Little Nightmares vs Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee
Little Nightmares is a horror platformer game from Tarsier Studios (2017) while Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee is a platformer puzzle game from Oddworld Inhabitants (1997).
Quick answer: Little Nightmares rates higher, 8.3 to 6.9 on the GamingPickz Score, and Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee is the cheaper at $2.99.
What each one is
Little Nightmares is filed under Horror and Platformer. In contrast, Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee under Platformer and Puzzle.
Take on the role of Six, a lone child lost in a massive metal vessel known as the Maw, surrounded by dangerous, distorted versions of adults. You’ll need to do your best to escape in one piece or your fate will be worse than you ever dared dream.
Selected by the fickle finger of fate, Abe™, floor-waxer first class for RuptureFarms, was catapulted into a life of adventure when he overheard plans by his boss, Molluck the Glukkon™, to turn Abe and his fellow Mudokons into Tasty Treats as part of a last-ditch effort to rescue Molluck's failing meat-packing empire.
Story, characters and reception
Plot
Six, a nine-year-old girl in a yellow raincoat, awakens from a dream of a woman wearing a kimono and a Noh mask. Equipped with only a lighter, she sneaks through the bowels of the Maw, a massive, underwater iron vessel. Throughout the Maw, she encounters Nomes: small, skittish creatures that either flee from her or passively observe her efforts. (Wikipedia)
Reception
Reception Little Nightmares received critical acclaim. Review aggregator Metacritic , which applies a weighted average to reviews on its website, reports "generally favorable" reviews. Cory Arnold said on Destructoid " Little Nightmares hypnotized me with ever-present suspense," and awarded it a score of 8. (Wikipedia)
Plot
Characters Abe's Oddysee focuses on a variety of species that inhabit the game's setting of Oddworld: the Mudokons, a species with a rich history and culture who have been slowly transformed into meek, obedient slaves, leaving many who are born into captivity ignorant of this kind's past; the Glukkons, a species that covet power and money, lacking any morals or restraints on achieving these goals, and who have established large industries that have… (Wikipedia)
Characters
Abe's Oddysee focuses on a variety of species that inhabit the game's setting of Oddworld: the Mudokons, a species with a rich history and culture who have been slowly transformed into meek, obedient slaves, leaving many who are born into captivity ignorant of this kind's past; the Glukkons, a species that covet power and money, lacking any morals or restraints on achieving these goals, and who have established large industries that have stripped Oddworld… (Wikipedia)
Reception
Reception Upon its release in 1997, Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee received mostly positive reviews. Edge described the game as "a tight 2D platformer that's packed with great innovative touches and some great character design". GameSpot called it "the ideal platformer, balancing its action and puzzle elements perfectly to make the game intelligent, engaging, and, best yet, fun". (Wikipedia)
At a glance
| Little Nightmares | Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | 8.3/10 | 6.9/10 |
| Steam rating | Overwhelmingly Positive (95%, 116,529) | Very Positive (85%, 4,534) |
| Critic aggregate | 81/100 | 85/100 |
| Price | $19.99 | $2.99 |
| Install size | 10 GB | — |
| Steam Deck | verified | playable |
| Released | 2017 | 1997 |
| Developer | Tarsier Studios | Oddworld Inhabitants |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Little Nightmares vs Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee, point by point
Each facet side by side. A round is marked won only where a figure settles it; feel and "which is better" carry no mark, because no number we hold decides them.
Genre and premise
Little NightmaresHorror platformer gameOddworld: Abe's OddyseePlatformer puzzle gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
Little NightmaresHorror, Atmospheric, AdventureOddworld: Abe's OddyseeAdventure, Platformer, ClassicThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
Little Nightmares ✓Score 8.3 · 95% on Steam · 81 criticOddworld: Abe's OddyseeScore 6.9 · 85% on Steam · 85 criticThe GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment, critics and popularity, computed the same way for every game.
Content and scale
Little Nightmares116,529 reviews · 9 add-ons · 10 GBOddworld: Abe's Oddysee4,534 reviewsReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
Little Nightmares$19.99Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee ✓$2.99Read live from Steam and subject to change.
On a Steam Deck
Little Nightmares ✓VerifiedOddworld: Abe's OddyseePlayableValve's own Deck compatibility rating.
Little Nightmares takes 2 of the marked rounds to 1. That is only what a number can decide, not which you will enjoy more.
