Little Nightmares Video Game Series

The main designer of Little Nightmares is Denis Talajic, while Henrik Larsson is the producer. While working on the first title, the creators drew inspiration from both the films of the Japanese Ghibli studio (certain scenes from the game are particularly reminiscent of the Oscar-winning anime Spirited Away: In the Land of the Gods), as well as from the 1995 fantasy film The City of Lost Children).

The project for the first part was funded by the Nordic Game Program, among others. At the time of work on the game, in 2015, the developers planned to title it Hunger. A similar idea for the name was probably due to the theme of the work. The action of the first part was set in a mysterious, dark land, occupied by a variety of dangerous and hungry monsters. Its main character is Six - an inconspicuous girl, clad in a yellow rain cloak, herself struggling with a growing feeling of hunger. For unknown reasons, the protagonist lands in Maw - a kind of underwater resort, full of meat-thirsty guests. Avoiding numerous obstacles and unfriendly creatures, the girl tries at all costs to get out of the ghastly complex.

The first installment of Little Nightmares was warmly received by critics and players alike, and was awarded "Best Independent Game" at gamescon 2016. Particularly impressive was the surreal visuals, creatures and locations as if from a grotesque nightmare. The negative comments were mainly about the checkpoint system and the sheer length of the gameplay. However, the developers were more concerned with maintaining the game's good quality than artificially extending it through additional, unnecessary plots.

Little Nightmares II brings more information about the world in which Six has come to live. While wandering around Pale City, players still have the opportunity to follow the fate of a girl in a yellow cape, but this time they take control of a boy named Mono. Although this part, too, is played in single-player mode, in order to pass some stages of the game, the main character must cooperate with his companion (controlled by AI). Little Nightmares II also received a positive response, and sold a million copies within a month of its release.

The puzzle game released two years earlier Very Little Nightmares also maintains that eerie, gloomy atmosphere. The title has a cartoonish style, and the gameplay is carried out in isometric view. The protagonist of this part is once again Six, this time trying to get out of a terrifying mansion, called The Nest. Although the game was developed by a different studio, it also enjoys a preponderance of high ratings on both iOS and Android platforms.