I really didn't know what to expect from this game. I got this game for free on steam a few years ago and had no idea what it was about. I expected a fairly generic horror game/side scroller, but man was this game convincing.

Instead of relying on the basics of horror games like jumpscares and monsters with very little screen time, the “monsters” get a lot of screen time in Little Nightmares. The main way this game conveys horror is not through fear, but instead through sheer disgust and dismay. You never get a clear cut Villain, but instead disgusting monsters that are definitely frightening, but never really seem like they are quite aware of what they are doing. Their behavior is infantile at times but put into contrast to the horrifying implications the environmental storytelling makes.

There is certainly no one way to interpret this game, but I felt like there was an abundance in things referencing the Holocaust, which gave the whole thing a different level of gut wrenching.

Overall an experience that's well worth the just over 4 hours it takes to complete. While it does make you feel something and certainly belongs in the horror genre, the way it does horror feels more accessible to me, so even if you aren't good with scary stuff, I'd still recommend giving it a try.

Going in, I wasn't sure what to expect from this game. The concept sounds absolutely amazing, but knowing how limited VR is right now and seeing that the game was made by Vertigo and not by 4A Games didn’t give me any more certainty. This game was my excuse to buy a VR headset shortly after it was announced. I generally have very little VR experience and only played Into the Radius before this. I will compare both games quite a bit because they both fit into a certain niche of games and have many similarities.
I'll start off with the thing that I found most important: The Story.
Considering how many VR games end up almost as tech demos with a very basic story (if any at all) I was definitely concerned about this. Metro Awakening tells the backstory of Khan (who you should know from the previous games) and I can safely say that they nailed it. The events of the story are partially based on parts of the Novel Metro 2033 which I had always hoped to see in a metro game at some point. Characters and Pacing feel very good and the atmosphere is solid, though arguably a bit less engaging than in previous games.
Gameplay wise the game is fun across the board. Guns feel good and all the mechanics in the game feel like they have their place. I Personally preferred the more “Hardcore” mechanics of Into the Radius to the more causal feeling gameplay loop of Awakening, but I understand that Vertigo games were aiming for a more mainstream audience with less VR experience so the choices definitely make sense. I had minor issues with the difficulty, which was inconsistent at best. Due to my lack of experience I opted for Easy, and while some encounters felt very reasonably easy, some were either laughably easy or frustratingly hard. This might be a skill issue on my part, but that's a nitpick I had.
Overall this game gives me hope for both VR and for the Metro series. The game shows that well made story telling and fun gameplay can be combined well in VR, while also showing that the metro writers are still able to make amazing stories.
This game isn’t a Main line Metro game, so if you don’t have the money for a VR headset you aren't missing That much by just watching a playthrough, but if you do have the means to play this in VR, I highly recommend giving this a shot. Vertigo Games did an amazing job here and I can't wait for future Metro games, VR or not.