DangerMouse
Member
Excellent. Atmosphere is better than jump scares for me.
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Little Nightmares |OT| The place of lost things
- Thread starter More_Badass
- Start date
Excellent. Atmosphere is better than jump scares for me.
More_Badass
Member
Took me around 5
I've seen everything from under 2 hours to 6 hours. Which seems like a really big spread for a such a linear game
pixelation
Member
For real?, man i could never rush through a game like that... i like to take in the atmosphere and appreciate the art and craft... i literally just stop and stare for minutes and minutes before i advance again.
Edit: Sorry for implying that you rushed through it, i meant to say that i just like to "experience" games and not just merely "beat" them.
Melchiah
Member
I really loved the part in the last chapter, where
Well played, Tarsier.
It's been a great start for the year, with this week in particular being awesome. Little Nightmares, What Remains of Edith Finch, and Horizon Zero Dawn are all guaranteed to be on my GOTY list.
EDIT: Forgot to link Frictional Games' FB post from yesterday.
https://www.facebook.com/frictionalgames/posts/10158661155740441
you sneak behind the lady, break the vase, and everything goes silent. I waited under the bed for a while, but nothing happened. It was a nice play on what you had been conditioned to expect, and made me nervous about proceeding ahead.
It's been a great start for the year, with this week in particular being awesome. Little Nightmares, What Remains of Edith Finch, and Horizon Zero Dawn are all guaranteed to be on my GOTY list.
EDIT: Forgot to link Frictional Games' FB post from yesterday.
https://www.facebook.com/frictionalgames/posts/10158661155740441
Sikamikanico
#1 Dad
Well just finished it and yup, thoroughly creepy and well made little game. Wonderful art and sound, I feel a little dirty after playing. That ending though. *shudder*
Finished the game yesterday, shorter than expected (my playtime is
) but I really enjoyed my time with it. The look of the game is incredible, the scale and some of the scenes reminded me of Spirited Away and Arrietty in a way, which I absolutely loved.
Also, something about the cooks:
3 hours
Also, something about the cooks:
Are they wearing masks? I think I saw one of them scratching underneath his face skin, as if he was wearing a mask, or was I just imagining things?
More_Badass
Member
I just took to mean
the skin and flesh is so distorted and sloughing off that it's just folds of skin practically melting off the bones
Finished. This one had been near the top of my most anticipated list since the Hunger trailer, and it didn't disappoint.
My only complaint is that it wasn't longer. I'd guess it took me somewhere around 4 hours. Not that it was a bad thing, but I just didn't want it to end. Whereas I was fine with the brevity of Inside (mainly because I thought all the build up before the mind-melting ending was too similar to Limbo) I just wanted Little Nightmares to dig a bit deeper down the creepy hole. It really established a unique atmosphere that doesn't compare with anything else.
I was hoping for a macabre LittleBigPlanet, and that is what we got, but I'd have loved to have seen what they could have done with a bigger budget and some more man power.
It's hard to complain though because we got a really lean, quality experience that really didn't have any lulls or filler.
Things I loved most:
Six kind of reminds me of Yarny from Unravel a bit, who I think was one of the best animated characters in recent memory. She has a certain charm in her animation that make you empathize with her more-so than a lot of games.
Just gotta track down one more gnome in the third level, and figure out a few other trophies.
My only complaint is that it wasn't longer. I'd guess it took me somewhere around 4 hours. Not that it was a bad thing, but I just didn't want it to end. Whereas I was fine with the brevity of Inside (mainly because I thought all the build up before the mind-melting ending was too similar to Limbo) I just wanted Little Nightmares to dig a bit deeper down the creepy hole. It really established a unique atmosphere that doesn't compare with anything else.
I was hoping for a macabre LittleBigPlanet, and that is what we got, but I'd have loved to have seen what they could have done with a bigger budget and some more man power.
It's hard to complain though because we got a really lean, quality experience that really didn't have any lulls or filler.
Things I loved most:
The way the Maw lists back and forth.
Those moments when the camera pans out.
Every creepy, grotesque character design and the disturbing audio to go along with them.
Hugging the kind of cute mini-Pyramid Head gnomes.
The Star Wars-like garbage room with whatever that creature was.
Seeing the outside and climbing the Maw.
Running from those crawling tubs of lard.
Meeting and battling the last boss.
Devouring all those guys at the end.
Those moments when the camera pans out.
Every creepy, grotesque character design and the disturbing audio to go along with them.
