Little Nightmares - The "Suspenseful" Experiment | Full Analysis (read description)
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- Опубликовано: 26 сен 2024
- IMPORTANT!!! THIS VIDEO IS NOT INDICATIVE OF THE CHANNEL'S QUALITY. Watch more recent videos or watch this at your own risk. Much of this video is unclear or not explained properly. A couple things are incorrect as well. Subscribe and hit the bell for a future video on the DLC and sequel, which will also include a summary of my Little Nightmares 1 thoughts.
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Hi all, thank you so much for watching! I'll be creating a (much higher quality) follow-up DLC and sequel critique in the future, so subscribe and hit the bell if you want to be notified when that releases!
Thanks for the compliment! I've definitely improved my writing, audio, and editing over the years so I'm glad you think even this video was good haha! And thanks for showing interest in future videos. I've seen others express interest over Inside and/or Limbo so I'll probably make something for it.
@@DesignFrameCaseStudiesI’D definatly watch it.
I really enjoyed this video so I can't wait for the DLC and second game critique!
Something that might have helped with the chefs is giving them the ability to throw objects like we see them do at the end of their chapter. When they can’t reach you like when your on top of furniture for in the vent they could through bottles get you.
That's an interesting idea -- the player would need to be able to react in time, but I could see the idea working if implemented properly.
I always interpreted the chef scene as putting the player in the shoes of a rat. What would it feel like to scurry around under food, hated by murderous ugly giants.
To make things more interesting and follow that theme you could add traps with environmental clues in some of the ‘safe’ locations. This would make the player spend the time under the tables thinking about where to go next and trying to decide what is safe and what it a trap. Also rewarding players for effort on repeat try’s as they’ll have learned what is not safe.
I’d end the section with a long stretch where the player can’t see the next safe area until they’ve run for a bit. Causing them to have to use what they’ve learned in a higher stakes climax.
I’d stylize the climax as getting closer to the ‘pantry’ to environmentally justify more ‘traps’. Adding bait in the traps could also add to the horror, most of them could have food but maybe one has a simple teddy bear. This trap has already been set off and there’s a child’s torn coat on it. Because the traps been set off Id actually make this one of the ‘safe’ areas you need to pass through giving the player a moment to take in what’s happed.
I like the idea of things being thrown at you as well, if telegraphed well it could add to the gameplay, maybe the chefs even have to actively pick up an item to throw at you ad the player can bait them to toss it before they make a run for it if the player sees them pick up an object.
I think all of these things would add to the feeling of being a rat in a kitchen. It feels like that’s what makes the scene memorable and interesting.
There is a lot of stuff that is implied in the game like six’s hunger, it’s a hunger for bigger more sentient life forms over time. As to why she has it and how it came about: we don’t have a clue. I feel like the sequel will answer questions on how the world in shambles runs and I definitely look forward to it.
" *A little yellow jacket* "
I laughed omg
So if you explain too much the horror, investigation and theory crafting is broken as you know everything. If you explain too little then it's a problem with the story. Ironic considering that the most popular horror media like ARG and analog horror relies completely on the story and its lack of giving any sort of answers unless you watch some youtuber explain what is going on. Not giving a lot of information away works for Little Nightmares because the game is already surreal, is more form over function and feels exactly like a dream or nightmare and yet a story can still be formed.
Six eating others makes since in that at first she is never given the chance to eat another living thing, just bread, then a rat. It may seem like it is done for shock (which it is) but it also makes sense in the story. The lady is able to use the other mirrors because they are also fractured and broken, given a distorted sense of self. The control prompt is also such a non-issue since it rarely appears and I never had an issue with throwing objects other then the very first time trying, but that is usually how learning game mechanics go.
Also I find it absolutely funny how you say the game is patronizing with it telling you how to play yet complain about not knowing what to do with the China Dolls. The chances of not thinking they are important and breaking one to get a sound que and smoke is slim considering that they can be found in a lot of places and the game encourages you to pick stuff up and play around with them by throwing, unless you have zero imagination or focusing on only beating the game as fast as possible. Not impossible, slim although there will always be a percentage of players who miss certain game mechanics that are optional to complete the game. And who cares if it is at the start of the game as you are probably going to go for a second playthrough if you want those collectables, or just start again at the first level to get it.
