End of Abyss and Little Nightmares share roots, not gameplay. Section 9 Interactive was founded by three former Tarsier Studios leads who worked on Little Nightmares, and both games have a dark, oppressive atmosphere and grotesque creatures. But End of Abyss is a top-down twin-stick shooter with Metroidvania progression where you fight back, while Little Nightmares is a side-on game about hiding, sneaking and fleeing.
The connection: Tarsier Studios
Section 9 Interactive was co-founded by brothers Mattias and Marcus Ottvall and Gustaf Heinerwall. All three are former leads at Tarsier Studios, the team behind Little Nightmares, Little Nightmares II and Reanimal. At Section 9, Mattias handles programming, Marcus art and Gustaf game direction.
Mattias Ottvall said the main experience they carried over from Tarsier was working in Unreal Engine. Beyond that, he described End of Abyss as simply something else. See the developer page for the studio's story.
"Little Nightmares with guns"
When the first trailer came out, many players described it as Little Nightmares with weapons. Asked about this by Shacknews, Mattias Ottvall said it was a great reaction. To him, it showed the game had the kind of atmosphere people loved in those games.
Xbox Wire played on the same idea in its headline, framing the player as the "little nightmare" this time. Instead of running from monsters, you fight back.
Where they feel similar
- A dark, oppressive atmosphere with long stretches of silence.
- Environmental storytelling with very little exposition.
- Grotesque, body-horror creature design.
- A small protagonist alone in a hostile place.
Both games also avoid spelling out their story. End of Abyss characters speak an invented language, and lore comes from scanning documents and the environment.
How they play differently
| Little Nightmares | End of Abyss | |
|---|---|---|
| Camera | Side-on 2.5D | Top-down 3D |
| Core play | Hide, sneak, solve puzzles, flee | Twin-stick shooting, dodge rolls, exploration |
| Structure | Linear chapters | Interconnected Metroidvania facility with backtracking |
| Fighting back | Rarely | Yes: pistol, shotgun, grenades, flares, explosives |
| Progression | None | Crafting, gear upgrades and new tools |
| On death | Back to a checkpoint | Keep items and unlocked doors; enemies respawn |
| Setting | Surreal childhood nightmare | Sci-fi underground facility |
The biggest shift is agency. End of Abyss gives you weapons, a Scanner and upgrades, and asks you to explore a connected map rather than escape through a sequence of rooms.
Different inspirations
The team names classic NES games such as Zelda and Metroid as its main gameplay influences. Creature design draws on Alien and The Thing, and the art borrows from anime such as Ghost in the Shell and Akira. Mattias Ottvall also mentioned touches of Metal Gear Solid and Resident Evil from the PlayStation era.
Those references point towards sci-fi horror and action, not the fairy-tale unease of Little Nightmares. See games like End of Abyss.
Where End of Abyss came from
The game began as one of the Ottvall brothers' old prototypes, found as they were leaving Tarsier. Early on it was a faster top-down action shooter, and at one point even a mobile game. When Gustaf Heinerwall joined, it became slower and more atmospheric.
Which should you play?
If you loved Little Nightmares for its mood and creatures, End of Abyss shares that DNA. If you loved it for stealth and puzzles, expect a very different game built around shooting, dodging and exploring. Previewers also warn that End of Abyss is hard.
End of Abyss launches on October 1, 2026 for $29.99 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC. See the release date page.
Sound and storytelling
Both games avoid spoken exposition, but End of Abyss handles it in its own way. Audio designer Tobias Lilia said the characters who speak, including a crew companion, use an invented gibberish language instead of English. If they spoke English, he said, it would pull you out of the mystery.
Lore comes from scanning documents and objects. The developers also said the art and sound together are meant to answer what this place is and what happened here, and that it is not a friendly place.
A much smaller team
Section 9 Interactive has about nine developers, according to Mattias Ottvall at Summer Game Fest 2026. End of Abyss is its first game, published by Epic Games Publishing at $29.99. Coming from a larger studio, the founders chose a focused, compact project for their debut.
Frequently asked questions
Is End of Abyss made by Tarsier Studios?
No. It is made by Section 9 Interactive, a separate studio founded by former Tarsier leads.
Is End of Abyss set in the Little Nightmares world?
No connection has been announced. It is an original sci-fi setting in an underground facility.
Is it scarier than Little Nightmares?
It is a different kind of tension. Previewers describe it as cold, quiet and hard, and it is rated ESRB Teen for Blood and Violence.
This page only uses details from official store pages, developer statements and hands-on press previews. Anything unconfirmed before the October 1, 2026 launch is left out and will be added once verified. Last research pass: September 28, 2026.
Sources
References and further reading for this article.