Hugging the kind of cute mini-Pyramid Head gnomes.
The Star Wars-like garbage room with whatever that creature was.
Seeing the outside and climbing the Maw.
Running from those crawling tubs of lard.
Meeting and battling the last boss.
Devouring all those guys at the end.
Six kind of reminds me of Yarny from Unravel a bit, who I think was one of the best animated characters in recent memory. She has a certain charm in her animation that make you empathize with her more-so than a lot of games.
Just gotta track down one more gnome in the third level, and figure out a few other trophies.
Melchiah
Member
Yeah, those were really nice little touches, that added to the atmosphere.
Just finished the second chapter I believe (
). So far, so good; love the audiovisual experience and the art direction, though it's a bit simplistic compared to Inside. I also checked the Chapter menu and was hoping for a bit more collectibles, seems I managed to grab everything in the first two levels without even putting effort in.
the long-arm guy section
AndyMoogle
Member
My hatred for CA knows no bounds, so I immediately turned that garbage off. The vignette is fine in this game, so I kept PP at medium.
Sounds like your TV zooms the image a bit. You need to find something like "just scan" or similar.
While Hunger was a better fit for the game, it's among the worst names you can choose for a game. Have fun googling "hunger game".
The perfect Dark
Banned
So is this another short walking simulator like the disappointing game Inside?
I'm asking because I wanted to buy this game but from the videos I've watched...it just looks as boring as Inside.
I'm asking because I wanted to buy this game but from the videos I've watched...it just looks as boring as Inside.
If you thought Inside was a boring walking simulator, this game is definitely not for you.
Plumpbiscuit
Member
Review (marked spoilers):
Story - Contrary to popular hearsay there is actually a story in this game, though there is absolutely no narrative, dialogue or voice acted scenes that contribute toward this. Instead, all of the story is told through either segmented gameplay sections or within the environment itself, such as paintings, NPCs acting in a certain manner, etc. I'm not going to pretend to know everything about the story but I feel like there are aspects that need explaining such as why Six gets hungry, and so quickly, and why she
to survive. Still, it's better than nothing and it made for a couple of interesting encounters.
Audio - Arguably one of the game's strongest points is its use of sound, music and ambience. As per my first impressions, this game masterfully handles it. This game harks back to the days of PS2 horror similar to games like Silent Hill, Siren, Resident Evil and the Clock Tower series. It has it where each room has its own sort of ambience, their own sounds that play, their own mood they divulge similar to how PS2 horror games setup their atmosphere. I love the use of the drones, environmental sounds, and how objects within each level produce their own sound that contrast strongly against the depressive atmospheric sounds. An example of this is
, extremely creepy yet beautiful. Another thing this game gets right is its foley with Six and the objects, they all sound like they would do as if they were really there. Rubber balls sound like rubber balls when hit against another surface, pots break when thrown, etc. And depending on the surface material, the sounds will playback differently accordingly. Six's footstep sounds in particular change depending on this, hard thick wood sounds more absorptive than shallow metal, which is louder and more erratic. It's nice to see the audio department give her the correct sounds for footsteps as this is an important part to make the world feel alive and help add to the immersion that things are really in that scene. Six also has a voice, limited to grunts and groans, and chooses not to communicate for whatever reason(s). To be honest I found this strange given the situation she's been put in that she won't at least attempt to talk to others, and if it's for some reason like she doesn't know any languages or is a mute character, there should be some hint as towards this.