While subjective I find the checkpoints to be good, mostly because it is a casual game and if you do die the point to get back to is easy or the checkpoint is right before the difficult part. This just seems to me more complaining unless your ideal checkpoint system is to be placed literally a few steps behind where you failed. I also don't understand why you would complain about the leeches, gameplay is needed and the leeches are the perfect solution to walk around and avoid a threat and without it you will just have twice as many long walks which I would consider to be tiresome. If the leeches was only used a couple of times then people would complain how they were only used twice before being scrapped. Now using a monster once can create fear but these are just black tubes, nothing special and they don't really appear that often anyway.
Also why are you complaining about the janitor puzzle fight? It should be obvious on what you should do even after a few minutes. Yet you complained about the game giving you hints before and your whining about how the "cages should always lead to somewhere all the time" just comes off as that, whining. Also why would you ever suggest trying to solve puzzles while being chased by a monster when that is the most HATED situation for any survival horror player?
Why are you complaining about the lady chase sequence when before you kept saying how there needs to be a threat? It's all just coming across that you are just mad for failing this point. Not every horror game needs to be a walking simulator or would you also complain how there isn't enough threats if it was?
Now for some actual criticism about the game. Despite the awkward platforming because of the perspective being the most complained part of the game that is never even brought up? The gameplay itself is simple and could use a little more other then running and hiding. While the story can be a complaint it is more of a factor of personal taste and if you need everything spoon fed to you and have most of it explained then you are not going to like this game. Having to need to look up outside sources to understand the story of a game is bad design I will admit but the game straddles that line for me and comes off as inviting you to go learn more then needing to go on their website to learn but I 100% understand why somebody would hate that. The game can be frustrating at times on a first playthrough because of a few hiccups but it never came across as being antagonistic and people forgive a lot more glaring issues with games when they die due to a glitch or trap. This whole review to me comes across as you just being frustrated at failing a couple of times and wanting almost everything about a surreal horror game explained.
I appreciate the comment! I'll start by saying that this is one of my older videos that's not well-written and I probably got a few design things wrong in. I don't properly convey the main point I was trying to make with the story and that's 100% my fault. To summarize: the story/lore/etc. took a middle-of-the-road approach. There's a difference between an abstract, atmospheric horror type of feeling (that Little Nightmares almost nails really) and a feeling that evokes confusion because there are too many open-ended threads. Someone said in a comment that the "story gets too linked to remain abstract" and I tend to agree with that.
I was most likely wrong with the control prompt stuff. I wouldn't consider controls hand-holding. I might have been trying to convey how sometimes those prompts spoil the puzzle. Or perhaps I found them a bit misleading / not helpful for the current situation. But I don't remember the specifics, I would have to replay the game and/or revisit the video. I should replay the game anyway before playing the DLC and sequel that I still want to make a (much higher quality) video on.
I don't remember the context for many of your points. One thing I do remember is that the Lady chase sequence isn't about the presence or absence of a threat. It's about how, even if you react when you see her coming, you'll most likely get caught. Every attempt after the first is no longer scary, so it doesn't do the game justice to not have lenience. Based on your different interpretation of that section, I'm guessing there are explanations (or not) for your other points that I'm currently unaware of, which I'm sure is mostly due to my writing at the time. So I'm sorry about that! I would totally remake this video if it was reasonable to do so.
Ehh I personally think not having any concrete answers is what makes LN so fun to think about and play. The obscureness of the story is what makes people talk about it and I thought even back then when it first came out that the story they're telling and how they are telling it is very intriguing. Plopping the player right in the middle of a story with no context or even a NAME is so effective in upping the mystery and intrigue. Now, if you've played LN2 and listened to the ongoing podcast, you'll realize this is very on brand and it has a story purpose. That said, LN 2 is way better story-wise, gameplay wise, and in pacing imo.
Yeah, I didn't explain this well at all, and my videos have gotten a ton better since this one, but what I ultimately intended by the story segment was how the story/lore/etc. took a middle-of-the-road approach. There's a difference between an abstract, atmospheric horror type of feeling (that Little Nightmares almost nails really) and a feeling that evokes confusion because there are too many open-ended threads. Someone said in a comment that the "story gets too linked to remain abstract" and I tend to agree with that. Sorry that I wasn't clear on my feelings on that.
