What is Little Nightmares
Little Nightmares is a series of popular puzzle-platform horror adventure games developed by Tarsier Studios and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. The original game was released back in 2017 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One, however, a year later the game was ported to Nintendo Switch.
The sequel titled Little Nightmares II was released in 2021 and a third installment is currently in development by Supermassive Games.
The original Little Nightmares was recently released for both iOS and Android which is the version of the game that we will be taking a look at today, so let’s get into it.
Photo: Tarsier Studios
Little Nightmares – The Basics
As mentioned above, Little Nightmares is a 2.5D horror adventure game that puts the player in the shoes of the game’s protagonist, a little girl called Six.
The girl finds herself trapped in a dark and dreary world known as the Maw which is full of strange creatures and is tasked with navigating through it armed with nothing but a lighter.
As you progress through the variety of levels and the game’s story, the player will be tasked with solving a variety of puzzles, locating various collectibles, and evading giant enemies and strange creators whose only goal is to stop you in your tracks.
Photo: Tarsier Studios
Little Nightmares – Levels
Little Nightmares will have the player guide Six through the five main areas of the Maw, each with its own unique challenges and purpose, so let’s take a closer look at them.
Photo: Tarsier Studios
The Prison
The prison is the first area where Six begins her adventure and one of the darkest and emptiest areas of the Maw.
Located in the lowest compartments, the Prison features numerous ventilation shafts and rooms connected by large metal doors which you will struggle to open throughout your playthrough.
The most common enemies that you will encounter in this area are leechees that will attempt to kill you and eyes which will turn you into stone if you get caught within their gaze.
The only other enemy that you will find here is the Janitor who seems to be taking care of the other children and whom you will encounter on multiple occasions as you progress through the game.
Photo: Tarsier Studios
The Lair
Once you escape from the Prison, you will find yourself within an area called the Lair which is the second area that Six comes across. The lair itself seems to serve as the storage area of the Maw and features all kinds of furniture, a survey room, and the Janitors room.
The lair connects to other parts of the Maw via an elevator and you will encounter the Janitor here on numerous occasions as you find out that this is where he wraps up the children and sends them to the kitchen.
As you venture through the lair, you will encounter another child commonly known as the Runaway Kid as well as numerous signs that some sort of a large monster is contained here as well.
Photo: Tarsier Studios – YouTube
The Kitchen
The kitchen is the third area that Six will come across and it is aptly named considering the fact that this is the place where the Twin Chefs reside.
The kitchen is pretty standard as far as level design goes and features numerous areas that one would expect to encounter such as the pantry, a prep station, a cooking station, and a dishwashing area.
The garbage disposal is also located nearby. Within this section of the Maw, the Twin Chefs will cook food and prepare meals for the guests so be extra careful to avoid the chefs and all of the other common kitchen hazards.
Photo: Tarsier Studios – YouTube
The Guest Area
The guest area is the second last area that you will encounter in Little Nightmares and as its name implies is where most of the guests reside.
This means those guests will be the biggest threat that you will need to avoid as you go through this part of the Maw. The guest area features several floors and a large dining area with a variety of tables and chairs made to accommodate a large number of guests.
This area also features a bathroom as well as a bunch of guest rooms where the residents go to sleep after eating their meal. The guest area also connects to the lady’s quarters via the elevator and features the main exit from the Maw.
Photo: Tarsier Studios – YouTube
The Lady’s Quarters
The lady’s quarters is the fifth and final area of the Maw that you will have to go through. This area is also known as the residence and it is where the Lady herself can be found.
The area itself is a lot more lavish compared to other areas that you have to go through and features numerous luxuries such as carpets, expensive furniture, colorful wallpaper, and much more.
The lady’s quarters also feature numerous broken mirrors and mannequins, however, it is still a lot cleaner and extravagant compared to the rest of the Maw.
Photo: Tarsier Studios – YouTube
Little Nightmares – Tips and Tricks
Now that you are familiar with the game and all of its mechanics, as well as its levels, it is time to take a look at some tips and tricks that can make your playthrough a lot easier, and more enjoyable.
Use Your Lighter
As is the case in most horror survival games, you will often find yourself wandering the dark spaces looking for a clue or a solution to the next puzzle.
Now you are probably familiar with the fact that the character you play comes equipped with a lighter which they can use to illuminate the dark areas that you find yourself in and make finding the next clue a lot easier.
However, if you are a horror survival veteran, you may instinctively avoid using the lighter thinking that you may want to save the gas it has for when you really need it.