Gameplay - What happens when you combine Silent Hill, Tomb Raider and Little Big Planet? You get this game. The controls feel solid and precise, Six's movements have a certain weight to them but not to the point where they can be called tank control or free movement. Additionally, if you sprint, the turning rate is lowered so you'll need to either stop sprinting or flick the analogue stick/button backwards to turn around quickly. Also holding down the sprint button/key but not actually moving changes her animation to a 'ready' stance, as seen in games like Dragon's Dogma. Environment interaction hits the theme of child-like behaviour spot on, and it helps that Six'a animations seem like a hybrid of a child and socially awkward person, which is the best combination for this sort of game. She's both adorable and cute when she sprints, picks up objects, climbs and crouches through passageways. It's also pretty cool how she keeps her hand over her lit lighter when she sprints as to keep the flame lit. This game also solidifies why I think fixed camera angles are superior to over-the-dudebro's-shoulder camera angle because the camera itself is part of the gameplay. It can work for or against you, as CLEARLY put to use in this game. For example, since the camera is placed to the side, there is this one room where
. Had this been a typical 3rd person game, you'd be able to solve this puzzle with ease. It's also really cool how, when you're using the analogue stick to move the camera around, Six's head moves aligned with it. i.e. you look up, her head looks up, you look down, she looks down. Yeah, this is PS2 games all over again. There are two prominent franchises I know, and love, that do this same exact thing: Silent Hill and Tomb Raider. When you hold the 'look' button in both games and move the camera around, the PC's head will move concurrent to it. Also, another plug to Silent Hill, because Six will look at important stuff in the environment with her head immersively ala Silent Hill games. Sorry dudebros, there are no big black circles or giant white text boxes saying "GO HERE IDIOT!!!" everywhere you go. On the flip side, I do have to admit I was frustrated in the latter quarter of the game because there are times when either the next destination was too hidden in the environment, or that the enemies guarding it are placed too peculiar for me to enjoy that segment of gameplay. An example of this are the sections with
. However, I think the way the developers handled the last 30 minutes or so of the game made up for this with the awesome environment designs, boss encounter and unique scenario when compared to the game up to this point. It certainly gives the most gameplay variation and still something new right up to the end, such as
.
Overall, my first impressions were that this game is a masterpiece but after beating it, the game falls shy of this status because there are both inherit flaws and stuff that I want explanations for for me to justify it to be up there with classic horror games. Not to mention a 3 - 4 hour average completion time is definitely not worth £15+ on its own (that would be £4.50 - £5 PER HOUR). Though, given how much I absolutely fucking love this game and how it nails classic horror design so much, I would gladly pay a full £40 for it. I'll recommend this gem to ANYBODY who enjoys playing non-action video games, period. This game has a good balance of atmosphere, puzzles, horror, exploration and thriller sequences. Six is a very cute and adorable character, especially her animations, and far surpasses the typical loli-cute that is seen a lot these days. This game is one of my favourite horror games ever made, but I can't place it as being up there with classics. Should the story be expanded, Six given a narrative, less frustrating level design (at only very specific moments) and more of a presence of a threat to life, this game would be an instant classic to me. Still, I think if you're into non-action games, this is absolutely worth the asking price, not to mention all the extra goodies you get with it! It's a steal!
Story - Contrary to popular hearsay there is actually a story in this game, though there is absolutely no narrative, dialogue or voice acted scenes that contribute toward this. Instead, all of the story is told through either segmented gameplay sections or within the environment itself, such as paintings, NPCs acting in a certain manner, etc. I'm not going to pretend to know everything about the story but I feel like there are aspects that need explaining such as why Six gets hungry, and so quickly, and why she
turns to cannibalism
Audio - Arguably one of the game's strongest points is its use of sound, music and ambience. As per my first impressions, this game masterfully handles it. This game harks back to the days of PS2 horror similar to games like Silent Hill, Siren, Resident Evil and the Clock Tower series. It has it where each room has its own sort of ambience, their own sounds that play, their own mood they divulge similar to how PS2 horror games setup their atmosphere. I love the use of the drones, environmental sounds, and how objects within each level produce their own sound that contrast strongly against the depressive atmospheric sounds. An example of this is
chapter 1 when you enter the room with the train tracks and music box, the sounds they emit just remind you that there may have been a life here before yet their sounds still play as if there really is
