Very Little Nightmares

It’s not often I talk about a mobile game like this, but this is a case where, much like God of War: Betrayal, the game is considered canon to its parent series.

Following the release of the original Little Nightmares game in 2017, a mobile prequel, Very Little Nightmares, was released in 2019 for iOS and Android devices. I will admit that, when it first came out, I didn’t play it in part due to it being a paid app, but it was mostly due to my lack of understanding that it was a new game and not a mobile version of the first game (which, incidentally, exists as of 2023). It wasn’t until recently that it clicked for me how it fit in with the larger series and, with the aid of a free $2 Google Play credit, bought it after seeing it was still available as of 2025. Despite some issues, both in and outside the game, it still felt like a worthy entry in the Little Nightmares series in a smaller package.

Before I get into the main review, since phone models can make a difference, I will preface by saying that my opinions are based on playing the Android version of the game on a Samsung Galaxy S24 FE.

Set before the events of Little Nightmares, the player takes control of The Girl in The Yellow Raincoat, who finds herself in a mysterious mansion known as The Nest and looks for a way to escape it.

 

The Girl in The Yellow Raincoat
must find a way to escape The Nest.

Just like the its console brethren, Very Little Nightmares does a good job conveying its narrative without any dialog, which aids in creating a haunting atmosphere with a lot of room for interpretation. Though the Residents differ from those found in the original game, they are effective antagonists in their own right due to their mostly silent nature and menacing presence. I will also admit that a later level heavily featuring TVs made me think of the later Little Nightmares II, though it’s hard to say how much of it was foreshadowing or coincidence given this game was made by a different studio.

Adding to the intrigue, another girl is seen at multiple points throughout the story, making the player wonder how she fits into things until the end. Contrary to initial appearances, however, while The Girl in The Yellow Raincoat resembles Six, the two characters turn out to be distinct characters, with the other girl heavily implied to be Six before she had her iconic yellow raincoat.

Fitting with the game being made for smartphones, the gameplay makes heavy use of the touch screen for both movement and interacting with the environment, making for some interesting puzzle and level design. To move, you only need to tap the part of the visible area you want to go to, or double tap to run (this distinction is very important for certain situations). Additionally, you not only need to be directly next to an object to interact with it, indicated by a white highlight around the item in question, you also need to tap any ladder or other climbable area to start climbing and then tap the desired space to fully ascend or descend. Because of the touch-heavy nature, the level design and movements are more grid-based, which helps greatly in deciding which section to tap. Additionally, each of the game’s 18 levels has a jack-in-the-box hidden somewhere within it that can require some out-of-the-box thinking to track down. Lastly, you can zoom in slightly by pinching out on the screen in case you need a closer look at something.

 

Each level has a hidden
jack-in-the-box to find.

Worth mentioning is that the size and pacing of each level takes the mobile phone format into account, though it can still take a while for first-time players to figure things out. Also worth mentioning is that the game functions entirely offline, speeding up load times considerably.

While the tap-based gameplay proved to be very responsive and intuitive, I will mention that the final two levels are more physically demanding due to being rather lengthy chase sequences, especially level 17, which can lead to some wrist pain. Additionally, while the level design is usually good at giving you all you need using environmental clues, level 14 in particular proved to be slightly unclear. While it’s obvious you need to find 7 hidden Nomes to have them jump on a bed to progress, what isn’t is that you need to stand in a particular spot in front of the bed afterwards.

To compensate for a vertical phone layout, the game is designed from an isometric perspective, with 2D artwork and character designs that remain in line with the console games’ visual style. The audio and music, for which the game recommends using headphones, are similarly consistent with the console games. In addition to organically providing hints, the level designs feature some great environmental storytelling, adding to the world of Little Nightmares and inviting further interpretation.

 

Some environmental storytelling.

While designed for a very different format, Very little Nightmares is a worthy addition to the Little Nightmares series that fans won’t want to miss. As of this writing, it is currently available for $7 on mobile platforms, though the occasional free $2 Google Play Store credit can certainly help with the price for Android users.