Little Nightmares eerie aesthetic so enthralling
MUCH like the games that this wonderful title takes its cues and inspiration from, Little Nightmares enthralls you with its eerie atmosphere and haunting aesthetic.
While the cutain may close a tad prematurely on this surprisingly cognitive platformer, there can be no argument that this is already one of the finer releases of the year so far.
You follow the journey of Six, a nine-year old girl trapped in The Maw - an underwater resort filled with hideously disfigured inhabitants that loom over our protagonist. The background details are never afforded much exposition, but it is clear from the beginning that you must escape your hellish surroundings.
In fact, the game doesn’t really afford much exposition to anything, inspiring you to keep pushing forward in search of answers, inferring vague narrative details from the places you visist.
How did Six get trapped in the Maw? What is the Maw’s purpose? And who is Six, exactly? These questions persist until the game’s thought-provoking conclusion, and they’re likely to remain with you long after completion.
The answers you are looking for in this game can often be found in the unsettling macabre imagery strewn throughout the world. There are many stories to interpret from the derelict, poorly lit chambers and corridors of the Maw. Hung corpses, pulverised flesh are only a few of the nightmarish things you will encounter on your horrifying adentures.
While the game’s aesthetic definitely adds to the general sense of unease and dread that permeates every inch of Little Nightmares, I can’t give enough praise to Tarsier Studios for their incredible sound design.
You can hear dull fangs slide across one another as a monster clumsily licks its lips. The roars and moans of the creatures are guttural and disgusting, like a burp that forms in the back of your throat before you vomit.
Even the sliding of a chair or the opening of a drawer can cause alarm - so much of Little Nightmares is a game of hide and seek, and the uncomfortable loudness created simply by moving about the environment can make you fear that some unspeakable thing will hear you, seek you out, and catch you.
Little Nightmares may be short and it may have little to no replay value, but if you enjoyed games such as Limbo or Inside then you absolutely cannot miss out on this unique and enthralling gem of a game.