Gameplay - What happens when you combine Silent Hill, Tomb Raider and Little Big Planet? You get this game. The controls feel solid and precise, Six's movements have a certain weight to them but not to the point where they can be called tank control or free movement. Additionally, if you sprint, the turning rate is lowered so you'll need to either stop sprinting or flick the analogue stick/button backwards to turn around quickly. Also holding down the sprint button/key but not actually moving changes her animation to a 'ready' stance, as seen in games like Dragon's Dogma. Environment interaction hits the theme of child-like behaviour spot on, and it helps that Six'a animations seem like a hybrid of a child and socially awkward person, which is the best combination for this sort of game. She's both adorable and cute when she sprints, picks up objects, climbs and crouches through passageways. It's also pretty cool how she keeps her hand over her lit lighter when she sprints as to keep the flame lit. This game also solidifies why I think fixed camera angles are superior to over-the-dudebro's-shoulder camera angle because the camera itself is part of the gameplay. It can work for or against you, as CLEARLY put to use in this game. For example, since the camera is placed to the side, there is this one room where
you open the door to it by because the camera has to shift to the right, it misses that the door obscures the view of a lever you must pull behind it
the butcher enemies and having to go to the entire right side of the room to pull a lever, then sneak all the way back to the beginning to climb up, only to then grapple the hook and make an escape sequence
the mirror boss fight, which screamed Japanese influence to me
Overall, my first impressions were that this game is a masterpiece but after beating it, the game falls shy of this status because there are both inherit flaws and stuff that I want explanations for for me to justify it to be up there with classic horror games. Not to mention a 3 - 4 hour average completion time is definitely not worth £15+ on its own (that would be £4.50 - £5 PER HOUR). Though, given how much I absolutely fucking love this game and how it nails classic horror design so much, I would gladly pay a full £40 for it. I'll recommend this gem to ANYBODY who enjoys playing non-action video games, period. This game has a good balance of atmosphere, puzzles, horror, exploration and thriller sequences. Six is a very cute and adorable character, especially her animations, and far surpasses the typical loli-cute that is seen a lot these days. This game is one of my favourite horror games ever made, but I can't place it as being up there with classics. Should the story be expanded, Six given a narrative, less frustrating level design (at only very specific moments) and more of a presence of a threat to life, this game would be an instant classic to me. Still, I think if you're into non-action games, this is absolutely worth the asking price, not to mention all the extra goodies you get with it! It's a steal!
The perfect Dark
Banned
Hoho for breakfast
Member
Great game. If I were to recommend a $20 or under game from this year it'd be this. I just played Edith Finch the other day and while it's a great game imo too, this one is better if only because it lasts longer and has some secrets to find.
I had no idea Six was a girl either until I was just reading through this thread. Cool character. I liked her.
The setting got better by the chapter, and the music was fantastic.
The only big complaint I have is the number of unnecessary deaths due to the camera perspective at times. I got caught up on walls or missed jumps at certain parts repeatedly and it became frustrating at points.
Otherwise though it's really a fantastic game and I'd definitely recommend it.
I had no idea Six was a girl either until I was just reading through this thread. Cool character. I liked her.
The setting got better by the chapter, and the music was fantastic.
The only big complaint I have is the number of unnecessary deaths due to the camera perspective at times. I got caught up on walls or missed jumps at certain parts repeatedly and it became frustrating at points.
Otherwise though it's really a fantastic game and I'd definitely recommend it.
If anyone hasn't yet, you can get the Tengu Mask DLC for free still on the official website if you sign-up for it: http://escapekitchen.little-nightmares.com/
Apparently the opportunity closes in about 1-2 hours, and codes will send out within the next 24 hours for the mask.
Small update on this: the promotion has been extended until May 2nd and codes will now be distributed on the 3rd.
Plumpbiscuit
Member
Nice, just registered for my key!
Did you receive a confirmation e-mail? I'm fairly certain I registered months ago but didn't find any related e-mails in my inbox, so I'm less sure than I was.
Plumpbiscuit
Member
No confirmation email, yet.
Ta. Maybe I should register again just to be safe.
Plumpbiscuit
Member
Plumpbiscuit
Member
Nah, I think I mis-remembered it, but the order in which the room appears is different in the final build.
HueyFreeman
Banned
This phrase is ridiculous and reductive even when it's applied to the genre it actually refers to. Seeing it applied to a masterpiece like Inside is just absurd. Sorry you didn't enjoy it, but please don't throw around silly terminology like that here.
Here are my newly proposed genres:
First Person Exploration - Walking Simulators
First Person Shooters - Aiming Simulators
Platformers - Jumping Simulators
Fighting Games - Punching and Kicking Simulators
RPGs - Inventory and XP Management Simulators
Stealth - Hiding and Crouching Simulators
Old School Adventure Games - Mouse Clicking Simulators
Music Games - Noise Simulators
On a non-joking level, Playing Edith Finch then this got me thinking. What if someone evolved the 'walking sim' into a 'running sim' - a game that uses the strong narrative based design of a walking sim but weans itself off the slow, relaxing approach. The character movement is much faster and there is a constant sense of fear and doom, like something is chasing you. Maybe it stays tense the whole time and just throws story at you, or maybe it ebbs and flows between walking and running.
I guess the ebbing and flowing idea has been done in the horror genre, but even in most instances there is still some type of combat or offensive abilities. But I don't know of anything that has just been balls-to-the-wall for the entire experience.
