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Rating 3
3
Good

Little Nightmares II - Review

Hide And Get Scared
Score: 3/5
Reviewed by Oliver VanDervoort on PS5 - February 16, 2021   

Little Nightmares 2 picks off where its predecessor starts off and does a very good job of dropping you right into a world that is plenty spooky all on its own. While the game has the feeling of the original, there's enough in the setting and the monsters that are chasing you that this allows to stand all on its own. 

What is similar is that this isn't a game that offers anything in the way of combat. Instead, the entire purpose for being in this title is to run and hide and try not to get caught.

This formula works for a game like this, especially when you consider that your character is quite a bit smaller than anything or anyone you'll encounter in Little Nightmares 2. Of course, there are also some changes.

The biggest change of all, is that you'll be playing as Mono, rather than Six. Mono wears masks and paper bags on his head in order to stand out a bit from the previous game's main character. However, you will also eventually get to meet up again with Six and the two children end up teaming up to try and find the best ways to hide, run away, and jump over obstacles.

One of the biggest changes in characters is that Mono is able to pick up tools and heavy items and you'll soon find out that this is built into the mechanics in a way that is absolutely needed. Things like big axes help Mono get through obstacles in a way that simply wouldn't be believable for someone operating Six.

Six As A Hint System

Along with the dark and spooky setting of Little Nightmares 2, there are also some things that return that are incredibly frustrating. This game absolutely prides itself on stumping you from time to time. There are places in the map where you think there must be a way to find an exit from a room, or a forest clearing, where it turns out you need to backtrack.

That wouldn't be all that difficult, if the game hinted at that a bit more clearly. That's not to say that I don't like a good challenge, but there are several spots where I thought I had run into a big time dead end, and it turned out I just needed to turn around and run the other way.

To that end, Six helps Mono every now and then find exactly where they are supposed to go. This pops up the most when you are running away from a very scary enemy. Six will run ahead of Mono and will highlight spots where you need to run, jump, or smash in order to escape.

Sometimes she'll tip off Mono on where he needs to duck down, with one scene, in particular, allowing me to hide behind some boxes right before a farmer lets loose with a spray of buckshot.

To some degree, Six serves as Mono's little sister who is looking out for her big brother. At times, that dynamic really does feel like family in that she'll bump you out of a hiding place, to stand directly in your way when you are trying to move an obstacle. It's not entirely clear if this is intentional, or a bit of a bug in the coding and that can be frustrating in certain spots where making sure you're totally hidden is a big deal.

Enemies are Eye Catching

As was the case with the first game, one of the reasons this roughly four or five hour game stands out from the pack despite being relatively short, is because the background and enemies are so well drawn. When you aren't in immediate danger, you're going to want to stop and take a look at everything you pass.

Beauty is definitely in the eye of the beholder and this isn't a game that is going to move you to tears with its beauty, but it is quite impressive in just how appalling and scary everything looks. This first struck me very early on in the game, when you stumble across an old house with a family that sat down to dinner. As they sit motionless, grotesque details float into the forefront until you really see them for exactly what they are.

One particular enemy has already gotten a ton of attention from Little Nightmares 2 players since the game's launch. The school teacher is the early entry for "boss of the year" just because of her extreme creep factor. This is actually especially the case when you can just hear her moving off-screen and can't necessarily see her. The squeak of her neck (yes you read that right) is truly creepy, especially if you don't know when she's going to make another appearance. Othere enemies, such as the aforementioned farmer and The Thin Man are truly creepy that made me wish the game was more than four hours so I could see what else they were up to.

Repetition Is A Problem

Repetition in Little Nightmares 2 is a problem for two very different ways. The first is that this definitely feels like a sequel. That means that there isn't a ton new from the original. Because the game is only four hours long, there's an argument to be made that this could have been DLC instead of a standalone game.

The other problem is that despite this being a very short game, there isn't a ton of replayability in this title. Once you get to the end, you might want to reflect on the rather impressive twist, but after that, there isn't a ton of pull to go back and see everything again. That's a problem for a game of this length. 

At the end of the day, this is a good game that can lead to extreme frustration at time and make you wonder why you're playing an entirely new game instead of just a continuation of the first at others.

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