The two on the grid
Compare the whole catalogueLittle Nightmares and Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee on the axes the GamingPickz Score is built from, on the full 0 to 100 scale so each dot is its real position. Change either axis to compare them on any measure.
2 games have both
Players. The share of Steam reviews marked positive, pulled toward the catalogue average in proportion to how few reviews stand behind it. A game with 200 reviews moves a long way toward the average; one with 200,000 barely moves at all. Without this a title sitting at 100 percent on nine reviews outranks Half-Life 2 at 98 percent on 278,000.
Popularity. A blend of two things that are not the same. Audience is how many people wrote a Steam review, which is a floor on how many played it. Reach is how many language editions of Wikipedia document the game, which is cultural footprint rather than sales. A game can score high on one and low on the other: a huge free-to-play title has audience without reach, and a landmark console exclusive has reach without a Steam audience at all. Where both exist they are averaged; where only one does, that one carries it.
- Multi-platform
- PC
Every point links to that game's entry. The value map and the reception map are fixed views of the same data.
How positions are decided
No paid placement, no favouritism, live third-party data
- Placed by the published method, not by us. Every coordinate is computed from the axis definitions and weights printed on this site. Nobody moves a point. See the axes.
- Nothing here is paid for. No sponsored placements, no promoted slots, no arrangement of any kind affects a position. If that ever changes it will be labelled and sit outside the ranking.
- No favouritism, including our own. The 16 games we have written full reviews of are scored by exactly the same formula as the other 1,510, from the same third-party inputs, and they land where it puts them. Our own opinion of a game does not enter its coordinates.
- A position is not an endorsement. It says how a game was received and what it costs, not that we recommend it. Where we do recommend something, it carries a written review with a name on it.
- Fetched from live third-party data. Player sentiment from Steam, critic aggregates as published on store pages, prices checked hourly, attention from Wikipedia. Each figure carries its source and the date it was read, and we do not adjust any of them.
Which to pick, by what you want
- The higher-rated of the two: Little Nightmares (GamingPickz Score 8.3)
- The cheaper right now: Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee ($2.99)
- Better on a Steam Deck: Little Nightmares (verified)
- The safer bet by weight of reviews: Little Nightmares (116,529 reviews)
What they have in common
Both are tagged by Steam players with:
AtmosphericAdventureSingleplayerPuzzle-PlatformerDarkPuzzleIndiePlatformer
Where they differ
HorrorStory RichStealthPsychological HorrorGreat Soundtrack2.5D
Classic2DCult ClassicRetroFunnyComedy
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, Little Nightmares is middle-of-the-road on difficulty. Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee is demanding, for players who want a challenge.
System requirements, side by side
| Little Nightmares | Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum GPU | Nvidia GTX 460 | — |
| Minimum CPU | Intel CPU Core i3 | — |
| Minimum RAM | 4 GB | — |
| Install size | 10 GB | — |
Can your PC run them? Check each against your own kit: Little Nightmares · Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 1 accessibility feature for Little Nightmares and 0 for Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
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Common questions
How different are Little Nightmares and Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee in scope?
Little Nightmares has drawn 116,529 Steam reviews, ships 9 add-ons and installs in 10 GB. Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee has drawn 4,534 Steam reviews.
Is Little Nightmares or Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee better?
By the GamingPickz Score, Little Nightmares rates higher (8.3 to 6.9). That is a composite of player sentiment, the critic aggregate and popularity, not our taste. "Better" also depends on price, length and platform, which the table above lays out.
Which is cheaper, Little Nightmares or Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee?
Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee is cheaper right now at $2.99, against $19.99. Prices move, so this is read live from Steam and can change.
Should I get Little Nightmares or Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee?
Little Nightmares rates higher, 8.3 to 6.9 on the GamingPickz Score, and Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee is the cheaper at $2.99. It also depends on what you want: the "which to pick" section above calls out which is cheaper, lighter on storage, better on a Steam Deck and the safer bet by weight of reviews.
Do you rank one above the other for a fee?
No. Neither game, nor anyone else, pays for placement or a verdict here. The order and every figure come out of the same public data the rest of the site uses.
Related comparisons
How we compare, and what we will not do
The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment (adjusted for sample size), the critic aggregate and popularity, computed by the same code every ranked list on this site uses. The Steam rating label is Valve's own, reconstructed from the positive percentage and review count. Prices are read live. We do not write an opinion of which game is "better": we report the numbers and say which wins each measurable question above.