It’s funny to think that this smaller horror title like Little Nightmares has grown into what it is today, but it is well earned. While Little Nightmares 3 may has missed the mark, I believe Little Nightmares 2 was one of our first 10/10 rated games. It’s odd though, with how fantastic the setting is for horror, I never thought about it being a VR game. Well that changes now with Iconik taking the series into VR and putting you behind the hood of Dark Six in Little Nightmares VR: Altered Echoes.

As I just mentioned Little Nightmares VR: Altered Echoes puts you in the role of Dark Six, the mysterious shadow figure that lurks around the main character Six throughout the first and second game. This story takes place between the time Dark Six is separated from Six and Mono in Little Nightmares 2. If you ever wondered what happened to Dark Six between when she was taken by the Thin Man and then when she appears at the end, now you have those events.

What do these music boxes mean?

I absolutely loved using this as the story setting, it was such a natural way to expand on the overall story and lore of these characters without feeling forced. Plus, you get to explore the Nowhere and find out more about Dark Six and what she is to Six. It all ties nicely together and has a complete ending because it ends where the second game also ends with Dark Six appearing again in the true ending. My only complaint is that it’s a bit short. I missed one collectible on my first playthrough and I finished it just under three hours. Other than that, I thoroughly enjoyed the story and being back in this world.

Little Nightmares VR: Altered Echoes for the most part stays true to the series gameplay style. It’s still a horror puzzle game where you will be hiding from a lot of creepy things and navigating through eerie environments. None of the puzzles are hard, but these games weren’t known for their difficult puzzles. What is more important is that it still felt like a Little Nightmares game, and they nailed that with all of the levels and puzzles.

Avoid being crushed by the massive group that is getting off the train!

Being able to play from the small perspective in this grotesque and twisted nightmare is extremely satisfying and really amplifies the settings creepy nature. There are two returning enemies that we have seen before, the Thin Man and the Teacher, which were so creepy seeing in VR. The way the Teachers neck stretches and she screeches at as her huge head twists and follows you is frightening yet delightful. The two new enemies are good too, with their own set of rules and ways you will need to sneak past them, but I will let you discover that on your own.

Although, here are some drawbacks with bringing it to VR. They have removed the jumping altogether, which obviously changes how the entire game is set up. It also removes the design of some platforming puzzles, which means they are gone from the game. They did include being able to freeclimb just about everything so that’s sort of how they are replacing not jumping. At this point in VR we have had plenty of games with jumping and platforming, I feel like it should have stayed in.

Wouldn’t be Little Nightmares without a gross kitchen section!

The other drawback to VR is that the boss chase sequences don’t feel as intense. In the older games, part of the fear was being able to see these grotesque monsters chasing right behind you inching closer until you just barely squeeze through to safety or create a momentary barrier. Being able to see them so close makes you know that one mistake and you’re being caught. VR sort of loses that because you can only ever see ahead of you, besides hearing some louder animations, you aren’t seeing the danger behind you. You just need to keep running forward in order to not get caught, and if you do get caught, you just freeze there and things go black and reload. The chase scenes were a little bit of a let down for me because of this reason.

There is also a lack of VR options as well. No smooth turn support, there is only snap turn and you can’t even change the degree of the turn. You also can’t remove the vignette hood effect, I get that it’s a bit of the immersion like having the perspective of Dark Six with the hood, but I would like the ability to remove that to have my full view of the environments. There is at least a height adjustment for sitting players and a crouch button, but overall I felt that with VR today there should be much more options available.

Besides the sheet music collectibles there are little things to do in each chapter to unlock achievements.

While I would have liked an unobstructed view to take in the art design, Little Nightmares VR: Altered Echoes still knocks it out of the park with its visual style. Keeping with the series creepy atmospheric style, and its blend of muted colors and deep shadows, makes this very appealing in VR. Its twisted surreal designs and the oversized environments really shine by seeing it through the hood of tiny Dark Six. There is also, of course, the grotesque monstruous creatures that roam the areas that feel even more unsettling in VR. I’d say the only drawback is that it isn’t quite a crisp as the regular games, and there are some odd level transitions due to VR limitations. For instance, during the chase sequences, having to run through a dark area where it clearly stops you and loads in the next scene is a bit awkward.

Similar to the visuals, the sound design remains true to the series offering a minimalist approach allowing you to absorb the atmosphere. There aren’t any spoken words other than the screams and grunts from various monsters. However, the ambient sounds that are there always pull you into the level whether that’s from the creaking floors while sneaking or from the monsters roaming around trying to find you. The music also matches the eerie setting with its children music boxes and the oppressing feeling the piano medleys provide during a chapter climax. Between the art direction and audio design it combines into a hauntingly beautiful experience.

You have to love the unsettling scenes these games have.

Little Nightmares VR: Altered Echoes is a fantastic addition to the Little Nightmares series. Not only does it successfully bring it to a new perspective and medium like VR, but it does it in a very natural way. Diving deeper into a previously untold part of the story without feeling forced was genuinely fantastic, as well as keeping the soul of the series intact. It isn’t perfect, and I’d love to see another one that expands the gameplay, puzzles, and length. That being said, if you’re a fan of the series this is a must play! 

Little Nightmares VR: Altered Echoes is available now on PlayStation VR 2, Steam VR, and Meta Quest.

Reviewed on Steam VR with i7-12700kf, RTX 5070, and 32gb DDR5, using Meta Quest 3 with Meta Link.

A Copy of Little Nightmares VR: Altered Echoes was provided by the publisher.