It’s been a while since I wrote a game review, however this one has been on my hitlist ever since it was announced - Little Nightmares II! I really enjoyed the first Little Nightmares game with its tense atmosphere, ambiguous backstory and simple, yet fun gameplay. My partner and I got invested in the numerous theories as to what’s truly going on in the Little Nightmares world and as such, couldn’t wait to play it’s highly anticipated sequel on the PS4.
Developed by Tarsier Studios and published by Bandai Namco, Little Nightmares II has you playing as Mono, a mysterious boy who hides his face, teaming up with series protagonist Six as they navigate their way towards the mysterious Signal Tower. Along the way they must solve puzzles in and avoid the dangers of the harsh world around them, and the twisted monsters within.
The simple and satisfying gameplay of navigating the world of Little Nightmares II returns, with Mono and Six walking or running through the environment, crouching to get into tight spots and interacting with objects to progress through each room. There’s some small new elements of gameplay including combat sections, working with the AI-controlled Six to solve puzzles and Mono’s ability to travel through the world’s TVs. These new elements are a fun addition to the basic gameplay, giving some nice variation. However they are not without critique. The combat involves Mono using heavy weapons, such as a hammer or lead pipe, to bludgeon enemies to death. He moves very slow and takes a long time to swing the weapons whereas the enemies in the combat sections are fast moving and coming from all directions. It’s easy to misjudge the distance or timing to successfully strike and one wrong move can mean death for Mono. This can be frustrating at times but the regular checkpointing allows for a more or less instant retry without having to redo chunks of previous rooms - and I found I got the hang of the combat after a few tries. I’m in two minds about Six as an AI-controlled companion. The good thing is she is very responsive from a gameplay standpoint, and I can understand how playing as Mono and Six co-op might not be ideal. It could lead to dying unnecessarily a lot easier, which would be a lot more frustrating, and generally lose some of the immersion and tension in the game. This is balanced with sections where Mono is solo so co-op throughout the whole game wouldn’t have worked. However, the possibility of co-op in a Little Nightmares game would be a fun idea to explore and see if it can be made to work - this could be in a spin-off instead of a main game. However in my experience, Little Nightmares and Little Nightmares II are both the kind of game which is fun to watch another play or take turns and discuss how to progress.
One of the main highlights of Little Nightmares II comes in the form of the monsters. As is tradition, each chapter involves evading the world’s monsters, culminating a chase sequence with the main antagonist of the area. The first game’s chase sequences were undeniably tense and in Little Nightmares II, Tarsier have upped the ante. When you play for the first time, trying to escape the distorted abominations is incredibly intense. The first encounter, The Hunter, is an excellent example where once alerted he will give chase and fire his shotgun with pinpoint accuracy. This is balanced with nail-biting segments of the sequence where Mono and Six must stealthily escape among the tall grass and murky swamp of The Wilderness, evading the glare of The Hunter’s torch. Like with the smaller enemies in the combat sections, escaping the bosses requires precision as well as speed. One mistake and you’re dead - which further builds the tension. The only downside is again, continual mess-ups and retries lessens the impact of the terror however the solution isn’t difficult and should only take a few tries. Overall the pacing of the scares throughout each level is spot on, with plenty of dynamic between the well structured tense and calm moments. Without spoiling a lot of the game, The Hunter being the first encounter is a great taste of what’s to come in the rest of Little Nightmares II.
The distinct art style of the Little Nightmares world is another highlight, creating the creepy atmosphere and horrific appearances of its inhabitants. The signature style of everything in the world is oversized in comparison to Mono and Six is surreal as ever, especially in the blue-grey haze of the Pale City. The variety of locations in Little Nightmares II is also fun with the creepy forest and swamp of The Wilderness, to the mountainous high-rise apartments of The Pale City which distort and bend under the influence of the Signal Tower. The Pale City is also home to The School and The Hospital - both sinister, twisted and inhabited by terrifying distorted creatures. The game’s atmosphere and immersion are completed by the haunting score and terrifying sound design. The music uses a variety of real instruments, often heavily processed and synths (which works well in tandem with the distorted world) mixed with the ambient sounds of the monsters and the environment. The soundtrack also contributes well to the pacing with light twinkling music-box motifs and creepy ambient sounds in some moments, to jumpscare environmental crashes and loud, industrial-esque pieces with frantic percussion backing the enemy encounters. The shrieks and grunts of the enemies mixed in with the soundtrack also adds to the overall atmosphere, be it foreshadowing their appearance in an upcoming room or the nightmare chase sequence.
Other little things about Little Nightmares II that are fun include the collectibles and achievements.. There are several Glitching Remains and hats throughout which can be a challenge to find, and plenty of achievements which can be obtained by paying close attention to the environment and what you can interact with. This adds plenty of replay value (along with the game’s quite short completion time) as it’s likely you’ll miss secrets on the first run. Another is the lore. The story of Little Nightmares continues to be ambiguous, with the storytelling being told by the environments. Little Nightmares II answers very little of the questions raised by it’s preceding original game and mobile game Very Little Nightmares, yet raises a lot more. The nature of the world, the monstrous distortions of the former people, the events of the games and more are open to interpretation and there are numerous fascinating theories on the series on YouTube that carefully analyse the smallest details like photos on the background walls, and descriptions of the characters and locations on the game’s website that imply key plot ideas. Once you dive in it’s easy to get invested and come up with your own theories as to what’s really going on.
To summarise, Little Nightmares II is a great follow-up to it’s well-received predecessors. The developers have upped their game, adding new gameplay elements and heightening the tension with it’s creepy new locations and monsters. The graphics and art style remain distinct and unsettlingly atmospheric which is complemented by the dynamic soundtrack, making for great pacing between the calm and intense moments. The surreal twisted world is made even more immersive by the lore and the interpretation of the backstory that can be drawn from the game’s characters and environments. The only small downside which immediately comes to mind is the awkward combat which isn’t too taxing on progression. Overall Little Nightmares II is a fun, creepy game that’s easy to pick up and play either alone or with others, and has plenty of replay value with its short runtime, secrets and intriguing ambiguous story hidden within its distorted world. Whether you’re a fan or new to Little Nightmares, I’d thoroughly recommend Little Nightmares II and the original. If you get into it, I’d also recommend checking out Very Little Nightmares and the Little Nightmares digital comics.
Image from Little Nightmares Wiki Video from the Bandai Namco Europe YouTube channel. Check out more from Little Nightmares II on the Bandai Namco website as well as the official Little Nightmares Facebook, Twitter and Instagram Also be sure to check out more from Tarsier studios on their website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