I wasn't aware that there's an ongoing LN podcast. I still intend on discussing LN2 eventually, so that sounds interesting.
This is a really underrated critique. I love LN as much as the next nerd, but it’s not perfect. While I’m not versed enough to express my problems with the gameplay, I’m happy to know others think the story was handled too sloppily for being so ambitious. The lore can be fun to puzzle over but more often than not, it’s just obtuse and frustrating. In the case of the hanged man, why would somebody stage a suicide and why does it even matter? More likely than not, the developers just included him out of impulse. The chair being too short is likely an oversight, too. But if you handle story so carelessly, why proceed to throw in weirdly-specific details? Why tease some grand conspiracy behind everything? Or create thematic throughlines? This is a story where children get eaten and no amount of world-building would justify that. To a child, a world like this wouldn’t make any sense - they’d be too focused on survival. Why make _us_ think over larger-scale repercussions and lore? If anything, we should be feeling powerless like children.
I very much agree. Excellently said :)
You don’t have to feel powerless to make a good horror game! However I do see your point to an extent! I need to do more reading on this game so I can understand it more! But I think the story is great and since nothing is perfect it’s better to look at the positives this game brings compared to the negatives. But that’s just me! :)
@@PhantasticMrPhrog You're not wrong. Personally, I don't view looking at the negatives as negative. It's more like voicing things that should be voiced. It's because I care about Little Nightmares that I want them to be the best they can be.
been binge watching your videos :D your discussions really are incredible, you constantly find new things to say that aren't repetitive or meaningless - hopefully by keep watching your vids, I can learn a lot more myself! Thanks for all the great content :)
Hey thank you so much for the super kind words! It truly means a lot! :)
Insane level of detail, earned a sub and deserve way more dude
Thank you very much!
I think the logic behind the sprint/gap problem was that if you wouldn't clear the gap fast enough unless you run. Gap or no gap the solution the the puzzle is speed. ALSO IN the beginning of the game if you take a long time, those actions you described DO have hints. You probably missed a lot of the hints because you did them right quickly. Also after looking at many gameplay videos, being able to look around is surprisingly absent, people almost never use it even when they see the prompt. It also gives you that hint because if you look UP there is a WIRE connecting the bars to the switch. Similar thing goes for the swinging one as the sprinting one. It's the first time in the game that you could swing so it's not something people would think of. After trying to get through the door without swinging a few times you pretty much have to be told that you can do that.
I would agree regarding the swinging except that there's only ever one thing you can do inside the room, so it's not like there's anything else the player can try. Although the game never forces the player directly into the action so the player doesn't necessarily know it exists, so I would imagine if something like the Guests chapter came before the swinging in the cage room then it wouldn't be an issue. There's also a difference between the beginning and the swinging. In the beginning, the game places you in darkness and with one exit, so that forces both mechanics in a confined area. The reason the swinging would be different is because it's an extension and new application of the grabbing mechanic that we already know, so it takes more input. So you're right, the swinging is different in that regard, thanks for pointing that out. I'm learning from each video so hopefully I won't make similar mistakes in the future!
I don't think moving the camera was ever really necessary, and if it was, it should have at the very least been taught in a situation that notably needed to move the camera, since the switch was obviously connected to something relevant that was already clearly visible. However, you make a good point and I should have clarified, now that I know there's a wire up there haha.
That's great to know that tutorials pop up in the first room. I guess that further proves how effective the game is at teaching the lighter and grabbing mechanics!