Undead Hero
Member
So would you compare it to Inside? I hadn't paid any attention to this game until I saw a video today, and it immediately made me think of that. And Inside was one of my favorite games from last year. This would guarantee a purchase if true.
The perfect Dark
Banned
All I do in inside is walk from left to right. There is nothing more to it. To me this is the definition of a walking simulator. It has no challenge at all. It's boring.
It's similar, but unique in many aspects. Where Inside felt predominately like a puzzle platformer, I think Little Nightmares' strength is in its amalgam of genres. It's part platformer, part (light) puzzle platformer, part stealth game.
If you are looking for something atmospherically equal, Little Nightmares firmly establishes its own identity. It's got that eerie vibe, but it doubles down on the macabre, creepy, and grotesque.
I can't see anyone who liked Inside walking away unimpressed.
Or as More_Badass put it:
Undead Hero
Member
Thanks. 👍
I'll buy it tomorrow. I'm also a major horror fan so the direction it's taking sounds fantastic.
Apoleptica
Banned
I really like the look of the game, but man do the controls suck. This game makes me really appreciate how good inside was.
More_Badass
Member
I don't believe we played the same Inside. Sounds like you're might have had a major bug, if you all did was walk left and right
Not much I can add to that, main difference is indeed in the gameplay, LN has more stealth and platforming.
The main similarity is their use of the wordless narrative, a lot is told without dialogue. Subject matter is also very bleak but that's obvious. If you loved Inside, I'm pretty sure you'll enjoy this.
What made me appreciate Inside more in hindsight, especially after finishing this game, is how seamless the transition from one theme/area is to the next. Inside feels like one long take from beginning to end, while LN is more clearly divided into chapters.
No offense dude, i respect your opinion, you didn't like it and that's all, but i just can't see how your definition of what you do on Inside is remotely close to what you actually do in that game.
mcwizardry
Member
Chapter 4 has a lot of "holy shit" moments:
boat intro, the watcher, mirror puzzle
Coriolanus
Banned
Thats pretty much the Outlast games. No combat whatsoever. Just doom, exposition and running, with some crappy stealth bits for variety.
More_Badass
Member
Edith Finch only proved how ridiculous "walking simulator" is; the fact that you got people calling Inside a walking simulator just shows it's nothing but a dismissive label when people think the gameplay is boring or worthless or whatnot. That it's used as the common name for stuff like Edith Finch is kind of messed up. Like I said in the Edith Finch thread, it would be like still calling first person shooters "Doom clones" in 2017
I'm kind of having a mixed experience with this. I adore the artstyle, presentation, music and atmosphere. And the puzzles themselves are straight forward and communicated fairly well. But the trail and error nature of the enemy encounters are just frustrating. Like I've had enemies hoover me into the hands like magnetism for seemingly no reason.
I feel like the camera and movement is the biggest thing I dislike about this game. The presentation is fantastic and the 2D but-not-really has loads of potential but the amount of times I've fell off a straight walkway because this game fails to communicate depth really grated on me. This in tandem with bad collision detection and shitty checkpoints literally sucks me out of every scene whenever I start getting immersed.
I feel like the camera and movement is the biggest thing I dislike about this game. The presentation is fantastic and the 2D but-not-really has loads of potential but the amount of times I've fell off a straight walkway because this game fails to communicate depth really grated on me. This in tandem with bad collision detection and shitty checkpoints literally sucks me out of every scene whenever I start getting immersed.
I watched floe play through the game on twitch last night (on and off, glancing at the stream as it played in the background).
It's very unsettling. Not in a jump scare or psychological horror way l, more in the sense that it is bluntly grotesque in its presentation. It's a fun little 3-5 hour experience that I'll play down the line, when the memory isn't as fresh.
If you like quirky little experiences like pony island or inside, definitely consider this.
It's very unsettling. Not in a jump scare or psychological horror way l, more in the sense that it is bluntly grotesque in its presentation. It's a fun little 3-5 hour experience that I'll play down the line, when the memory isn't as fresh.
If you like quirky little experiences like pony island or inside, definitely consider this.
Plumpbiscuit
Member
Are people really finding the controls to be bad? I was playing on a X1 controller and had no issues whatsoever. Six felt fluid yet weighy to control, exact movement would make the game feel cheap and unrealistic, maybe even breaking a few encounters because it would be exploiting the design built around the current control scheme. Then again, I grew up playing games with this feel of movement so it's like my second nature.