Is this game straight out of Tim Burton’s daydreams?
Just in time for Halloween, you can now play some of Little Nightmares, a dark puzzle-stealth-platformer. It is being developed by Tarsier Studios, who are known mostly for their work on Sony’s LittleBigPlanet series. Little Nightmares has taken a decidedly darker turn from LBP, and we’re loving it so far.
In Little Nightmares, you play as a gnome-like character called Six who is trying to escape the Maw, “a vast, mysterious vessel inhabited by corrupted souls looking for their next meal.” You tiptoe from room to room choosing how to interact with your surroundings to escape certain death. You might make the wrong choice and have to take a step back–or perish and have to start over completely.
The game makes you solve simple physics-based puzzles to get through the Maw and away from danger. The puzzles will remind you of those in the similarly eerie game Limbo, but Little Nightmares‘ unique animation style reminds us more of Tim Burton’s Coraline, as it feels almost like claymation.
In the point-and-click browser demo of Little Nightmares, you are presented with a few different vague interaction choices in each section of a dank, dark kitchen. One option might have Six climb onto a table and grab a useful item, while another might make your character sneak under the table away from detection. And the third option might get you caught by the gross, grubby chef. While the demo is limited in interactivity, it is a great way to get a feel for the game’s physics-puzzles and soak up the beautifully chilling art style.
Little Nightmares will be released for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC in the spring of 2017.