Thanks for watching! I greatly appreciate taking the time to comment :)
I have seen people try other things with the swinging room, there are boxes to climb on and pipes people think might be platforms. The thing about the puzzles where the prompts show up is core to the idea of tutorials through learning. The game doesn't ever explicitly give you an idea about what the result should be. Am I supposed to get through the door I opened? Will that switch turn off the power? It's not a guarantee that even people who know how to swing will try. And the fix of putting the guest chapter first would really mess with the setting too. In the case of all the tutorials they have them set up on timers and in locations where you only see them if you don't do it right the first time. The prompts are for what I call action puzzles. They include platforming and intractability. Leaving a person alone in a room with an item to throw and a button like you said is not always resultful as the player might not know the nuance of holding the button down. There is a chance that they get it right but they only give you the promp that says "hold" after they see it as halting the pacing. They have the game paced so getting stuck on something is something that they need to keep players from doing. In the room with the switch and bars people might not even think to close the door, so they have no idea that there's even a switch to pull. The prompt to look around for the wire isn't to make the connection per say, its so those few who keep the door open think to close it. The issue with the game isn't prompts or nuances, it's the open appearance of it's puzzles. There are too many things you can do. The lighter for instance is a thing people consider as a solution because people think "maybe I can light something on fire" even though the game doesn't ever do that. The game let's you slide out of a sprint so people think that's how you get through the swinging puzzle's door. They even removed the whistle mechanic! It's a loose loose situation. Simplify the controls and make the gameplay less organic/more robotic, or keep the character's personalty and organicness and have players do things that should work but don't. It could have been done a little better, but to be honest they were pretty spot on in the middle and I'm satisfied with that.
Goodness, when viewed from a pacing perspective you're absolutely right, that's probably what they had in mind. I missed an entire angle regarding that section then. Regarding the Guests point I made, I meant that they could have forced the swinging mechanic better, like they did in the Guests chapter, but that was executed differently than it would have needed to be, so that's another can of worms.
I had to look up the whistle, that's fascinating. I assume they removed it to promote the idea of sneaking through undetected in a spooky/unknown atmosphere rather than abusing the chase system.
Hands down want a DLC Analysis.
Well, it took me long enough to finally get around to watching this video and I have to say, this is the best video you’ve made by far. Hell, it’s one of the best videos I’ve seen this year, and this is coming from someone who basically lives on RUclips.
It offered a completely new perspective that I haven’t seen anywhere else on the site this year. It was very well explained and structured, as well as perfectly pointing out what personally bothered me about the game. I’m glad I wasn’t the only one who had the opinion that this game felt a bit lacking.
In my factual opinion, the only real flaw with this video was that the transition between the story and the mechanics was a little jarring. I felt as if they weren’t totally linked together as best as they could be.
To immediately go from saying that the way Little Nightmares tells its story doesn’t work out because it cannot have the best of both worlds in the way it wants, to immediately cutting to a title card and start out by just saying that the mechanics are quite exceptional is a bit strange (sorry for the long sentence). If you were to make the script link together a bit more, the video would be a bit better. But I’m not gonna linger on this too much, as it is only a very minor problem in an otherwise outstanding video.
This was a fantastic video and I cannot wait to see what you do next. Great job!
Wow, that means a lot... Thank you, I greatly appreciate it :)
I received criticism for the Story chapter along similar lines, that I didn't exactly convey the point until the end right before I move on to the next chapter. And I think that's probably where your criticism is coming from. I 100% agree, I admit that was a mistake during the scripting process; I moved the ending paragraph from the middle and didn't consider how some of the context or driving point was lost.
Again, thanks for taking the time to watch and comment. I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you for making this! I am planning (although it may never be completed) on making a game inspired by Little Nightmares, you have given me different things and points to think of that I haven’t before (as well as just being entertaining)
Good video. My only note is that the instruction for moving the camera help you solve the puzzle because it's then easy to see where the wiring from the electric doors connect.
I wish they finished their Canceled game, The city of Metronome looked very interesting and looked more polished than Little Nightmares, but Im happy with what they delivered in the end, Tarsier has a very unique taste when it comes to binding different Aesthetics into eachother and making something that has some sort of 'story' system built into it that makes it feel lived in.
The tutorial to look around was so you could see the wires leading to the switch hidden behind the door
Finally got the time to finish this video. Very curious on how this game blew up and have people started discussing the story based on all these vague hints in the game. Perhaps it has something to do with the publisher doing the marketing push, but nevertheless it's undoubtedly an intriguing looking game even though there's a lot of holes in the theories and stuffs.
Also, seems like you've nailed your recordings since the Edith Finch video! They sound very natural and hopefully it'll be the standard from now on. Congratulations on that!
Yeah it seems like LN became a "cult classic" of sorts. It's interesting how theories keep popping up when the devs clearly want to hint at random elements without giving answers. The visuals are great, though, I can't deny that!
