Little Nightmares

Did you ever play Chibi-Robo! and think, “I would enjoy this so much more if it was creepy as fuck”? If so, then Little Nightmares is the game for you. It’s basically a pastiche of every cinematic platformer ever, from Another World to INSIDE, along with that wobbly gothic art style that’s been permanently associated with Tim Burton. As such, it doesn’t have a single original mechanic to its name, but its presentation and the overall sensation of playing it make it worth doing so. It has its share of frustrations; namely, the use of a 2.5D perspective for actual 3D gameplay, the unclear delineation between useful and useless items, and some unfairly abrupt chase sequences. But the puzzles, level design, and atmosphere are consistently strong, and the story’s unusual turns and subject matter are far more interesting than anyone would expect.