Unfortunately, you would be wrong to think that since the lighter has infinite fuel, and therefore, there is no good reason for you not to use it whenever you find yourself roaming in the darkness which will be almost all the time.
Photo: Tarsier Studios
Light The Lanterns
One of the first things that you will encounter when you begin your adventure in Little Nightmares are the lanterns which you can light by using your lighter.
These lanterns are scattered all over the game and serve as checkpoints once they are lit. Once you light them up, your progress will be saved and you will be able to continue your game from the last lantern that you lit.
There are twenty lanterns in total and lighting all of them will reward the player with the Light Up Your Life achievement.
Photo: Tarsier Studios
Hug The Nomes
Nomes are one of the few collectibles that you will encounter while playing Little Nightmares. And all you need to do is hug them. However, this may prove a lot more difficult than it seems.
When you encounter one of the Nomes, it will run away from you and you will be required to follow it through the level until you locate it. Each Nome will run away from you a few times before eventually standing still and allowing you to approach them.
Once you do, simply pick the Nome up and give it a hug. A short melody will play out to let you know that you have done everything correctly. It is worth mentioning that there are a total of thirteen Nomes that you will be required to hug and doing so will award you with the Little Lost Things achievement.
Photo: Tarsier Studios
Break The Statues
The statues are another type of collectible that you will need to look out for besides the Nomes which we already covered. While going through the Maw, you will come across the statues of Geishas.
These statues will often be hidden and out of the way of the main path that you will be traversing so you will have to put in some effort if you wish to find them.
Once you locate one of these statues, you will need to pick it up and then throw it in order to smash it into bits.
There are a total of ten statues scattered throughout the game and breaking all of them will reward you wit the Rascal achievement.
Photo: Tarsier Studios
Scripted Encounters
More often than not, you will find yourself encountering huge creatures and other dangerous situations that may seem quite scary at first in Little Nightmares. However, don’t get fooled by the size and the scary ambiance.
Most enemy encounters in this game are scripted which means that enemies that you come up against will always perform the same set of actions. Since that is the case, you should use this to your advantage and try out different things until you stumble onto something that works.
From there you can keep expanding on that action until you eventually solve the problem and are able to proceed with the game.
Photo: Tarsier Studios
Jumping Makes You Faster
If you played Little Nightmares, then you already know that there is no way to fight back against the strange creatures who are out to get you.
This means that running away or sneaking around are your only options. However, even at full speed, you may find yourself getting caught which can get frustrating. Fortunately, you can move faster by jumping forward.
This will give you a slight edge when you are trying to outrun your enemies. However, it is worth mentioning that you will only be able to jump three or four times before your character needs to take a break and rest so use this tip wisely.
Photo: Tarsier Studios
Don’t Fear The Hunger Pangs
As you progress through Little Nightmares and its levels, you will likely witness your character kneeling down and grabbing their abdomen. Don’t worry about this as these are only hunger pangs.
In Little Nightmares, hunger pangs are events that are scripted to occur at specific locations. This means that your character is getting hungry and as a consequence of that, your character will start to move slower and slower and eventually die.
Fortunately, you can stop this from occurring by eating food that you can usually find nearby.
Photo: Tarsier Studios
Light Detector Puzzles
While playing Little Nightmares, you will encounter multiple light detector puzzles. These are essentially tasks that require you to progress through the level while avoiding light, otherwise, your character will turn to stone and die and you will be required to repeat the section.
There is usually more than one solution to this type of puzzle, however, a good idea is always to hug the back wall where the source of the light is located.
This is because the light source is rarely able to shine the light right beneath it which will allow you to easily slip past it.
Photo: Tarsier Studios
Use The Slide
We have already gone over the fact that you can use your jump to move forward faster and cover more ground in Little Nightmares, however, using your slide can be just as useful.
When solving puzzles in Little Nightmares, you will quickly find out that many of them are timed and require you to progress past a certain point before your way forward is shut and you have to repeat the puzzle again.
In fact, more often than not, you will realize that the timer is so close that you are barely able to make it in time and past the door before it closes on you.
This is where the slide becomes your best friend as it will allow you to gain some more ground at a quick pace and help you progress further.
Photo: Tarsier Studios
Conclusion
All in all, Little Nightmares is an excellent game that features an interesting story, a wonderfully creepy ambiance, and challenging puzzles that require skill and strategy to successfully solve.
We hope that you have found our guide useful and wish you the best of luck as you traverse through the Maw yourself and lead Six to freedom.
If you have found this type of content such as Little Nightmares entertaining then check out our website for more gaming articles such as our Honkai Star Rail Kafka Tier List or our Residence Massacre Guide.
