2.5/5 ★ – Nazo_KG's review of Little Nightmares.

[Updated review as of finishing the game fully 25/03/2023] Little Nightmares is a game with good intentions that does some things right, but often stumbles over itself. With that in mind, this is more of a mixed review rather than a purely positive one. I'll start with the praise; the game looks GORGEOUS. Whether it's something grotesque or something beautiful, it is lovingly rendered in the murky colour palette and really nice lighting effects and textures. Thanks to the art direction and visual effects, Little Nightmares excels in creating a breathing, living world and atmosphere. It is a bleak, asphyxiating aura that emanates from the environment and the creatures/monsters you find along the way, and in my opinion, it is the strongest aspect of the game, along with its unique ideas and concepts. The other positive comment I can make on the game is that the sound design is done very well too. Some of the game involves very disgusting creatures and monsters that make the most vile, repulsive sounds, but this is absolutely perfect for this game since it is a horror game and that was the intention. But even that aside, from the soft footsteps that Six makes, to the creaking, ominous ambiance of the environment, the audio feels almost tangible and real. With my praise out of the way, let's get onto the negatives... Little Nightmares's gameplay consists of a mix of puzzles and linear exploration of small levels, usually solid rooms or pipes and sewers. Since you are a small human(?), the rooms belonging to the residential horrors are filled with huge pieces of furniture and other items that present either a climbing obstacle or a simple problem-solving puzzle, such as flipping a switch to get past an electric fence. You'll meet a few of the monstrous beings that inhabit the Maw and attempt to barely escape their clutches as they lumber towards you with hungry stares. There is nothing wrong with the gameplay style itself or what they were going for with it, but the problem is that sometimes what you can and can't do isn't communicated very clearly, so you end up having to resort to trial and error to figure it out, or you get killed because of something that the game did not tell you about. The controls don't seem that bad at first but you'll quickly find that it has a sense of clunkiness to it that will probably lead to at least a few of your deaths. The camera angles used sometimes are more atmospheric/movie-like in nature and while it looks great visually, it makes the gameplay agonising at times to the lack of proper depth perception, having to make some jumps several times. The respawn time is also kinda long and the checkpoints aren't always fair, but for the most part, it is tolerable. I was really frustrated playing this game because I really wanted to like it. And I love the aesthetics, worldbuilding and concept portion of it, but I felt like the moment I began to get immersed while playing, the controls and jankiness of the gameplay would take me out of the experience. It is not only frustrating but each death cheapens and kills the tension and adrenaline in what would've otherwise been a very good scary moment. There were a lot of times in this game where I just wanted to get a part over and done with because it became very tedious. The monsters, instead of being scary, become annoying enemies that get in your way. Again, this is not to say that there weren't any good moments; the first impressions with the monsters and traversing the environment really wowed me and I enjoyed those a lot, but the frustrating apsects of the game really brought the overall experience down for me. To add to all of this, the game is quite short, sitting around the 3-4 hour mark for normal completion. Some other people in the reviews could beat it in under 2. Normally, I wouldn't mind the runtime if it weren't for the fact that playing this game feels like doing a chore at times. Would I recommend this game still? Yes, it is unique and deserves a chance, but be wary that some parts of this game are flawed to say the least. In good faith to the developers, I will be willing to try the sequel in hopes that my issues are remedied in the following entry.