Ever since the dark, artistic, and enthralling arrival ofLittle Nightmaresback in 2017, I’ve been waiting for the follow-up from Tarsier Studios. It was a breath offreshfetid air in a veritable smorgasbord of sameness within the video game world.Little Nightmareswasn’t the first side-scrolling puzzle-platformer with an emphasis on stealth, and it wasn’t the only one with a compelling story to tell (see alsoLimbo,Inside, and similar titles.) But it did introduce a jaw-droppingly fantastic art style and macabre atmosphere into every frame, all explored, feast or famine, by the bright-yellow raincoat-wearing Six. And while the mysterious little character’s own part to play in the tale – past, present, and future – could have been left up to the imagination (or, okay, maybe just a couple DLC chapters), we now have a second helping to satisfy our curiosity withLittle Nightmares II.
The first thing I looked for upon picking up this follow-up was consistency in art style, character design, and mechanics from the first game; don’t mess with success. I’m happy to say thatLittle Nightmares IIsucceeds across the board with all of the above. Every scene a painting, though maybe not one you’d actually like to hang on the dining room wall, this title is gorgeous in its grotesquery. I love it. So much so that I picked up the deluxe edition so that I’d have access to the artwork (and soundtrack … and a bonus hat, purely for fashion’s sake.)
Mono, the new player character this time around, has a similar movement and tech to Six, with one exception. Mono has the ability to pick up rather large weapons – axes, pipe wrenches, hammers – relatively speaking to the characters' diminutive sizes. With these, Mono can knock down barriers, clobber lesser enemies, and even complete puzzle sequences. The Big Bads will still absolutely one-shot you though. There is no health bar inLittle Nightmares II, but there is, blessedly, a super-fast load screen upon death. Expect to die a lot but be frustrated a little.
And speaking of frustrations, the follow-up seems to suffer from some of the same hiccups as the original. The movement mechanics aren’t quite as crisp as they could be, leading you to calibrate your own inputs as needed in order to time your stealthy passages, jumps, sprints, and slides properly. (Do not get me started with how janky the clobbering mechanics are when Mono must dispatch smaller enemies like porcelain-headed puppet children, who will also one-shot you if the timing isn’t exactly right.) Beyond that, the only other frustrations come with how relatively simple the puzzles are. I ended up overthinking most of them along the way and got frustrated with myself for trying to add complexity where the “keep it simple, stupid” approach more than sufficed. Don’t be like me; try the doorknob before rigging an overly complex Rube Goldberg machine.
I often blamed the morbidly fascinating backgrounds, characters, animations, and overallaestheticofLittle Nightmares IIfor being so darn distracting that I was reluctant to leave a scene behind. It’s just as atmospheric as the original game, though the strength of the visual metaphor doesn’t shine through with as much gut-punching rawness in this story. InLittle Nightmares, Six had to make her way through the Maw, a massive underwater resort of sorts that caters to those with insatiable appetites, whatever those may be. That theme had a strong throughline from beginning to end,especiallythe end.Little Nightmares II, however, takes players through various layers of the Pale City, from the wooded outskirts, to the leaning coastal city itself with its schools, hospitals, and outposts in due course, but the meaning here is less obvious. TVs litter this seemingly post-apocalyptic world, or perhaps a world saturated to the point of staleness by its own vices. Mono is able to use these TVs in unexpected ways, which does not please the denizens of the city. Beyond that, however,Little Nightmares IIis more about the relationship between Mono and Six.
You may have noticed, dear reader, that I callLittle Nightmares IIa follow-up title rather than a sequel. That’s because this story will keep you guessing as to whether this is, in fact, a sequel or something else entirely; I won’t spoil it here. But those story beats were nice surprises along the way, things that took my attention away from the puzzles for just long enough to get eaten by a snake-headed teacher or shot by a savage hunter. I wasveryinvested with the hand-in-hand story of Mono and Six, and your playthrough will be all the better if you are, too. ButLittle Nightmare II’s focus on the characters' internal journey feels a little bit detached from the external events that threaten their well-being; it’s not quite as one-to-one as the originalLittle Nightmares. It’s not all of a piece. I feel that this game suffers a bit in its storytelling because of that disconnect. Six’s journey was all about traversing the Maw and surviving it, a gripping tale which told us almost everything we needed to know about the mysterious character. Mono’s story, however, is told more as a reflection of Six’s own story, relegating him to a supporting character despite being the one with agency. It’s not a bad decision, but it is a less powerful one when it comes to connecting to the characterandthe story.
That being said,Little Nightmares IIis still a game that deserves to be played, at least as much as its predecessor. They’re part of the same package, the same franchise, the samelore. And I love everything about that world and the characters within it, even if I disagree with their decisions at times. If there’s aLittle Nightmares III, I’d still be on board, because my appetite has not been satiated just yet. ButLittle Nightmares IIis a worthy entree in this ongoing meal (… or is it just an appetizer?)
