If you look closely enough past the creepiness of Little Nightmares, you'll be able to see little nods towards pop culture or of the expanded universe.
Little Nightmares
- Possibly. You are number six, after all.
- The game has some themes that are strongly reminiscent of Coraline. The protagonist is a dark-haired young girl wearing a yellow raincoat, like Coraline herself. The Lady is a lot like the Other Mother, an Eldritch Abomination who lures in and eats the life force of obese, monstrous humans who feed on children to keep herself alive and puts on the appearance of a beautiful woman to disguise her true form, that of a hideous monster. She also hums in a similar creepy tone. The Little Nightmares comics reveal that the Ferryman lures children into the Maw for her using false promises, similar to how the Other Mother tempts children by giving them good food and toys.
- In his hideout in the Lair, the Janitor can be seen caressing a kettle and a spoon.
- The twin chefs. They're chefs who prepare cannibal meals, appear to be wearing masks made from their victims' faces (their masks resemble the Guests distinctly), and they squeal inarticulately instead of speaking. It's all very reminiscent of Leatherface in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. In addition, they are simply known as "the Twin Chefs," much like The Cook from the same film.
- Many have noted that the maw itself, especially the guests feels a lot like Spirited Away, and Tarsier studio has said they drew inspiration from Ghibli. The Guest Area in particular and the chases that occur there bear more than a passing resemblance to a similar bath house scene in that film.
- The game might be one to The City of Lost Children.
- There are a few references to Tarsier Studios' previously cancelled game from 2005, The City of Metronome, such as pictures of a metrognome
◊. - Gameplay with the Granny in the Depths DLC is similar to the main game's Shoe Burrower, as you go through a substance through which a pursuer chases you to reach safe platforms, but the change of setting to the water, the dynamic being a swimming female character chasing a boy, and the puzzles making you misdirect the pursuer backward makes the segment extremely similar to the swimming creature rooms in INSIDE.
Very Little Nightmares
- When the girl in the raincoat goes to a bathroom and opens the toilets, a red balloon flies up to the ceiling. Given the color of the girls raincoat and the balloon, this moment was definitely invoking Stephen King's It.
Little Nightmares 2
- While maybe not intentional, Mono grabbing an axe and using it to break through a door could be invoking The Shining.
- The way the hand latches onto Mono's face looks similar to the Face-Huggers from Alien, and is also similar to the Other Mother's hand from Coraline.
- The way the hands move around (crawling on the tips of their fingers) may bring to mind The Thing from The Addams Family.