I'm glad to hear that, thanks man! Hopefully I can maintain that as my standard :)
Alot of your issues with the game besides technical problems were kinda intended. Its supposed to be ambiguous and vague yet having secrets underneath that you just cant see like the maw itself.
Right, but I think there's a difference between an abstract, atmospheric horror type of feeling (that Little Nightmares almost nails) and a feeling that evokes confusion because there are too many open-ended threads.
I disagree a bit in your inspection of the game's story not being very clear dispite that I myself found the developers where a just a bit sloppy with the whole mystery aura of the game. I do how ever agree with most of the lost potential that game devs olympicly missed. I hate the fact the was DLC, if you play it you feel this is an elements that could had being in he main game but idk what was the cause of cutting it off. The Devs can easily scape criticism of this because of the new playable character and the whole lore of the game s world. But why not make a well self contain story unsted of breaking it soo much!? Anyways LN is a with okey game, one that missed so many opportunities of being as great as it could had been and explain a bit more his themes of childhood fears throught the gameplay and story.
The developers being sloppy with the mysterious atmosphere or aura is a good way to look at it. I don't think it helps that the game is entirely too short and felt like ideas thrown into each chapter. I'm glad you offered the sloppy take 'cause that seems to be a great descriptor the more I think about it.
"Escape criticism because of the new playable character", as if there are differences other than appearance haha. I haven't played the DLC yet, and I hope to cover it at some point, but it sounds like the DLC follows the same themes as the main game--experimenting with ideas as a way to gain designing experience. I'd be curious to see what a sequel would hold.
Indeed, the devs weren't sloppy in his in entirety there was thought to put in some things, but yeah did what Bob Ross would call a "happy mistake".. you don't do happy mistakes. Devs creating lore and fan reaction to that is a whole big separate subject in LN.
I really hope you get to cover the DLC, I don't want to spoil anything but to me it felt that ALL of it should have made a part in the main game. When I started to play it felt a little more "game design". a lot of the problems you found in the main game get a revision in the DLC, such as the emphasis of the Janitor and darkness, the sea of shoes get an expansion and is replaced by water and is far more intense (the sea of shoes is cool idea but so undevelop both gameplay and story wise), the Nomes and the Lady get a bigger role and is put into context their nature. I think those are the words that make up the DLC "context and refine" something it felt a little more rewarding but also frustrating of not being part of the main game.
Huh, I can't wait to play it then. I'd love to play the darker areas and see how that was improved. The sea of shoes felt like an introduction to an idea never used so I'd be happy to see it actually used. And I would also like to see the Lady used in more tense situations, as I've discussed. I'll hopefully cover the DLC this year, but we'll see!
44:51 I had a hard time doing that part because I thought that I'd at least still have the key.
I'm sorry, I'm not quite sure what you mean. You thought you'd still have the key from the table after unlocking the door with it?
Corvus Analyzes Like once I respawn, I already brought the key past the meat room and by the elevator but died and had to do it again.
(Edit) I feel honored that you replied, thanks.
Ah, I didn't even consider that, but I could see that considering the respawn is weird. Thanks for pointing that out. And I try to reply to everyone; thanks for commenting :)
I hope you get to enjoy the second one
I like you did such an indepth overview but yes the control prompts do seem to take away from the no hud elements but you be surprised by the lack of intuition that people have who play games casually
The problem isn't what the game does necessary cause it kind of required but its the audience it tries to please, truly tho game have been way better if it forget them not and not worry about sales.
You cant expect a concept like this to appeal to the casual without these things, its a one play for many so that alone is cucking the impact on casuals so making it a knowledge check is to much for most. this also expands to concepts for what game could of been cause it had darker elements vrs teen/everyone ratting also segments like the granny was seen as to hard for base game hence why Runaway kids gameplay is way harder compared to six playstyle of die enough u get it vrs critical thinking and puzzle segments Runaway had.
Hopefully tho with progress by little nightmares 2 we will get concepts explored more visually at least with 3rd installment maybe since the monsters in that one was more out there.
Yeah this is one of my older videos and I've improved significantly since. I agree that I'm not sure that my HUD element criticisms hold up. While it's always better to have intuitive gameplay / level design, the game still needs to teach controls or give hints in some way if it improves the player experience. Thanks for commenting!
