A Little Nightmares Prequel Is Coming To iOS

A new Little Nightmares game is on the way to your iPhone. Announced today by Bandai Namco, Very Little Nightmares will serve as a prequel to the critically acclaimed horror-puzzle-platformer. Unlike its predecessor, which launched on Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and later the Nintendo Switch, Very Little Nightmares is currently billed as a mobile-only title. The game will release "very soon" on iOS. So far, Bandai Namco has provided no word on whether it will eventually come to Android or any other platforms.

The plot of Very Little Nightmares will center on Little Nightmares' protagonist, Six, providing a more in-depth look at her backstory.  Players are tasked with guiding Six through The Nest, an eerie locale filled with nightmarish creatures and obstacles.

While the premise of the game will feel familiar to fans of the original, Very Little Nightmares boasts a few stylistic differences. The design uses more of a top-down view, breaking from the 3D side-scrolling found in Little Nightmares. Artistically, the title has more of a cartoonish quality, likely due to running on a different engine. 

Alike Studio has taken over the franchise from Tarsier Studios, who developed the original title for Bandai Namco. Whether this change will persist for future installments is unclear. It's possible Alike stepped in for the mobile game, but Tarsier may still produce any sequels that come along. 

Little Nightmares met with positive reviews following its release in 2017, with critics praising its well-crafted atmosphere and aura of suspense. Tedious mechanics and game-design flaws frustrated some players, though its unexpected mastery of the horror genre won it a spot in the hearts and minds of many gamers. Alike Studio has the opportunity to expand on that foundation with a fresh set of eyes. If they can iron out the kinks while preserving the unsettling essence of the series, Very Little Nightmares will be a game to remember.