Screenshots & trailers
What players say
Why the number is what it is: aspect mentions counted across 302 sampled Steam reviews (284 positive / 18 negative), recent and most-helpful. Plain keyword counting, fully reproducible; nothing here is written by a machine.
What positive reviews talk about
- Story & writing18% mention it
- Visuals & art14% mention it
- World & exploration13% mention it
- Music & audio7% mention it
- Controls & UI5% mention it
What negative reviews complain about
- Controls & UI33% mention it
- Story & writing28% mention it
- Visuals & art17% mention it
Satisfaction by hours played
Same score, different games: see how sentiment holds up the longer people play.
Under 5h
89%
125 reviews
5-15h
98%
129 reviews
15-40h
97%
39 reviews
Review sentiment over time
Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.
How this score was computed
The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.
| Component | Positive | Quality (0-100) | Weight (pseudo-reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press reviews (OpenCritic) | – | 79 | 30 |
| Creator reviews (5 tracked) | – | 81 | 2 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 95% | 89 | 1066 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | 84 | 100 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 96% | 92 | 105 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 300 reviews sampled · 198 total reviews in window · weighted 147.1 up / 5.6 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (151)
Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.
- 80
“Despite the lack of original ideas and obvious problems with the controls during the chases, Little Nightmares is very atmospheric stealth adventure game with great graphics, interesting main character, a strange world and impressive music. If you like INSIDE and Limbo, then be sure to play Little Nightmares too.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Fans of Limbo and Inside should definitely check out Little Nightmares. It's a big step forward for 2D-horrors and dark platformers, and this game will definitely inspire independent developers in the future if they decide to create something similar. Playdead's Inside raised the bar sky high, but Tarsier achieved almost similar results and brought plenty of fresh ideas to the table.”
read full review ↗ - 30
“The game is beautiful to look at from a distance but disappointing up close and ultimately functionless.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Little Nightmares is a little pearl of a game. For a low price we get 4 hours and a really memorable interactive story. Limbo, Inside and Journey just got a new, cool friend. As usual there are some things missing but the heavy atmosphere and tons of emotions make it all worthwhile.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Merriam-Webster defines maw as "the throat, gullet, or jaws especially of a voracious animal." By the end of it all, Six becomes the voracious animal, devouring anything and everything in her path. Little Nightmares is a vicious cycle where the prey becomes the predator, and an effective one at that.”
read full review ↗ - 95
“We are in the shoes of Six, a little girl who wakes up in a suitcase and tries to escape from the Maw, something strange between a ship and a submarine, evading macabre foes who wish to devour her”
read full review ↗ - 55
“Little Nightmares is a game begging to be examined more closely, but even if you do, I'm not sure you'll ever get a concrete answer. Despite being visually engaging, nothing I was shown motivated me to dig deeper, leaving the experience feeling a bit underwhelming.”
read full review ↗ - 84
“Little Nightmares is a remarkable game, focused on its gloomy atmosphere, as if taken from a gothic tale. The monsters in Six's way are things that can only be born from a kid's worst nightmare and it is really enjoyable to see how it becomes real on your screen. In reality, there isn't anything new here, but Tarsier Studios has taken all these things and added its own personality and narrates a horror tale that kept my eyes wide open during the entire experience. ”
read full review ↗ - 80
“A wonderful atmospheric ride that can be powered through in just over an hour if dashing by everything along the way, but it will actually keep the majority of gamers plugging away for a few hours longer as the timed-puzzles and conundrums found within this thrilling escapade, complete with platform challenges to add to the already high tension levels, and extras to uncover, provide plenty of entertainment.”
read full review ↗ - 75
“The fantastic tale of Six and her surreal adventure through the uncanny valley is one that will not be forgotten, especially after the startling character development of Six and the haunting ending. The artwork of this game is assuredly one of my all-time favourites, challenging the horror genre to step away from excessive gore and lazy jumpscares.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“Little Nightmares feels like a delicious food which leaves a very great taste in your mouth. The only problem of this game is that it’s really short. Little Nightmares is definitely inspired by games like Inside but it has its very own feeling and is one of the best dark platformer games of this generation.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Little Nightmares is like a fledgling chef's interpretation of a gourmet dish: it looks the part and hits the spot, but it won't live too long in the memory once you've greedily gobbled it up. Outstanding presentation is paired with some forgettable puzzles and a slightly fragmented fiction, leaving a feast that will satisfy without ever really forcing your tastebuds to explode.”
read full review ↗
GameMAG
3DNews
Slant Magazine
GRYOnline.pl
Paste Magazine
Indie Games Devel
Cubed3
Nexus Hub
Zoomg
Push Square…and 139 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
No patch announcements found on Steam yet.