Can’t say I agree or understand any of the negatives you made here but, a well made video!
Yeah it's not a very good video lol. But thanks!
If I have to be honest, one of my problems with Little Nightmares is how the games handle Six as a character. On the one hand, she seems to havesome form of morality, as seen in Very Little Nightmares and 2, has some form of independance and trust issues, and her journey to...wherever, possibly has some form of motive as to why it's happening...
...but then she'll just randomly devour a Nome or leave Mono to die; while there's theories as to why she does this, the series as of yet gives no explanation to Six's sudden Heel moments. My best conclusion is that the entire series is a "twist", with the build up being to reveal that Six was never a normal girl or even human; she was just a monster who LOOKED human and we all fell for it, much like those in the games. It sounds cliche or dumb, but with how modern horror ephasizes downer endings and diablous ex machinas, I wouldn't be surprised if a 3rd game had Six, say, stop someone from fixing this nightmarish world so she can keep devour people or something.
I guess my point is is that Six, while an interesting lead, loses a lot of interest for me (and from what I've seen, many a player) due to the random acts of evil she commits, which is likely to lead people to WANTING to kill her off instead of aiding Six. Which isn't the best if Six is to continue being our leading lady.
The game is abstract-it didn’t have a plot that had an ending. But the whole game is an abstraction; so there can be no criticism of its plot if you also are going to mention the abstract nature of the game
Yeah, I didn't explain this well at all, and my videos have gotten a ton better since this one, but what I ultimately intended by the story segment was how the story/lore/etc. took a middle-of-the-road approach. There's a difference between an abstract, atmospheric horror type of feeling (that Little Nightmares almost nails really) and a feeling that evokes confusion because there are too many open-ended threads. Someone said in a comment that the "story gets too linked to remain abstract" and I tend to agree with that. Sorry that I wasn't clear on my feelings on that.
I still appreciate your thoughts and opinion on the game
Idk if you still read the comments here but have you seen the second games
I'm planning on playing the DLCs and the second game but I haven't yet. I'll definitely be making a (much higher quality) video on them in the future.
@@DesignFrameCaseStudies that's great. This was a really good video
Just like the monsters in Power Rangers,we viewers are gonna help make your channel grow,and possibly fight some crazy teens inside a giant mech suit.With that out of the way,I have to say this video was very well done.I'm looking forward to your take on the dlcs.
p.s. It's a refreshing pace to see a video is this long and well thought out.I appreciate the longer thought out videos way more than the quick and condensed hashed together videos everyone else makes.
I'm glad to hear that it was time well spent! Goodness do these take exponentially longer than short videos haha. I appreciate the kind words :)
Are you saying we're the Power Ranger antagonists? Or am I missing something? xp
You're welcome and yes I am,except unlike the Power Rangers' typical villains,we win.
Count me in ;)
Alright,what will be your super villain powers?
p.s. Someday an anime will be made in honor of the first villains to become main characters that defeat the heroes,which ironically would make us become heroes amongst other villains. lol :P
I haven't finished it yet since I don't have time, but there's an anime called Overlord that might intrigue your interest since they're technically villains or something, I don't know it's been a while.
I really liked your fnaf sb video but going back thru everything else on this channel feels so slow and repetitive. This video? What is this video? How does the story of the game warrant so much nitpicking? It doesn't interfere with gameplay at all, the cook doesn't take away control from you to exposition dump about the hanged man, the lady doesn't monologue. You barely have to experience any of these story hints at all, unless you're Trying to put it together. If there's anything worth criticizing about this kind of story it's that it's obviously try hard theory bait but it's harmless and unobtrusive. This feels like if matpat's on screen persona hated his job and/or the games he covers.
So like, congrats on the progress you've made, genuinely, but it's so confusing to witness backwards.
(yes, I read The description, but go count how many times "disjunct" shows up in the more recent control video)
Yeah I hate some of my older videos lol. But I feel like I have to leave them up.
I didn't explain this well at all, but what I ultimately intended by the story segment was how the story/lore/etc. took a middle-of-the-road approach. There's a difference between an abstract, atmospheric horror type of feeling (that Little Nightmares almost nails really) and a feeling that evokes confusion because there are too many open-ended threads. Someone said in a comment that the "story gets too linked to remain abstract" and I tend to agree with that.
