In Little Nightmares 2 you play as a small child in an unsettling horror world where all adults are disproportionally big. In its very core, the game is a rather simple puzzle platformer, but the atmosphere is amazing. The graphics, the sounds, the enemies, the smell is all a very perfect blend that sets a very unsettling horror mood. I don’t understand Little Nightmares 2, but I love it.
I don’t understand Little Nightmares 2, but I love it.
Having played both Little Nightmares 1 and Little Nightmares 2, I still have no clue what the story is. The game contains no spoken words, no cutscenes, nothing readable to explore, and it makes little effort to actively tell the story. At first, I was convinced that the story was a metaphor for something, but I coincidentally came across the YouTube video “The Complete Story of Little Nightmares” that proved me wrong. Regardless, the story is not why I love this game.
Regardless, the story is not why I love this game.
The overall feeling of the controls and gameplay is not great, but good. The platforming feels fine, I never died from unclear controls. The puzzles are clear and not very hard. There was rarely a moment where I felt unclear on how to advance and, when I did, it didn’t take long until I found the path forward. The pacing feels good, maybe slightly too fast at times. From a gameplay perspective, there’s nothing original going on, and it’s all very OK.
From a gameplay perspective, there’s nothing original going on, and it’s all very OK
While the gameplay doesn’t stand out, the graphics does, it’s gorgeous! Every little details in the levels feels just right, the animations look great and the sounds and music are awesome. The developers nailed every detail of the atmosphere.
The developers nailed every detail of the atmosphere
What I appreciate most are short, linear, atmospheric and narrative driven games that you can pick up and play in one or a few sessions and Little Nightmares 2 scratches that exact itch. If you like games that are purely atmospheric, then this is for you.
If you like games that are purely atmospheric, then this is for you
The game was release February 2021 on Steam and is developed by Tarsier Studio and published by Bandai Namco.