Little Nightmares is a puzzle platformer and survival horror game that follows the story of Six, a little girl who traverses a mysterious ship-like vessel called The Maw. The game includes many platform elements, while having Six solve puzzles along the way to move forward with the narrative.
The game can be completed in three-to-four hours, as it is relatively short. If you are looking to complete the game having obtained all achievements, then you are looking at possibly seven hours of playtime. Before proceeding with the game, here are a few tips that can help make your first playthrough less frustrating and more enjoyable.
Don't Hesitate To Use Your Lighter
There are many points throughout the game in which you will find yourself in complete darkness. You will notice that you are equipped with a lighter, which will serve as your only light source for the rest of the game. The lighter does not run out of gas, so there is no need to worry about overusing it. It can be turned on as much as required by the player.
Make Sure You Light The Lanterns
Throughout the game, you will encounter lanterns scattered throughout each chapter. It is important that you light these using your lighter, as they will save your progress each time one is lit.
There are a total of 20 lanterns that can be found throughout the entirety of the game. They will sometimes also appear as candles. Besides saving your progress, lighting all 20 lanterns in the game will give you the Light Up Your Life achievement.
Remember To Break Statues
There are a total of ten statues of Geishas hidden throughout the game. You'll have to take a bit of a detour at times and possibly up your playtime to find them all. That being said, they are one of the main collectibles in the game. Once you have collected all ten, you will unlock the Rascal achievement.
Upon finding one, pick it up and throw it so that it shatters. Black smoke emerging from it will be the indicator that you have successfully destroyed it.
Show Nomes Some Love
The Nomes are another one of the two main collectibles that you can acquire during your play through. There is a total of 13 Nomes, and they will require a bit of extra effort to collect. They will run away from Six, but you must follow them for a short period of time before you find them standing still.
Grab them and give them a hug. A short tune will play and indicate that you have done this correctly. Upon hugging all 13 of the Nomes, you will unlock the Little Lost Things achievement.
Use The Chapter Selection Menu
This can be very helpful in terms of tracking your progress. It can also assist you regarding your collectibles. If you would like to see which collectibles you are still missing, you can do this from the Chapter Select menu.
It is, however, important to note that the first Nome for Chapter 4 cannot be collected through this method. You have to beat Chapter 3 and play until you have reached a save point for this Nome to count. You will not unlock the Little Lost Things achievement without this Nome.
Know Your Controls
The controls that will allow your character to move will be introduced as you begin the game. However, it is important to memorize these well for the gameplay, as you will have to react very quickly in some more intense parts of the game.
The most important control is grab, which will allow Six to interact with objects, as this is not an automatic action. On PlayStation controllers, this will be R2 and on Xbox, this will be RT.
Complete Light Detector Puzzles
There are numerous light detector puzzles found within the game. These require Six to hide behind objects to avoid the light. If she is caught in the light, she will be turned to stone and your character will die.
An easy way to avoid this from happening is by heading to the very back of the room. This will allow you to walk along the wall to which the light is attached until you get to the other side. You will be able to bypass the system undetected.
Hunger Pangs Are Normal
At various points throughout the game, you will see your character kneeling over and holding her stomach. Do not panic, as this is just scripted. Six is hungry, and you will have to obtain food. It is important that you act quickly though and try to move forward as fast as possible.
The hunger pangs will slow her character significantly. Keep going, and you will eventually encounter food. At times, it will be given to you, and other times you will have to find it yourself. Six will die if she is not fed in time.
Check Your Achievements List Before Starting The Game
If you want to acquire as many of the achievements as possible on your first playthrough, then it would be a good idea to check your list of achievements before beginning the game. This will help you in terms of what you will have to look out for, and give you an idea of which places or items hold special value.
It could also help to play around with your character, as there are oftentimes hidden achievements — especially if you are playing on platforms like Steam. An example of this would be the Highly Sprung achievement, which can be unlocked by jumping on the first bed you encounter in Chapter 1.
Jump To Move Quicker
Although this can tire out your character very quickly, a helpful way in which you can run faster would be to jump while you sprint. This can help in terms of better evading enemies that may be giving chase. However, you may only be limited to three or four jumps while running before your character will tire and slow down significantly. Be sure to use this with caution.