Don’t
you go out in the rain, don’t go out in the pouring rain. If you go
out in the rain, we’ll never have that time again...
You’re a
hungry young child named Six. You’re possibly Eleven’s younger
sister. Or Eleven five years ago. Or maybe, just maybe, Stranger
Things has stuff all to do with anything here.
Still,
comparisons could be drawn, as things certainly aren’t quite right
in the eerie dream world in which this yellow raincoat-clad little
girl faces all manner of challenges.
At this juncture, we’d
be remiss if we didn’t mention Playdead’s gaming legacy, or, more
specifically, Limbo and Inside. Little Nightmares
owes a debt to both – especially the latter. But it also makes its
own uncomfy place in the pantheon of kids-stuck-in-nightmare-worlds
games.
Somehow you’re trapped within ‘The Maw’. Your tummy’s
rumbling – sometimes to the point of being unable to continue - and
save for all manner of peculiar creatures from giants to icky
leeches and eminently huggable ‘nomes’ you’re alone. But not nome
alone, for that would be horrendously horrific wordplay.
Rather than just accepting some form of awful fate, Six uses her
admirable smarts to solve numerous puzzles so as to progress through
this ultra-creepy place. She’ll squeeze through vents, and shimmy up
ropes, then she’ll bounce on beds and smash little statues. Hey, she
is only Six!
Most importantly, assuming that you’re not some
sort of sadistic child killer she’ll eventually make her way out of
this hellhole unscathed. Well, physically at least.
Control’s smooth without being perfect – you’ll sometimes get stuck
on something at the most opportune time, and some respawn points
are, well, pointless. Why make players schlep across multiple
action-free screens to return to where they failed?
We’d say
it’s mysterious and spooky and altogether ooky, but that’d lack
originality. Then again, Little Nightmares isn’t
particularly original either. But it’s arch in its pilfering,
ultimately delivering a fabulous adventure with some genuine
creepiness.
