Nobody denies Little Nightmares that it was a game that could draw attention and good ideas. The Tarsier Studios, which had just made their mark on Little Big Planet, were able to give a genre that normally lives as a platform a darker and more menacing tone. The Little Six story found its audience, and this elaborate indie topped two million copies sold. Enough to guarantee a second delivery. But it wasn’t without its flaws, and the team’s first success was keeping an eye on them.
Little Nightmares 2 continues directly with the story told four years ago, but this time it has a different protagonist, as unlikely as the previous one. His name is Mono and he wears a paper bag on his head. He meets Six, who will continue to be present as a supporting character with his yellow hood, and that is appreciated. Both will see you with a world blinded by television. If they follow a sign they will reach the tower and discover that it is another nightmare. The story of this episode is powerful and subtly examines the dilemmas of modern society. The merit lies in how he manages to convincingly convey his message without a single film video or a single line of dialogue.
The monotony of the scenes between the waters of the original has been criticized a lot, but this one cannot be criticized for the same problem. On this trip to the television signal, you’ll have to cross a swamp, a two-century school, or a morgue, to name a few. They designed a different room for each of the five chapters and, more importantly, changed the environmental puzzles and challenges that appear in each chapter, so the game is constantly refreshing.
What is not lost for a moment is tension. The recordings, in which the darkness is always present, are full of grotesque situations that are typical of a world that is on the verge of madness and therefore depends on television. It manages to make you feel vulnerable, believing that you have almost no chance of overcoming such a barbaric fate. Everything is so black and there are so many mighty and powerful monsters on the street that you can only slip away on tiptoe.
The heartiest moments in Little Nightmares 2 are the sequences where you are asked to sneak between the shadows so that you don’t get captured by these lurking creatures. These monsters have everything that ends in your nightmares when you turn off the console, but they also have a background, there is “something else” that the game can convey. For example, make it clear that the hunter from chapter one is the best guy you shouldn’t crossbreed with. The first time you meet him in a building full of dead animal skins, you need to avoid him while he is disassembling one. You can tell he has a callus in his shop and is showing no mercy when he catches you.
The basic mechanics still consist of platforms and puzzles, but there is a lot more variety and creativity than before. Six not only keeps you company, it also helps you get to higher places or cross places Momo just couldn’t. Most situations affect the idea that they will help each other. Even if they’re all to themselves, the next thing is to find a way to get back together. At first the solutions are simple and obvious, but in the final part there are endless corridors and you have to use the TVs as wormholes and it is not easy.
But not all changes are for the better. There’s a part of this sequel where you have to quickly come up with a weapon before you get hit by an enemy, and the mechanics are very imprecise. It’s not that it’s a matter of practice that you end up with it, it’s that it doesn’t work well and you keep failing more than you’d like. I can understand that this is intentionally a sign of the character’s weakness, but having a skill that cannot be relied on will only result in frustrating the player.
The other problem in Little Nightmare 2 is the duration. It’s only chapters, and you can finish them without much thought in about five hours. There’s no doubt that they prioritized quality over quantity and that they avoided repeating puzzles and locations just to squeeze the game a little more, but it feels like more when you finish. I was a bit frozen when I saw that I was almost halfway through for the final impression. He doesn’t improve the first one, they are both on the same line.
It may be short, but there are aspects that can help make it longer. For starters, there are a few hidden head accessories on each screen that you can use to personalize your monkey. Because who doesn’t prefer a character with a stump for a head instead of a paper bag. Another collector’s item is the souls of those who have been sucked into the stupid box and are still waiting in the form of sparkles where they used to be. It’s not a big deal, but it’s fun to find and reach.
Little Nightmares 2 extends this concept by staying true to its DNA in many ways. Therefore this second part is superior to the first part. The variety of environments without losing a bit of atmosphere and the good design that encourages gameplay is the biggest asset. Just like his ability to tell a story without words, just with scenes and puzzles. It will be because of all of the good that it was made short, even with the fuzziness that their little fights are. Monkey and Six are a great couple for tough times.
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