterpreted the final scene (could be symbolic of a completely different change) along with the darkness consuming her.



To conclude, Little Nightmares is a horror adventure unlike any other that stays with you because of how it encapsulates on point the fears during one's childhood or maybe some even have yet to outgrow. Its mix of 2D-3D environments played out like you're in a children's picture storybook and rather grim one at that, illustrating the unregulated dark desires of adults. The impressive amount of attention to detail vividly shown in the beautifully crafted and lore-filled world. Platforming and navigation difficulties come off absurdly minor, barely leaving a scratch on the masterpiece created.


Little Nightmares II, announced last year expands upon Six's journey alongside a new friendly face and other giant antagonists

[code]Curator page here-->[url=https://steamproxy.com/steamstore/curator/37670120/]DaRevieweD #26[/url]<-- [i]New review every Sunday[/i][/code] I first played this horror gem on the PS4- preordered it in fact and I was blown away when I played it just a little past midnight. Created by Swedish-based team, Tarsier Studios whom you may remember from their collaborations on well known, innovative 2D platformer 'Little Big Planet' on the PS Vita (rest in piece) and the whimsical Tearaway Unfolded for PS4. This game marks a shift from their usual approach, instead delving into horror and primal fears from a child's point of view. Quite the departure it seems- blast, did I give it away!? [h1]"Into The Deep End"[/h1] [u]The Gist:[/u] Stirred from a bad dream about a haunting figure that of a mysterious woman. Six regains consciousness after seemingly having stowed away aboard someplace called The Maw. Armed with nothing but a yellow raincoat as well as a lighter- she must brave through darkness, other creatures and most importantly her hunger. [spoiler] ! NOT A DREAM! EXTREME SPOILERS AND ANALYSIS! [/spoiler] [h1][+] PROS;[/h1] [b](a) Fuzzy Memories[/b] The player is shown outright a lot of things in Little Nightmares yet what those contents mean are never told straight to you. At least not in this game, but there's a mobile prequel and comic book to fill in the blanks. Those and the DLC "Secrets of The Maw " expansion pass which happened to go on sale the day I choose to review it!! So for all you know, everything that unravels in the game was all you had to work with in coming up with an explanation of why things were as such. This is actually effective as it leaves room for theorizing and is a breath of fresh air from the constant talking to yourself or engaging in dialogue with other characters. I may be way off but here's what I could make out of the central message... [b](b) Hardships of Adulthood[/b] The plot can be divided into two parts. One revolves around the Maw, an amphibious/submarine vessel (from the swaying of the camera and multiple portholes you see) cruise of sorts that surfaces for its glutton patrons. [spoiler]Countless children have been kidnapped/lured and made to serve as potential labor for the ship's operations or absorbed by [/spoiler] the owner, 'Lady' who has a problem with her appearance. The story hints at trafficking and exploitation of children which are very real worries. The second part centered on Six's fight to survival, doing whatever it takes. There is another parallel where adults are depicted as vain, greedy and cruel beings whereas children innocent for the most part. [b](c) Felt So Real[/b] Praise must be given where they're due because the experience could only be delivered with the stellar lighting system. The lighter is your primary and only (for about 70% of the game) source of illumination. The flame is faint and easily gets put out by a gust of wind, but it's better than nothing. The dreamy nightmarish look of the setting and creatures. Grating, unnerving sound design that always seem to indicate something or someone is after you. Noises play a vital role here because they can either help you lure enemies away or send them on a beeline for ya!! There's some memorable music including a Six's theme that's very 'Freddy's coming after you' humming, 'The Death Waltz" and several others that seem to come straight from a music box! There were some industrial sounds as well with "The Janitor" that's so Silent Hill. EEEEK. [b](d) Small & Powerless[/b] Million dollar question for a horror game- is it scary? DEFINITELY on all levels!! There are a lot of disturbing imagery hinted at; hanging legs for instance but you never or rather are unable to see them in full view try as you might because of your short height and the darkness surrounding you. Every enemy appear towering in height when contrasted with Six and they can easily close in after you in a chase regardless whether you have a head start. Your only hope is to distract and run to the nearest hiding spot as quickly as possible when seen. The blind 'Janitor' with elongated arms and you know it's only a matter of time. The morbidly obese chefs but still want to cook you even if they struggle to run or bend down. The masked 'Lady' with a kimono with a few tricks up her sleeves and appears ghost-like. Nothing really gory is ever shown when you do get caught but it's heavily implied that it's nothing good as they all have their own self-indulges to satiate. [b](e) Salvaged Hope[/b] Candles and lamps act as the checkpoints, where every 'death' becomes a nightmare you simply gasp in terror from. They not only let you see better but you feel an air of relief every time you do. There are also collectibles scattered throughout- finding them adds to the backstory. One, the nomes Six meets,[spoiler]most likely former children that have turned.[/spoiler]Evident from their instinct to escape and like you, also hide from the ship occupants. You can hug and befriend them to show you're on their side. Two, the porcelain dolls modeled after the Lady which I think are somehow the works of those who come to worship her out of fear, [spoiler]which serve also as placeholders for maintaining her youth[/spoiler] as they show traces of a spell when in pieces. Or maybe they're extensions of her vanity as she has one right in front of her dresser mirror. A neat bonus for completing the game a certain way will unlock a mask for Six to don (the rest are purchasable) which is a quirky addition and may hold more meaning as they each symbolize a quality or altogether shifting of the self, even though she doesn't. [h1][-] CONS;[/h1] [b](i) Not a Lucid Dream[/b] I don't remember navigation being an issue on the PS4. But at times, Six's platforming controls; grabbing and interacting with objects became a chore. She clips onto items sometimes and her movements come off unresponsive or slight delay (at least that's how it felt) but it's something to get use to, this could be intentional probably because it's in line with her tiny frame. The camera is well placed but occasionally you just lose sight of Six completely and you crouch endlessly towards a wall. This occurred mostly in the kitchen area and speaking of, there is also a certain glaring problem with the chefs detection' radius and line of sight. Proven by several instances of Six getting spotted despite being stationary behind cover. [b](ii) Six Degrees of Separation[/b] Lastly, a horror game should have a protagonist that is relatable. However, what does that make Six- think about it we don't see her face completely or hear her voice. Not only that, her story is pretty much unknown unless you go read the comic and play "Very Little Nightmares" (actual prequel title). As for the ending, it's similar I would say to [spoiler]Miles' in Outlast, where the main character triumphs and endures so much only for a dark force to take over. BUT, we'll see more of her soon so there's that. Of course, I could have misinterpreted the final scene (could be symbolic of a completely different change) along with the darkness consuming her[/spoiler]. [h1]"Point of No Return"[/h1] To conclude, Little Nightmares is a horror adventure unlike any other that stays with you because of how it encapsulates on point the fears during one's childhood or maybe some even have yet to outgrow. Its mix of 2D-3D environments played out like you're in a children's picture storybook and rather grim one at that, illustrating the unregulated dark desires of adults. The impressive amount of attention to detail vividly shown in the beautifully crafted and lore-filled world. Platforming and navigation difficulties come off absurdly minor, barely leaving a scratch on the masterpiece created. [h1]9.5/10[/h1] [b] Little Nightmares II, announced last year expands upon Six's journey alongside a new friendly face and other giant antagonists[/b]