What makes Little Nightmares so iconic? In depth game review and critique

Little Nightmares is a unique cross between a Puzzle/Platformer and Horror Adventure. Developed by a relatively small team at Tarsier Studios and published by Bandai Namco. The game was released on April 28th of 2017 and in the years since, it’s garnered a loyal following and has sold quite well. Going so far as to reach the milestone of twelve million copies sold. Which is pretty good considering the game is less than three hours long. I played Little Nightmares once about three years back and remember enjoying my time with it, as short as it may have been.
And with the third installment of the Little Nightmares series recently announced, it seems like a great time to revisit the original. So today we’re going back for another play through and taking a deep dive into every aspect of Little Nightmares to see just how good or bad this game really is. I’ll be exploring and sharing my thoughts on the gameplay mechanics, design decisions, scenery, ambiance, music, characters and more. So without further ado, let’s get started.
I should mention that I’m only going to be looking at the main story. But if you all enjoy this video then perhaps I’ll take a deep dive into the DLC in the future. I’ll be playing the PlayStation version of the game. Also, this isn’t a 100% play through, so I’m not looking to grab every single collectible.
And yeh I have to say this game is stellar from start to finish. It’s just unfortunate that the time from start to finish is so damn short. Like I’ve said I played this game once before a while back so I had some idea of where to go and what to do, but I took things pretty leisurely and goofed up quite a few times and died. So this was by no means a speed run by any definition. And even with all that, my total playtime was barely over two hours. Two hours and seven minutes to be precise. If this was a sixty dollar game that would be a gigantic upset. People simply would not have it. But Little Nightmares is not sixty dollars, I believe it usually goes for twenty and upon checking it’s actually on sale for five dollars at this current moment. My point is. Little Nightmares is short as hell, but it does a lot in that short amount of time. We traversed through a massive ship. We solved puzzles and we took on multiple adversaries, and these weren’t even one off encounters, these were ordeals. That’s what I love about this game. Every section has its own unique boss, I guess for lack of a better word. You’re shown who they are at the start just to plant the seeds of fear in you, and from there you go about eluding them and sometimes even taking them down a peg.
This game never says a word and tells its story through the events and the landscape itself. They’ve packed so much detail into every little room. Every time you enter a new area you wonder about where you are, what has happened here, and where you’re heading. There’s so much to wonder about and so much mystery to unravel. The music and ambiance helps build tension and the sense of fear and unease as you make your way through room after room of unrelenting nightmares. And at the very least the plentiful collectibles can have you coming back for another play through if that’s your kind of thing.
Of course, not everything is perfect. I mentioned how awkward the pushing and pulling of items feels, and Six’s movement on the whole can feel a bit loose and sloppy at times. And there’s a glaring issue with the hints sometimes ruining the fun of discovery, with seemingly no way to turn them off. It’s also not the most challenging game ever, it’s pretty easy overall, some sections take a few tries but eventually you’ll get through. Which is fine, I don’t think the developers set out to make something as excruciatingly difficult as Dark Souls or Hollow Knight. But my few criticisms are really not enough to detract from how much this games does right.
Little Nightmares is a game that sticks with you for a long time afterwards. It’s a game that you wish you could forget so you could experience it for the first time again. And in my opinion that’s a pretty rare and special thing.
So what are your thoughts? Is Little Nightmares a masterpiece, is it a dumpster fire, or something in between. Let me know what you think down in the comments. If you liked this video make sure to hit the like button and subscribe if you want to see more videos like this! It helps me out a lot and really makes my day. If this video does well maybe I’ll take a look at the DLC or even the sequel. I’m very excited that the third installment was recently announced but also skeptical as it’s being developed by a new team. Only time will tell. Well until then, I thank you so much for watching and I’ll see you next time. See ya!

[@colombamax]

Will you make a part 2 on the DLC off Little Nightmares 1?? I loved watching you discover this eerie dark tale for the first time, it's like I was playing it again for the first time

[@shannonshawcross9092]

it good

[@shonamanley2947]

Brief! Sir this video is 47 minutes long 😂

[@MikeTheCavemann]

Lol I mean the game itself is quite brief