Little Nightmares II Review

 

Little Nightmares is an indie horror game made by Tarsier Studios and released on February 10 2021. that revolves around children running for their lives in different environments. The adults all are deformed and murderous. 

Little Nightmares is heavily inspired by movies such as Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle. It takes place in another world almost a post-apocalyptic world. 

Graphics

Little Nightmares as a series has always been the best at creating an eerie and unsettling atmosphere. The world-building has always been a highlight of the game series and the 2nd game did it even better than the previous two games. 

My favorite section of the game is definitely the school. This was an area highlighted by many other game reviewers, YouTubers, and the gaming community in general. This section is the 2nd one you interact with but I feel it is so perfect that it outshines any other area of the game. The minute you enter the school it feels as if everything changes. I remember being terrified. The dark lighting and contrast between Mono and the surroundings were beautiful. I felt completely immersed in the game.

 The only complaint I have is that since the game is a 3D sidescroller, sometimes the depth perception is wack. It can be hard to tell where exactly you are. This was an issue I noticed when fighting the students in the school, and if you have seen the clip of me running from the tall man, I made this complaint known.

Sound Design

Sound design is something most people don't pay attention to but Little Nightmares brings attention to it. With the lack of dialogue, the game relies on music and sound to get across emotion in scenes and gameplay. 

They did a phenomenal job at this. I still will occasionally listen to the soundtrack just for fun. My favorite scene was definitely when Mono first found Six. The transition into Six's theme was gorgeous. Six's theme will forever be my favorite theme in gaming in general. I will often catch myself humming it. I just hope some don't think I am a crazy person. 

Gameplay

For me, the gameplay wasn't anything new. I loved that the game was a side-scroller but I found in some areas it kinda did itself dirty. When some things are timed-based, it made it difficult to get past certain sections of the game. If you ran into an object or wall, it messed up the timing so you would end up dying. It made the game more difficult than it needed to be. I shouldn't be dying in the same area 17 times when I know exactly what I am supposed to be doing. I like a challenge but sometimes, it's just bad design. Overall, the gameplay was fine but needed work in the time-based sections of the game.

Story

Now one thing you need to know is that Little Nightmares as a series is not open with its story. They focus more on providing an experience than telling the story outright. This makes room for lots of theories. All of the games are connected but it is hard to explain the overall story because it does not explain it.

For the 2nd game, you follow a little boy named Mono and a little girl named Six as they are being hunted down by various adults. All that is outright shown in the game that we know is that they seem to be only children in this world and that the adults are being controlled by something making them murderous. 

But I would never leave you hanging so here are some links to some channels that explain the story and theory perfectly.

Superhorrorbro

Terrico

Special/Unique Features

One special feature of the game revolves around the hats Mono wears. He is known for the paper bag he wears on his head but different hats are hidden throughout the game that you can change into.

The best special feature is in the form of the glitch children. These are shadows of children that are glitchy. Mono will walk up to them and absorb them. All of them seem to be in areas where other children have died. If you find all of the glitch children, you will unlock the secret ending revolving around Six.

Is this a good game for bad gamers?

I would say this is a 50/50 game. If you can handle some frustration then sure! It is difficult so if you like casual games then no. I was able to complete the game without much issue so I'm sure most would be okay to play the game.