(Only four times, all justified as part of the thesis or related to in some way, although I suppose since it can be a harsher sounding word that it stands out more)
You do bring up really good criticism though, this is a good video.
Thank you very much!
Wow you did not like this game as much as I did. 😬 But that is okay
Can you please give us your L.N. II review?
I'm fairly positive I'll be playing it relatively soon so a video is a likely possibility. I'm glad to hear you're interested!
"We know someone else killed him because his feet are above the chair." Doesn't that imply he killed himself, though?
I was thinking since the chair is under him, that means he didn't kick it out from underneath him. It looks like someone or something hung him from above, then placed a chair underneath. But I may be looking too much into it. I don't do a good job of explaining stuff in my older videos, so I'm sorry about that.
I'd love to see you cover Little Nightmares 2
I still haven't played it but I'd like to! A video on it would be a huge step up from this video.
@@DesignFrameCaseStudies it has been 5 years and you still answer comments, you are a legend man, keep up the top quality content you make
After replaying you notice things. Like the chef chapter wasn't good. You can just run past them
Yeah and they weren't particularly scary compared to some of the other monsters. It probably would've helped if the chefs were more of a threat.
@@DesignFrameCaseStudies honestly now they seem goofy tbh
Hard agree on the story issues. The world building is nonensical and the story gets too linked to remain abstract to me as well. The directors’ additional content only makes everything more muddled, which is incredibly disappointing. For instance, a great fan theory is that Six and The Lady and The Hanged Man are daughter, mother, and father, which explains the connections between the three. However the directors went out of their way to disprove this theory, yet do nothing to answer explain the connection. Bruh moment.
"The story gets too linked to remain abstract" is a great summary. My older videos like this one could've used better summaries like yours! :)
For sure though, Little Nightmares' "story" is a bit frustrating to put together. It should've remained abstract.
They confirm the hanging man and the teacher are the parents of a powerful creature known as “the pretender” in very little nightmares via a portrait in the nest
Well done, I must say. Joseph Anderson scratched the surface on where this game fell short, but he never really explained why in great detail. I think your analysis did the topic justice. You've earned yourself a new subscriber. I really love ambiguous and allegorical storytelling, so it pains me to see so much wasted potential. In my understanding of the art, stories have a literal component, what actually exists in the fictional world, and a metaphorical component, what they represent about our world. I think the main problem the designers ran into was that they failed to integrate these two components, and were left with a conflicting mess. It seems that the game sets up nicely to be an allegory about cycles of abuse, and how bad parenting corrupts children, with the hung man being perhaps Six's father and the Lady her mother. Six struggles to cope with the adverse conditions of a broken home, and ultimately ends up perpetrating the cycle. However, the problem arises from the specific details they add in an attempt to flesh the world out and ground it. Allegories work best when you give them room to breathe (except polemics like Animal Farm, but that's more of an argument than art), allowing the reader's mind to fill in any gaps. Strangling the narrative with random, misplaced details only confuses the message. Maybe the North Wind could be the force of societal decay on a larger scale, representing the natural result of treating children horribly? That still doesn't explain why the Maw shows up at a consistent time but not place. Maybe rather than a cycle of parenting it shows how society produces corruption and decay in unpredictable ways? Then why frame a personal connection between Six and the Lady? The additional details seem to contradict the best parts about the story. Of course there will be more than one legitimate interpretation of the story, but that's how it's supposed to be. The additional details only muddy the waters to make them appear deep. The literal story is worse still. It doesn't really add up to a coherent world or character arc on its own, and it doesn't leave much room for imagination. Literal storytelling is at its best with clear worldbuilding and interesting events. This is what sci-fi and fantasy excel at, creating a rich world that's interesting in its own right. LN just feel shallow by comparison. All the literal details are incoherent and unrealistic, so trying to make them add up to a living, breathing world we can relate to or learn about is futile. It really seems like the designers just weren't aware of what they were doing, or how ambiguous storytelling works in the first place. The game series known for getting this right is of course Soulsborne. Miyazaki repeatedly crafts a perfect balance of information and ambiguity, allowing the player to feel in awe of an established world that's well put together, while being left to his own devices as to what it all actually means. The literal and metaphorical components are in harmony, not at odds. The real problem with Little Nightmares is that it wanted to have its cake and eat it to, but didn't know how to bake a cake in the first place. There was definitely alot of inspiration behind this project, but it wasn't handled as well as it could have. Thank you for doing so much for this topic. I appreciate it.
