Bandai Namco’s Little Nightmares is a very interesting looking game. It has an unmistakable look to it and an art-style all its own. The best part about it is that the game looks and runs fantastic. Some gameplay footage of the play-house style setup was let loose at this year’s GamesCom in Cologne, Germany.
The video features the main protagonist, draped in a yellow rain coat, rummaging around in a sandbox bedroom. While the camera angle is fixed on a 2D plane, it does pan and zoom based on where the player is positioned. We see some physics on display, the lighting engine in full bloom and some light platforming as well. You can check out the video below, courtesy of Pressakey.
The start of the video sees the player character hopping around, scarring off some of the creatures, causing them to scurry under the bed. After messing about for a bit, the player character proceeds to drag a suitcase over to the door where they use it to reach the doorknob and begin exploring an unlit hallway.
The lighting and frame-rate are really what’s key here setting the mood and giving gamers something that looks both whimsical and frightening.
The “frightening” part comes into play when the player heads down an elevator and encounters and obese chef chopping at meat in the kitchen. Some stealth elements come into play as the player sneaks behind the chef and heads through a hole at the base of the wall.
The lumbering chef thuds across the floor, searching for the little barefoot girl in the yellow raincoat, but fails capture the player.
There’s a sausage puzzle that takes place thereafter, with the player having to work some machinery and throw some meat into a grinder.
After creating some gross looking sausage links, the player proceeds to use them as a makeshift rope to get into the air duct.
The video ends after something in the ground starts chasing after the little girl.
Tasier Studios has a potential sleeper hit on their hands with this game if it’s handled well and right. It reminds me a little bit of Playdead Studios Inside, but a little less grim and a little more urgent. You can look for Little Nightmares to launch in early 2017. For more info feel free to visit the official website.
