‘Little Nightmares, Vol.1’ – Shackleford, Alexovich, Santana, Ribeiro (Titan Comics)

Page Count: 112 Pages

I am the worlds worst gamer, seriously. Anything longer than a game of Fifa (where my youngest daughter still beats me regularly) and I completely lose my focus, going off in directions that I’m positive the game developers never considered. I love to watch other people play though, especially when there’s an interesting plot. My eldest daughter loves playing ‘Little Nightmares’ (1 & 2) and I’m loving the gloomy aesthetic as well as the world building that has gone into the game. I could sit there for hours and just watch Mono and Six feel their way through this broken landscape. And I do :o)

I’m pet-sitting this week and came across my daughters copy of ‘Little Nightmares Vol.1’; so I thought I’d give it a go and see what else I could find out about this world…

Enter the world of Little Nightmares, where a young girl in a bright raincoat must face her deepest fears…

A nine-year old girl named Six is kidnapped from her home and taken to work in The Maw, a surreal underwater resort that caters to the whims of the powerful elite, and where everything is built to towering and frightening proportions. The Maw is a grim feeding trough for the swollen, corrupted souls of the world. A place where excess is encouraged and dark secrets kept far out of sight.

When an unexpected twist of fate offers her a chance at freedom, Six takes a journey through the bizarre and unpredictable world of The Maw; she will find other survivors with tales of their own to tell…

So… What did I find out about the world of Little Nightmares? I have to say, not a lot but that’s fair enough, given the deliberately vague nature of the game (what I’ve seen of it anyway). Six travels through this weird landscape but it’s up to you what it all means. I have to say, I’m not too sure how well that approach translates to a book but Santana and Alexovich’s art makes up for an awful lot here. You really get the surreal, oppressive feel of the game here.

There’s only room for a couple of the ‘campfire tales’ but it still makes for a nice break to have a tale with a little plot at least. I liked ‘The Tale of the North Wind’ and where it went, Shackleford is not afraid to lean heavily into the macabre when he needs to. There are definitely intriguing hints of a wider world that I’d be interested in seeing more of. Like, who is the man with the stretched out face?

I’ll be honest, there’s a lot here to recommend ‘Little Nightmares Vol.1’ but it really is one for fans of the game who are after something more from this world. It’s a little too ‘vague and dreamy’ to grab the casual reader (and I know that’s the point but, you know what I mean). As someone who enjoys watching Six’s story play out on the screen though, it worked for me.