I struggle with the Soulsborne comparison simply because the setting is a legitimate, deep fantasy world with rich history and lore. But otherwise I agree with what you're saying here. Perhaps Little Nightmares could have worked with a rich lore as well even though I'd probably prefer the metaphorical storytelling but we ended up with something that's in the middle of the road. Thank you for the kind words and for taking the time to write this! I'm glad you enjoyed the video.
The meat cant be the children. Its way to big
That's what I thought as well, honestly. But we see the Janitor wrap up the children and taken into the storage room, so I don't know exactly how they're used but they're definitely used somehow. Either we weren't meant to know, or it was meant to be implied, despite the meat being rather large.
Maybe the kids being that small is just an illusion caused by magic and this same illusion makes everyone else look like monsters because it shows what they look like on the inside?
@@DesignFrameCaseStudies we see a silhouette of a chef chopping up meat after leaving the toilet in the guest chapter. The spot where he chops is where a sleeping guest was a couple mins ago, there’s also guest legs hanging from the ceilings in meat lockers in chapter 2
Very good! scary
this video is so frustrating to me so many of these questions have obvious answers ☹️
It's not a good video :) And it's also not clear that I do stuff like call Six something else on purpose to make a point. And the point about how the story simultaneously says too little and too much. And some of the tutorial stuff isn't clear either. I have a warning in the description since I shouldn't delete the video.
@@DesignFrameCaseStudies ahhh i didnt see the description:)
@@maiafrick6701 All good! I expanded the description and added to the title to make it clearer. I want to work on a much better sequel video.
“ekscape”
My old videos aren't very good quality
@@DesignFrameCaseStudies I’m just giving you a hard time lol don’t worry about it
I appreciated this review because it doesn't address any of the DLC, as the DLC literally only exists to sell answers to people left with a half finished mystery game, a cynical tactic for a game that really didn't deserve it.
I haven't played the DLC yet, but I'm sad to hear that!
But she has a name. Her name is 6. Yes 6. Not yellow.
Yes, my point I made later on was how this information is presented in outside sources rather than in-game, so I went off of the premise that I didn't know her name in an attempt to keep my critique of the outside sources organized.
Corvus. Oh ok. My apologies.😯
It's no problem :)
He's name is six
Hi Jean. I've responded to this type of comment before so you can find those responses. I realize that my intention with purposefully not naming her for part of the video may not be very clear so I apologize for that.
bro yellow is six
I'll copy and paste my response from two other comments...
Yes, my point I made later on was how this information is presented in outside sources rather than in-game, so I went off of the premise that I didn't know her name in an attempt to keep my critique of the outside sources organized.
Watch the video and listen this time
26:03 Just a little note, I think you missed a page or two. The north wind essentially shows that the smaller child was already dead, as he drags out his skeleton to show. This basically shows in the pages that you did cover that the Ferryman had shapeshifted the child the whole time just to get to his brother. It was pretty much a competition between the ferryman and the north wind over who got the older sibling.
Granted though it makes as much sense as to how much power the lady has and why mirrors effect her even if she decides to keep a few spares lying around. The stories pretty freaking convoluted.
Yeah, I don't think that changes how the story left too many questions and not enough answers. Thanks for pointing that out though.
Also, now that I've also played Gris, Gris is a good example of a game that storytells without words and managed a story that wasn't confusing and I came out understanding what was going on.
Nice, looking forward to this kind of analysis & critique on the second game
How come you don’t get subscribers now? This has good sound design and nothing is bad on this video... people are so rude ;(
I'm just now improving my voiceover, plus my videos are leaning on the longer side so I imagine it'll take some time, which is fine 'cause I have plenty of future plans either way. I appreciate it though, I hope I won't disappoint :)
Corvus oh, you may never disappoint me, all of the creative theories you make and the story’s you make they are good and they make sense, keep it up!