The game "Little Nightmares," developed by Tarsier Studios and released on April 28, 2017 has received a lot of attention from the public recently. The game follows the story of a child named Six as she traverses a world called "The Maw." Six seems to be the smallest character in this world along with the Nomes. Not surprisingly, however, Six runs into a lot a trouble from being kidnapped and locked in a cage, to being nabbed by the ever-so-terrifying twin chefs and presumably cooked and eaten for lunch. Probably the most disturbing part of the game for me personally are the characters called, "The Guests". These "people" are basically just giant fat blobs that are endless eating machines.
This scene, in particular, reminds me of Spirited Away. If Six happens to go near one of these guys, they will slowly reach out their arm and try to grab her and add something else to their meal. Hmm... maybe these characters were based on Americans?
What horror game would be complete without a creepy, spindly, singing lady?
I don't know about you, but I get major "Kubo and the Two Strings" vibes from her. "The Lady" is a magical being who works her talents to make sure The Maw survives. She can be found humming creepy tunes in front of a mirror in her quarters and then mysteriously disappearing from sight.
While The Maw is the name for the entire place, there are some specific areas that are worth mentioning. First, my personal favorite place is the kitchen.
This area has some beautiful and creepy aspects of its environment. "Little Nightmares" does a really good job of making the majority of the objects throughout the world interactable. The kitchen is no exception in this regard as you climb up stacks of porcelain plates, crashing some to the floor, throw spice bottles, and grind up sacks of meat. This area is also where you will find and attempt to elude the twin chefs, but be careful. You are the one thing they don't already have on their menu!
The Lair is another environmentally dynamic space, with furniture that reaches to the ceiling and a lever that cues some mysteriously suspicious grumbling.
Overall, this game has achieved a lot even though it is not quite as long as expected. For spoilers sake, if you like creepy games, dark undertones, beautifully animated scenes, and are looking for a fun playthrough, then you should give this game a try; I am not going to be giving any important information away. As a note, it is important and adds a lot to the gaming experience if you explore every area fully, don't just run through each room if you don't have to be in there. Check out every corner of every space to see if you can find any hidden secrets! The developers put a lot of work into creating spaces that feel real, so take your time to admire the portraits on the walls, play around with small movable objects even if you don't need them, and throw glass objects onto the floor just to get that strange satisfaction of destroying your enemies belongings.
Check out some previews into the game below:
