Publisher: Bandai Namco
Developer: Tarsier Studios
Platform: PS4, XB1, PC, Switch
Genre: 2D Horror Platformer

The first time Limbo came out in 2010, it sparked a moment for a lot of other similar games: Like The Swapper, Never Alone, and Little Nightmares. Of course Limbo wasn't the first story heavy 2D platformer games out there, it set a motion for making intricate and deeply thematic games based around anything of Eldritch horrors. Little Nightmares take the subtlety out of that and makes it much more visceral and grotesque.

The sequel(or prequel) continues that tradition with a new protagonist of the game. While it is more somber and less with thick atmosphere than the first game was, Little Nightmares 2 seals the deal in terms of story narrative. Creating different dynamics from gameplay thanks to your A.I companion helping you throughout your journey along with some intriguing subplot involved.

Although thematically it is a different game thanks to the different protagonist and setting, the game retains a lot of the art style and gameplay from the previous one. As well as the clumsy aspects of the game. Not to mention, this was also a little more buggy, creating irritable and inconsistent experience throughout quite often. The improvements aren't much to be found mechanically either.

The game centers around a boy named Mono, who happened to wander around the lost woods till he found a cabin house full of puppet families. As he treks through the place, Mono finds a girl just like him, trapped till he saves her and manages to get her out of there. Being her knight without shining armor. The two ventures into this lost world, finding well, meaning till the end of the supposed tunnel that is the end of the game.

Now, here's an interesting bit about the story. I won't spoil anything since almost every main characters in this game have a role to play to shape how the ending comes. Let's just say it's quite interesting considering how it is shown that the characters you've related to and held onto makes decisions that shifts how you feel about them later on. Like complete tonal shifts.

Games like this indulge in the pervasive and unholy macabre of dream sequence art style, trying their best to leave your stomach churning, at unease with its thick atmosphere not unlike the previous game. Although whereas the previous one had more to show in concept, this game feels already confident with what it presents and that's fine considering what else it shows evokes hard enough.

Storywise, this is an interesting game, I wouldn't say the story alone makes the game on its entirety. Rather it's more a sequence of intriguing facets, ones that leave mostly open to interpretation. Not all of it murky enough to leave you completely perplexed, yet it will haunt you in your sleeps if you let it.

There's no voice acting of course, yet the noise they make adds enough context while the atmosphere and setting is being burrowed under so much subtexts about the worst that human beings can do. The audio itself is an integral part of the narrative much more here than other games, mostly thanks to its minimalist style.

Although it ain't ocean deep in terms of themes, it's obviously isn't embellishing itself as the concept itself makes you genuinely feeling unsettled and climactic sequences despite the incoherence in plot seldom coming up.

Little Nightmares II is an unsettling game, both mechanically and design wise. Even in the quieter moments you spent going through the areas, you're carrying quite the suspension of disbelief. The game puts you on choke hold even at times.

The game isn't exactly a side-scroller as the camera view works in a complete 3D space. Meaning your character can move horizontally and vertically. Allowing use of vertically in the pseudo side-scroller game type.

Each of the areas and levels have puzzles, things to solve, door keys to find and unlock, using the sandbox to solve such puzzles like things that aren't very obvious and requires a bit of a detective skill. That's actually the intriguing aspect of the game, the puzzles are crazy challenging to intriguing at times.

Your trusty sidekick will help you out jump over heights you can't reach, often times also get a rope across a gap or grab you from your jump. Which of course looks hilarious considering how much distance the character models covers if he isn't interacting with the other character.

In this game, you need to be highly aware and look over your surroundings. Though often times it doesn't do a good job of that and since then I've ended up doing quite a number of trial and errors around checkpoints. Sometimes even something as jumping over a ledge is difficult because of how the game fails to translate what must be done. Sometimes it's even a design problem or mechanical issue.

Mechanically, the game is as clunky as the previous one was. In fact, in 2021, it's more infuriating to deal with rather than the first game. Movement controls and interactions don't work when you want them to and often times I've died thanks to that. Though it was nice to be in certain combat sections funny enough where you beat a bunch of melamine caricature of school children, they are quite the rowdy bunch.

With some of its prevailing flaws, LN2 is still a bunch, thrilling game to play. But of course it isn't perfect plus this game has a really short run time, of around 4-6hrs.

LN2 is a gorgeous game, even if it maintains a monotone color scheme mostly throughout playthrough, the game has this way of bringing attention to the art style as if indications for its strong themes and subtexts. The animation is pretty interesting and smooth, although not cutting edge, it's good enough to fit with the aesthetics.

The audio design is pretty intriguing. You're instantly feeling a sense of dread and bewilderment because of how surreal everything is made up of. There are so many familiar sounds yet they're arranged in a less ideal sense, mostly distorted.

This game doesn't pull punches when it comes to selling dreariness, that's especially thanks to the art style and visual presentation.

Lastly though, I want to add note that this game has bugs. Quite a few number of them, thanks to that, I've had to restart checkpoints.

Little Nightmares 2 is as much of a scary game as its predecessor was. Although in mechanics and gameplay design it is starting to show its age and the flaws of the prior games don't help either.

Still, I was invested in its story and played all the way through. Even if it doesn't leave much of a feeling of accomplishment somehow. Could have worked some kinks out, but I'd say it's still a fun game overall.

7/10