Creepy, terrifying, haunted, dark and occasionally frustrating. That’s Little Nightmares: Complete Edition in its excellent port recently released on the Nintendo Switch. It’s a faithful, full featured release that allows you to take the entire, horrifying experience with you wherever you go.

Little Nightmares is, at its core, a puzzle platformer with a distinctly horror focus. This isn’t the type of horror that’s full of giblets, blood and laughing maniacs, but instead the terror of the dark, strange arms waving from a dirty pool of water, and the unshakeable sense that everything is definitely not alright. You play as a yellow hooded little girl, Six, who has to navigate her way out of any number of disgusting areas.

Broken down toilets, rotten kitchens and deserted galleys will all throw up a variety of interesting challenges. Long arms reach for you from hidden passageways, and deformed chefs huff as they reach down to grab you and turn you into dinner. To stop them you’ll need to use the environment to your advantage. Six is weak, and can’t attack by herself. While the puzzles are generally good, there are a fair number that require you to die just to see what happens if you do this or that, and it isn’t always obvious what you can and can’t interact with in the world.

The Complete Edition also features the trio of DLC that form an alternative take on the game through the eyes of “the Kid”, another child (this time with a blue shirt) in his attempt to escape. The three DLC packs aren’t really separate bits though, combining to make a cohesive journey whose length rivals Six’s original travels. It’s all very similar, with perhaps more of a focus on movement than puzzles.

Unfortunately I found the Kid’s DLC to be less interesting and less well put together than the main game, with often frustrating puzzles where not being in the exact right spot at the exact right time, and not making pixel perfect jumps lead to instead death and a lengthy loading screen. The same issues also ruin the sometimes long chase sequences. You’ll need a quick wit to outsmart all those issues while maintaining the tension, as there are no real consequences for dying except for having to redo the sequence again. Perhaps it’s my poor skill but the curtain feels like it’s being pulled a little too far back when you have to redo a certain section over and over just because you slightly messed up.

Together, the Complete Edition should last you between six to eight hours, if you’re searching for everything, and depending how often you have to restart any particular area. Graphically, nothing substantial seems to have been lost in the conversion to the Switch, which is probably helped significantly thanks to the abundant use of post-processing effects such as film grain. The Switch port retains the same grim, creepy atmosphere and performance was quite good in my experience.

For those who haven’t treaded carefully acrossed a garbage-filled pool tank, or gnawed on a live rat in your desperate hunger, the tales of both Six and the Kid are an interesting take on a very different type of platformer. While linear and not overly long, the tales are dark and direct, which is tonally different from almost every other Switch game out there. This does mean that much of the horror is lost if you’re playing it portable on the bus or out and about.

But if you have the lights off, curled up in bed or on the couch, it’s a great way to take this game out of the living room and into somewhere where you can be terrified and perhaps, frustrated.

The post Little Nightmares: Complete Edition (Switch) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Today’s launch of the Nintendo Switch video game console means that home console-quality gaming is no longer tethered exclusively to the living room TV. Nintendo Switch lets players enjoy their favourite games anytime, anywhere and with anyone. It comes in two colour options: a version with a set of grey Joy-Con controllers, and a version with one neon blue and one neon red Joy-Con controller.

Nintendo Switch connects to a TV at home and can instantly transform into an on-the-go handheld using its 6.2-inch high-definition screen. The screen includes capacitive multi-touch capabilities for compatible games. The left Joy-Con has a Capture Button that players can press to take instant screenshots of gameplay to share with friends on their social media pages. The right Joy-Con includes an NFC touchpoint for interaction with amiibo figures, as well as an IR Motion Camera that can approximate the distance, shape and motion of nearby objects in specially designed games. Both Joy-Con include motion controls and an advanced HD rumble feature. The Nintendo Switch Pro Controller, sold separately, includes all the same features (minus the IR Motion Camera) and comes in a more traditional form factor.

Today also marks the launch of the first epic Nintendo Switch game, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, which breaks new boundaries while honouring the origins of the acclaimed series. The game is available for both Nintendo Switch and Wii U. New compatible amiibo launching today for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild include Link (Rider), Link (Archer), Zelda, and a Bokoblin amiibo. A massive new Guardian amiibo is also available today.

Also launching today is the head-to-head party game 1-2-Switch. From Wild West gunslinging to safecracking to competitive cow-milking, the 28 games in 1-2-Switch make creative use of a broad variety of Joy-Con features, such as motion controls, HD rumble and the IR Motion Camera. In a video game twist, the game asks players to look at each other instead of at the TV, creating a fun atmosphere that will liven up any party.

But today is just the start. A steady supply of games will arrive for Nintendo Switch throughout the rest of the year. Other first-party Nintendo Switch games on the horizon include Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (28th April 2017), ARMS (autumn), Splatoon 2 (winter), Fire Emblem Warriors (spring), Super Mario Odyssey (the 2017 holiday season) and Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (2017).

Nintendo eShop, Nintendo’s online storefront for downloadable games, will also be available from launch day. Both The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and 1-2-Switch are available for purchase and download today.

Also available on Nintendo eShop today is Snipperclips – Cut it out, together!, exclusive to Nintendo eShop. Two players cut their paper characters into new shapes to solve dynamic puzzles in a wonderfully creative and imaginative world. Nintendo eShop also provides access to a constantly updated library of great games from independent developers and publishers. Some of the games available for purchase today include FAST RMX from Shin’en Multimedia, and both Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment and Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove from Yacht Club Games.

Nintendo Switch is supported by world-class third-party publishers, including Activision Publishing Inc., Electronic Arts, Take-Two Interactive, Ubisoft, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and major Japanese publishers. Some publishers, such as Bethesda Softworks, are joining Nintendo for the first time. Third-party launch titles include Skylanders Imaginators, Just Dance 2017 and Super Bomberman R, plus players can look forward to major franchises on Nintendo Switch such as EA SPORTS FIFA, The Elder Scrolls, NBA 2K, Minecraft, Sonic the Hedgehog and Street Fighter, with Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers releasing on May 26th, 2017. Nintendo Switch software is not region locked.

Nintendo Switch comes packaged with the main console, Joy-Con (L) and Joy-Con (R) controllers, a Joy-Con grip (to which two Joy-Con are attached and used as one controller), a set of Joy-Con straps, a Nintendo Switch dock (which holds the main console and connects it to a TV), a HDMI cable and an AC adapter.

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