Earlier in the year I played and reviewed a little indie horror game called “Little Nightmares”, and absolutely loved it despite being a huge sook when it comes to anything remotely scary. There was no way I expected this game to be one of my favourites of the year, but it hit the scares in all the right places. I suggest you read my review at the link below, before continuing to read.

When the DLC Expansion: Secret of the Maw dropped I was actually quite excited to play it and see what else the darkness of the treacherous boat the ‘The Maw’ had to offer. This Expansion has three episodes, with two currently available at the moment.
Instead of the cute, little, yellow coated girl called Six, this journey follows a ragged, skinny, undernourished boy called The Kid. Just like Six, this little runaway is also on a quest to escape, this time from the swampy bowels of this ship of horrors. The Kid’s story runs parallel with Six’s, as he fights his way to freedom from the twisted, deranged captives that inhabit its murky depths.

While enemies like ‘The Janitor’ with his spidery like arms, make a return, the new villain ‘The Granny’ is truly memorable. The first episode’s gameplay is a very water based, anxiety inducing, platform hopping experience. Someone like myself who actually really fears deep, dark waters will definitely loath this. ‘The Granny’ lurks these waters, gliding ominously beneath the surface, sending heart palpitations as her grisly hands drag you beneath the ripples and to your death. This is why I love this DLC, it brings back the same innocently stressful fear as the original content with everything from the lack of sound, the gentle rocking of the screen, textures and even the scenery all designed to unease you.

Both episodes so far still have many platforming sections and puzzles you need to solve to overcome areas. While these are not particularly hard, which some people would find as a criticism, I don’t mind this as each fit perfectly with the environment and the narrative the game is trying to build.

While game play is exactly the same, there are new mechanics such as swimming or controlling the little gnomes’ buddies, scattered throughout the levels, that was not offered when playing as Six. The Kid can now capture and hug the gnomes, having them do your biddings for you. You can use them in situations such as pushing buttons, or throwing them to higher ground to pull levers. It is oddly comforting having an army of little gnomes to tag along side you as you creep around the shadows of ‘The Maw’.

Overall, this DLC, while not overly long, clocking in at about 3 hrs for the first 2 episodes, it does still have very entertaining gameplay that stays true to the original content. It is just as intriguing, stressful and contagiously frightening and any fan of the original, should definitely invest in it. Let’s hope for a happy ending for ‘The Kid ‘when the last episode drops Jan, 2018, or will Six have a bigger part to play yet?

Written by: Stacey