When comparing Little Nightmares vs Outlast, the Slant community recommends Outlast for most people. In the question“What are the best horror games for PC?” Outlast is ranked 7th while Little Nightmares is ranked 10th. The most important reason people chose Outlast is:
Outlast combines its tense atmosphere, creepy setting, stellar sound design, and a cast of horrifying inpatients to deliver a truly nightmarish experience. The developers even replaced the usual flashlight found in horror games with a camcorder, which has this really creepy nightvision mode.
Specs
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Pros
Pro Intriguing story with a lot of room for speculation
At first, the story seems almost disappointing- a child is trying to escape monsters. But as you progress further into the game, you find more clues that create more questions about what's really going on. The game boasts a capability to capture the player's imagination, and the seemingly vague yet thought provoking story is a great example of how that is achieved. It's very likely that after finishing Little Nightmares you won't be able to stop thinking about the story and all the questions it raises.
Pro Keeps you on edge
Little Nightmares does a great job at immersing the player in the game. This game uses a third-person perspective, where you see everything from a side camera. The protagonist is a little girl called Six, and everything about her surroundings portrays hostility. The oversized objects, gruesome monsters, and the near constant presence of death imagery all combines to keep you on the edge at all times.
Pro Hauntingly beautiful environment design
The objects and environment look very realistic, which does a great deal to boost immersion. Each level has it's own distinct art style, so you get a sense of progression through the game.
Pro Expansion packs available but not necessary to get the full experience
Little Nightmares can be finished in a few hours, and you will get the full game experience if you buy just the basic game. But if you want more of this game, you have the option of getting extra levels by buying DLCs. The latest expansion was released in November 2017, so this game is still growing.
Pro Really scary
Outlast combines its tense atmosphere, creepy setting, stellar sound design, and a cast of horrifying inpatients to deliver a truly nightmarish experience. The developers even replaced the usual flashlight found in horror games with a camcorder, which has this really creepy nightvision mode.
Pro Unpredictable inpatients make exploration more tense
Outlast proves that people can be much scarier than ghosts. As you explore the dark hallways of the insane asylum, you’ll encounter many inpatients. Some of them good, some of them bad, but all of them crazy. So it’s sometimes really hard to tell which one will attack you. While some of them make it very obvious by holding knives or looking especially atrocious, sometimes they will attack unexpectedly. This uncertainty will creep inside your head, making exploration a lot more tense.
Pro Your character is really agile
Unlike most horror games where your character is clumsy and slow, in Outlast your character can actually move really well. Not only is your character fast enough to be able to outrun most enemies in the game, he also knows how to parkour. You can jump, grab ledges and climb them, and even slide over a table during a chase. This makes it a really refreshing horror experience.
Cons
Con Low replayability
There are a few moments in this game where the element of surprise plays a major role in creating an emotional rollercoaster, so playing it a second time will not be as fun. The levels are linear, so you won't get any open-world experiences from Little Nightmares.
Con Hard to play with a keyboard because of the dynamic camera angle
Though this game can technically be played with a keyboard, the movement of the character and the dynamic camera can make moving around difficult. It will be much easier to play this with a controller, because of the analog sticks, which allow for more precise movements.
Con Lots of unavoidable deaths
The dynamic camera angle can interfere with controls. Because the character can move not only forward/back, but also closer to and further away from the camera, it can be difficult to tell where exactly the character is in terms of space, which makes some jumps more difficult.
Con A little too reliant on jump scares
In some parts of exploring the insane asylum there are too many jump scares one after another. After a while it loses its scare factor and instead becomes somewhat annoying. This feels like a missed opportunity to build on the dark and gritty atmosphere of the insane asylum.
Con No substance, unrealized potential and utterly disappointing
Once you get past the jump scares, gore and shock value you might find that there's very little to keep you invested and going back for more. Boredom may sink in nearing the end, with a sense of longing for the game to just be over. However, the night vision mechanic was fresh and unique at the time and introduced a sense of suspense, which other developers have lent from Outlast since. If you're a fan of traditional western horror games you will not disappointed, but if you're looking for something more to your horror games besides learning paths and jump scares, you might want to steer clear of Outlast.
Con Cliche story
The typical horror story protagonist goes to investigate a location that simply oozes danger. As if the abandoned SWAT trucks, locked doors, and boarded up windows were not telling enough, the protagonist realizes his terrible mistake right when there's no way back already.