Love hide and seek? Puzzles? Escape games? Or something creepy that will quicken your heart beat? Then look no further than Little Nightmares ll.
After the original release in 2017, Little Nightmares ll sees new protagonist Mono and the adorable Six go through an adventure where the only goal is to live and survive.
Releasing on 11 February 2021, the first chapter (read our preview here) will have players navigate the dangerous outside world before finding himself right at the doorstep of a killer. After locating Six, the two have to escape and run away from the killer/hunter who lurks in the dark and breathes heavily under a mask.
The second chapter sees the duo in a school setting escaping from a villainous school teacher and violent rabid bullies. Though this may not sound as scary as say, an abandoned hospital, do not be fooled at how Little Nightmares ll effectively makes you feel powerless and creeped out at every chapter you play.
That said, Little Nightmares ll is a complete rework from the first game that came out 4 years ago. From the amazing storytelling, to the heavy tension and sense of dread in the air, here are 6 reasons why Little Nightmares ll is a whole lot creepier and better than the first release and is the horror-adventure game you need on your list.
The Music
Nothing is more uncomfortable than silence with the occasional creepy tune playing in the background followed by heavy footsteps and shuffling of items when you’re a tiny human being in an insanely large world.
Little Nightmares ll is a no-dialogue game that is driven by a story that can only be told by the most observant and sharp-minded. Whilst the game doesn’t tell you what you’re exactly getting yourself into, you gain context based on the scary environments you’re in. The game places emphasis on what you see and what you hear – so there’s no way where you can escape playing the game on mute, else you’ll miss out on the whole story!
The Monsters
Every horror game needs a monster, ghost or evil entity that gives you the heebie jeebies. There’s something very uncomfortable with the monsters you see in Little Nightmares ll – not just in the way they look with their convoluted bodies and incredibly large eyes.
Unlike its predecessor, Little Nightmares ll lets you discover something about the monsters each time you meet them. Whether it’s a new ability, or a backstory on who they are and what makes them tick, the game proves that knowing the monster more and more makes them a little bit scarier to run away from. This also adds on to one of the game’s biggest strengths – story.
Story-Driven Gameplay
The first release of the game acts more like a puzzle-escape game. Whilst there is no fault in running away from an angry butcher who’ll have you as a mid-day snack for the sake of it, the second installation gives gamers a bigger storyline to follow whilst escaping. As a game that is perfect for those who are intuitive, the puzzles you’ll be putting together aren’t just your means for escaping, but the puzzles of a bigger story of the monsters that lurk in the dark, the story behind Six and of course, the story behind Mono who may or may not have some secret abilities that we only discover through playing the game.
Improved Relationship With Six
For a game this creepy, the relationship Mono and Six have is sure to melt your hearts. In most single-player adventure games, players are often accompanied by an AI character. They either just follow you around uselessly or act as a guide in the story. In Little Nightmares ll, you have a much different relationship with the AI character that sticks, or rather, Six, with you.
In the first chapter, Mono discovers Six and escapes with her. Throughout the chapter, you have to slowly build your relationship and trust with Six. Unlike other AI characters that spoon feed you (or worse only follow you around), Six reacts according to how you act. For example, if a puzzle requires teamwork for it to be done, Six will pick up your slack.
Six being a smart girl too, doesn’t always follow you around. Sometimes she finds her own way to do things – and she’ll beckon you to come with her or will leave you behind if what you’ve chosen to do is unsafe or has lesser chances of survival.
It Taps On Real Life Experiences
Ever been bullied in school? Or is there an authoritative figure in your life that triggers your flight or fight mode? Little Nightmares ll, whilst an over exaggeration of things that take place in everyday life, hits close to home as it taps into experiences that one may have had, or have witnessed in their family, peers, heck even the news.
Teachers abusing children, a killer lurking in the woods, and spooky experiences in an abandoned hospital – the realness of it all is sure to make gamers uncomfortable in their seats.
It’s Made Better
There’s no better way to say it than what it is. The creators of the game built Little Nightmares ll from the ground up with the intention of making the game better than the first. With feedback from players of course.
Improvements include no load time during revival and restarting from checkpoints that aren’t too far behind from where you died. The spaces and areas of the game are also more open and expanded so that there are more areas for players to explore. Lastly, things you pick up – like a key to open a padlock for example – are immediately stored in your inventory. It makes it easier for players to move about and complete puzzles along the way instead of being bogged down and having to carry it around with both hands wherever you go.
Like a movie, it is rare for a sequel to be better than the original, but in the case of Little Nightmares ll, the second game is definitely a few steps better than the first release. It has improved greatly in the game’s gameplay and gives players a story to play along – without taking away the players’ control.
In the same vein, the game not only keeps to the high tension and dread in the air from the first game, but also reinforces a sense of powerlessness in its players who are already entrapped in a big, big scary world.
If you’re observant, intuitive, love challenges, adventurous and are in for a game that is bound to give you the creeps, then Little Nightmares ll is right up your alley.
Little Nightmares ll releases 11 February 2021. A playable demo is out from today on PC (via Steam), PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch.
Don’t judge a book by its cover, for behind all this makeup, is a geek just like you. To simply put it, superheroes, Star Wars, Harry Potter and all things gore and creepy makes this girly girl swoon.
Si Jia
Gerald
